Squash is a tough game, but somehow the best players seem to make it look a but easier. The best drops are picked up easily and they can volley even the best hit crosscourts.
Yes some of them are phenomenal athletes but that doesn’t explain the 50 something year old coaches who are doing the same thing! They are simply reading the game and their opponents better.
Some people believe that this is something that is innate or that comes with vast experience but it is also a skill that can be acquired.
Any skill can be improved or learned though deliberate practice. In a match is a difficult place to start this process though. There are just too many things going on.
Instead try to work on this whilst watching other matches. The process is simple. Pick a player and predict the next shot. At the start you won’t find it easy or get that many right but with practice this will improve.
Some tips on this
- Say the guess out loud to force a decision from yourself
- You can play a game between two people each predicting a different player
- Pick a player you struggle with and see if you can improve the reading of their game
- Don’t try this on much better players or very unpredicable ones (Even Ali Farag struggles with reading Mazen Hesham!)
After a while you will improve but it will never be something you will be fully aware of. Reading people is not an overtly conscious process, most of it is instinctive. In fact the main people who will notice will be your opponents, who will start to complain that you are moving really well today!
Squash Coaching 