I thought i would add my opinions in this,  I am the opposite of dropshot, no point is lost till that ball tins/outs/double bounces!  i have found that volleying is vital and makes a huge difference but a poorly thought volley, trying for one too hard can cause problems with clearing the ball and hitting straight back to your opponent on the straight rallies.  Dropshot, how do you deal with the higher floated "straight lobs"?  I never belive in this only play in the top class as there can only ever be on person best in the world!  Enjoyment and playing the best you can play by your measure is the most important.  I think that traditional squash is still the way to win, good retrievers seem to pick up more matches and keeping the ball alive at all costs is a huge skill (an requires a fair whack of fitness)

In the deep i think the big keys are distance from the ball (i am c**p at this but try to stay almost on the line running back from the T and lunge in) and this should allow you to bend your knees and get under the ball better.  Aim high on the front wall if you can and almost float the ball back to the corner.

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"Though I love very much the tricky lob boast "
Um... sorry but what do you mean by that? do you mean a corkscrew?

Personally, I find the boast can be a very effective shot from anywhere in the court. I've been working on mine lately and its been hitting the nick(or close to it) rather often. When I'm playing someone a little weaker than me or about the same standard, i'd say 6/10 hits the nick (not necesarrily rolling, but close still)
 

Aslong as you recover quickly, it's awesome, cause it sets up you to take adb=vantage of their next shot, corsscourt, you volley, drop you run in and kill, and if they go straight it has to be perfect for them. I find thats how I win a fair few points, a good boast, then I set myself of for the kill of their next shot( or a good deep shot to make them run more xdD)

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Dear Rita,
where exactly this fly is sitting on the wall? ;-) just kidding.
And I promise I will do my homework (Throw the ball softly 1m high...)
And anyway, I have to say - boast sucks. Sorry for my french. It is simply such a risky shot. It helps you to come back to the T, when in danger, but if your opponent will catch the ball on the front wall ... be sure to run fast for the drop or very strong kill. That's why I do not like too much boasting or hitting back the ball on the glass. In all earnest, I do not believe in efficiency of deep court boast. Though I love very much the tricky lob boast when I am in the front of the court and my opponent is expecting tight drop or loose crosscourt... But I admit, you are right, I am going to be a player prepared for everything, so I will practice a bit the lesson you gave me.

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Slavi - I wish I was a fly on the wall when you are playing! Anyway, it sounds like you will end up to be a perfect volleyer, a good high-jumper, and a lousy "boaster"! So, now just 'cos Rita suggested, and for fun, solo practice this (assuming your are right-handed):-
1. Racket in the right hand, ball in the left hand, stand at the T facing the back wall.
2. Throw the ball softly 1m high (or less) onto the back wall to rebound 1m then boast the ball to land in the side wall nick at the front of the court.

When you approach the ball keep about 2 racket lengths away from the ball so you have plenty of room to position yourself and swing.

Let me know, after about 4 weeks, how many times out of 10
you hit the nick?

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Well, Ray, you got me. Whenever the ball is behind my back (by accidence or my sleepery eyes), I treat the rally as lost. Really. I do it on puropse to learn myself to not retrieve the ball from the nick in the glass wall. Only volley counts. Of course, my poor Head Liquidmetal hits the side wall many times, but I hit thecross-court lob or eventually very tight drop.
I hate to watch the players hitting deep court drives and waiting for the ball until it hits the glass, then bounce on the floor. This is "old school of squash" in my opinion. Nowadays, the players who are at top 10 are much faster, quicker and very well prepared conditionally. So I am trying to reach this level. I want to go with the first class, even if the road is full of blocks and shallow holes.

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well jim

as you can see, slavi is totally committed to getting it right. slavi, i admire your dedication. what you are trying to do is correct, but not always possible. if your opponent is doing his/her job, the ball will get past you occasionally! if that is not happening at the moment slavi, you need to play against some stronger(more skilful) opponents.

in any case jim, let me know how you go.

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Jim - Good return - Rule 6. The ball must be hit correctly by the striker, eg
1. Must not be a double hit.
2. Must not be hit when the racket is not held in the striker's hand.
3. Must not be carried on the racket(scooped).
Many players who go backwards into the backwall do try all sorts of ways to project the ball to the front wall, and often when they resort to using 2 hands it becomes a shovelling action, and the ball is sort of flung off the racket - that is often a carry ball. The shot has to be a hit, and with your backside up against the wall, it is difficult to get a swing, hence the two-handed shovel action. A "hit" bounces off the racket. I have just written a coaching tip soon to be published "shovelling in the back corners" which will describe the footwork when approaching back wall drives/lobs and boasts. That is a good question Jim and worth spending some hours practising.

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Dear Ray, Dear all ... regarding your last post "it would be great if we could do as slavi suggested and never have the ball go past us!" ... Well, I have to answer that.
I am the one who obey few things in life. One of them is persistance (to not mix with stubborness)... So, when you can't go with the first class, you better stay home. That's my answer for the issue of the "pasing ball" and all the other issues related to squash. There are several (I believe less than ten) hints on squash. One of them says: keep your opponent off-balance by approaching and hitting the ball early, volleying a lot. Well. Am I wrong?

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dear jim
it would be great if we could do as slavi suggested and never have the ball go past us!

as for a carry, this can occur when you "scoop" the ball, especially wen the ball is travelling away from you as it does when it hits the back wall. it is not a common occurence and you will know when it happens - the ball does not bounce off the racket face but is flung off the face something like - is it lacrosse?

in the event that you must retrieve from the back court, try the following:

• Try not to back up against the back wall, that makes it almost impossible to swing the racket.
  
• if the ball is really close to the back wall, a lob is out of the question - try a boast instead - through and under the ball onto the side wall.
  
• try to reduce the radius of your swing - make it more compact - this enables you to get into the corners a little better.
  
• keep low by bending your knees and/or keeping the feet well apart and keep a very open racket face.
  
• The following links should help - note the positioning of the feet and body relative to the walls- this is important.

best of luck!

Boast swing and positioning
Deep Lob

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Hi there,
my advice for you is to change your tactic totally. Forget about "returning a ball from deep in the court". The place you have just pictured is a "loser" place. What you should do is to volley every possible ball. Then your head is free from unnecessary thoughts about "carrying the ball" ...

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