Cressa - here is the squashgame Library link which will give you some basic segmented swing pointers.  You can see from the pics that if this player suddenly grabbed the racket in two hands the swing would not nearly be the same.

I know some players do use their other hand to guide the racket etc but hey the other "wing" is to balance your body and swing as well as assist weight transfer.
Remember this swing for power is a pronation/supination of the forearm, not a shoulder punching/bunting action - so if you are grabbing the racket with two hands you are preventing power being generated by the pronation/supination action.

The squash swing and grip is the same for all shots, eg drive, boast, lob, drop (the latter two shots do not have pronation) - with a split seconds notice - and whatever you are doing must be adaptable immediately.  If you are practising a swing that is only good for one shot your game will have difficulty developing.

Go back to the drawing board!

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Cressa,

 

Glad to see that you're coming back to the sport after such a long time out. Technique is a difficult thing to get right without seeing what you need to do to begin with. Professionals like Jon Power definately have a great techniqe to copy off, but you can start by looking at the techniques of the best players in your club. Try to ask some of them for some pointers on adjusting yours to a more suitable style.

 

Some tips I've used with Tennis players and Golfers before is to keep the wrist locked and upright until you get the racquet comfortably into position without having to think about it.

 

As mentioned earlier, repetition of the correct technique is key to getting thing right every time and eventually to get things right without having to think about it. This is not something that you can learn overnight if you've spent 20 years playing tennis. It would be like trying to drive a manual after 20 years of driving an automatic! Similar principles but different techniques!

 

Best of luck on this one.......

1) Find someone with good technique to SHOW you how to change

2) Practise these changes

3) Review the progress with the same person

4) Practise some more

5) Repeat 3 and 4 until you're happy!

 

Adz

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cressa,  I would say the cure is just repetition. Just hitting a few hundred balls in a row using one hand with early preparation will probably help quite a bit. Just think elbow high and the hand and racquet must follow.

Also work on your grip and contact point. You should be able to hit the ball even with you or even behind you if you have the proper grip. If you have a tennis backhad grip there's no way you can hit the ball straight when it gets past you.

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cressa, the technique you describe is the classic one handed tennis backhand. two hands aren't on the grip so it isn't a two handed backhand, but you take the racket back with the left hand on the throat. Just look at roger federer. Same tecnique!

Unfortuately squash is a different sport, and with this tecnique you will have a problem digging the balls out of tight corners as you racket backswing will be two 'back' and not 'up' enough for want of a better explanation, and your left will be unavailable for the 'scissor' action which helps balance and creates power.

It is my advice to learnt the proper technique for squash. Get some coaching and watch some footage of Jonathon Power. He has the best squash backhand ever IMO.

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Thanks Rippa....I am actually trying to improve in order to play in the Pennant side, albeit F-Grade ! So it's a little more than just for fun.  I have had one lesson but still can't seem to get the swing right (maybe because I grew up playing a lot of tennis).

For the record, I never actually strike the ball with two hands on the raquet, I am only using the left hand to guide it back straight and to keep the raquet head up while trying to keep the right elbow away from the body.

Unfortunately I am getting frustrated, but that's because I'm not keeping my raquet up enough and seem to be mis hitting shots.

ANy help and pointers appreciated.

Cressa

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cressa - if you were trying to reach some heights I would suggest changing your style but since you seem to be playing for fun and fitness, and provided you are having a good game and not getting frustrated with getting the balls out of the corners, don't worry too much.

I know of one player, who was from a tennis family, who used the double-handed backhand shot.  She was a reasonable player.  The way to exploit this style is to bring the player forward and then draw them back into the corner - so they cannot actually approach the ball from behind, if you get me. The opposition has to be smart enough to do that is the critical thing!!

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Look I think you are correct in that my left hand is used to keep the elbow and raquet head raised. As you righly point out, this technique does not workin the front court.

In answer to your other question, I don't think my raquet hand goes to the same height when I backswing with just that hand.  I feel by guiding the head back it gives me a smoother swing and feels a little more natural.

Do you suggest anything that can help me get the head to the same height other than this two handed backswing ?

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I have seen college players do this, and while it looks a little unorthodox, it seems to work well for them. When they're at a full stretch, there's no way they can get both hands to the racquet so they do end up swinging one-handed at times.

Maybe bringing your hand up to meet the other hand is just helping you to get your racket/hand/elbow up high into the proper position to begin a good swing. Do you think you bring your racket hand to the same position each time when you don't use the two-handed technique? Maybe touching your non-swinging hand just provides a consistent motion. I'm sure you can achieve this just swinging with one hand, but it might take some work.

 

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