Quick Tips

1. There is no such thing as a "winner" (apart, of course, from the elusive big cross-court nick. Generally - if we are honest - a pyrrhic victory achieved at a substantial net cost, not benefit, over time). Look to play "good shot", "good shot", "and good shot" and then - as the gaps get bigger - one of these "good shots" will become a winner. You cannot go from nothing to a winning shot over-quickly. It doesn't matter if the rally continues, as long as you are not doing the running. Rallies will get shorter as you impose your tactical superiority.
   
   
2. If there is a huge gap, hit the ball into it - even if it is the obvious shot. A typical scenario is where you have played perhaps a good drop or boast and the opponent has hit the reply very wide cross-court off the side wall (or side and back walls) and it has come back to around the middle or middle-deep of the court.
   
   The important point here is your early movement. As soon as you see where the ball is going to finish, start moving back (and with an early full backswing) to completely establish your dominant position on the court. (Some "experienced" players may even back off into the dominant position more than necessary and move in to play the ball only at the last moment, thereby gaining even more positional advantage.) Your opponent is now stranded behind you in a very weak position with nowhere to go, you have room to play the shot (if you have not moved into position early you may end up playing it a bit cramped, or having to play a let when you had a clear winning position) and you have a huge gap to play into. The secret is to actually play into this gap. Forget delay and deception, the hard work has been done. Even though your opponent knows where the ball is going, you know that he knows where it is going and everybody watching knows where it is going, it is still the right shot, virtually every time.
   
   You can hit it short or long (as long as the narrow angle is right). A hard lowish drive is normally best. It should be the final "good shot" of the rally. This rule does not apply where the ball is around the middle of the court but in front of the centre line. In this more forward position, the opponent can come around the back of you to a more central and tenable position.
   
   In this case, more deception is appropriate - probably dummy drop/but drive or dummy straight/but cross-court drive. (A drop from central court positions is dangerous because the angle is very wide, not allowing the ball to be tight at any stage - except for the unlikely nick. Too many of these wide-angle drops, or played too soon, can turn a position of being 80/20 up to being 80/20 down in a second. The risk is not worth the reward).
   
    
3. Hit more deep drives than you think. On the backhand hit more straight than cross-court. On the forehand hit about 50/50. Obviously, when the ball is tighter, the proportion of straight shots should go up. Playing deep (particularly straight) is not negative: it is the crucial basis of the whole game. All other shots derive from - and depend upon - good deep drives. Low risk high reward.
   
   
4. The lower the standard of player, the more boasts are played. It is a loose attacking shot and must be played relatively sparingly. A good boast will certainly damage your opponent but a bad boast - or even a good one played too often or too obviously - will damage you more.
   
   
5. The Key Shot - The best safe attacking shot - after the drive - is the straight drop. This is a very, very important shot. It can and should be played not only from the front but - more importantly - from deep and mid court. As long as it is played at the correct angles it is a safe attack and will force a loose reply enabling you to easily play another good shot, probably deep. This drop shot is particularly important when you are on the backhand side towards the back, where much of the rally action takes place. Good risk and reward. More difficult and risky to play on the forehand.

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Secret 1: Doubt, Delay and Deception

Good players are constantly playing not only good shots but good shots with the possibility of something else. Of course, if the ball is very tight they just play a good shot without deception because no deception is really possible. If it is very loose they just play a good shot without deception because no deception is really necessary. But where the ball is neither very tight or very loose there are always possibilities.

Every time you play a certain shot from a certain position you can create doubt which can be exploited the next time you are in that same position. As an example, if you play a good drop shot when you are in the front right court, then the next time you are in that position the opponent's mental computer is telling him to watch out for that shot again. It hurt him last time and he doesn't want the same to happen again. Your computer should therefore be saying "OK, I'll show him the drop but actually play something else" (probably deep straight or cross-court, or lob). (The computer may of course conclude that the same drop is appropriate again). If you never play the drop, then however good your drives/lobs etc, you are not going to create the doubt that will cause your opponent to lean slightly the wrong way thus forcing him off balance (and therefore making his next shot a little less effective). Running in an anticipated straight line is easy. The really hard work is in having to change direction.

Another example of deception is to shape to play straight but actually hit cross-court, particularly on the forehand. It is true that no player is simply going to rush early the wrong way to get the shown straight shot but it is not difficult to get an opponent to slightly lean the wrong way and be off balance. As well as making his next shot less effective it also of course has enormous negative energy consequences for him.

Another example is the dummy boast/ but drive (straight). The further behind you the ball goes, the more it looks as though you are going to play a boast. Therefore, if you get in a good square position to the ball, let it get past you a bit and then, with a good early backswing and delayed wrist action pull it back straight, the opponent will be sent leaning for the boast and the straight drive will do more damage than just an "ordinary" straight drive played with no deception. You have "added value". A typical scenario might be (each time from a similar position): drive, drive, drive, boast, dummy boast/ but drive, drive, drive..... You should have done damage with the drives and then also with the boast and then, shaping to boast to confirm the opponent's worry about it, the dummy boast/ but drive will wrong-foot him also.

You are now beginning to "play the game". But remember that the above scenario - and all the many possible delay/ deception scenarios - takes time to develop. To get to the dummy boast/ but drive above (the 5th shot in the sequence) may take 10 minutes of play before you have had 5 shots in a similar position on court.

Both players' mental computers tell them what happened the last time the ball was in that position (particularly if it was a good pressure shot) so you can use that knowledge to show him you are going to do the same again thus confirming his leaning movement - though actually doing the opposite, forcing that fatiguing change of direction. Such scenarios are available all over the court, almost all the time.

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Secret 2: Credits

Every time you play a certain shot from a certain position you build a credit for its opposite. A key area for such credits is back left. Every time you play a straight drop from there you create a credit for the cross-court drive (or lob) - into the opposite corner.

So, in amongst immaculate straight drives from back left, you should play reasonably frequent straight drops (safe attack - good risk/reward). Fairly quickly, the opponent will be forced to cover - and lean towards - front left/back left. This opens up back right. Played too soon - or too obviously - the cross-court to back right will be easily intercepted and dealt with but, with the correct straight groundwork (which is also safe), the cross-court will pass your opponent and do real damage.

Having played the cross-court, you have of course created credits for front left (and back left). The opponent now obviously has to cover the cross-court slightly more, enabling your drops/drives to do more damage again. This leads to him having to cover them slightly more etc.

If you never play the drop (or boast or lob or reverse angle etc), the game will obviously continue but your drives will be less effective even if they are hit exactly the same as the player who does also plays drops - because there is less doubt created. The opponent does not have to lean slightly more forward to cover the short balls, so the deeper ones are easier. You are a hacker. If you overplay the drops etc - or play them too obviously - they will be dealt with easily. You had better be fit.

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ABC Tips

A - Key shot: Backhand volley drop. You have played a good deep drive to back left, it is tight and forces a fairly easy backhand volley for you. Your key reply here is front left drop, not cross-court deep which is often played. The front left is a nightmare for your opponent to deal with. He has to play it almost in front of himself, virtually always forcing an easy put-away for you. Watch the Pros - good lengths are a given. Front left is the key.

B - Don't be afraid to retreat to absolute basics where necessary. If your opponent hits a good tight drive, then the risk/reward calculation must be to simply hit a good tight drive back. If his next shot is a little looser, then you have more realistic options - perhaps a straight drop or you may decide that you can use this looser ball to hit an immaculate hard low drive that will force a looser reply enabling you to play an even more forcing drive or drop. But if you try anything where the risk/reward is against you, then you are probably in for a bit of running. Offence can become defense very quickly.

If the game is going against you, or if your opponent is hitting frequent winners, it is generally because you have become too loose. Retreat to absolute basics for a short while and the game will begin to fall back into place. Give him nothing to hit. "Shot players" generally do not have much patience and cannot resist playing too many short. They will do this even off your tight basics, thereby playing weaker shots allowing you to take control.

Alternatively, you could follow such often used advice as: "Hit the ball hard. If that doesn't work, hit it harder", though hopefully sanity will prevail.

C - Back right corner. Hit more straight. Not easy, so practice it. The naive player will "bottle out" and hit the easier cross-court first. It may be hit hard but it will be cross-court. The better player knows this and will easily cut it off and play straight drive or drop or - if he is very good - dummy drop / but drive, according to how bad the cross-court is.

D - Bearing in mind (c) above, when you play a deep straight ball on the forehand, do not go back to a position to the right of the centre line (you will be passed cross-court) unless your shot has glued to the wall and a very loose reply is obviously imminent. If anything, stand 1" off-centre to the left and be ready to deal with a cross-court. Even if it is actually hit straight, it is generally relatively easy to deal with - certainly much easier than being passed by the cross-court.

E - As you become better tactically, you will automatically get better technically. Don't spend too much time on technique (though as a beginner, getting the basic techniques right is a must).

It is no good hitting fantastic looking shots if they are played to the wrong areas of the court. Many players look like World Champions in the knock-up only to be horribly exposed in the game. Indeed, the flashier a player is in the knock-up, the more confident you can generally be in his weak tactical knowledge. (Also, of course, the more sun-tanned a player is, the less fit he probably is).

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F - Play some reverse angles. Everybody hates this shot being played against them but plays hardly any themselves. Every time you play one, it creates real doubt for the next 10 times that you don't and thus has your opponent leaning that little more forward than they would do if you had not played a reverse angle.

Thus, as you get better tactically, you will begin to get to the Holy Grail: you will be able to hit 5 or 6 different shots (played from the same technically correct square position) without your opponent being able to tell which one you are going to play. You are becoming a squash player.

G - Routines. Stop brainless routines, i.e. you boast, I drive. Every routine needs a basis but there must be options, like in a real game.

So, with boast/drive for example, when at the back play mostly boasts but some straight drops and even straight drives back to yourself. When at the front, play mostly straight drives but also some cross-court drives or lobs or drops (which you then play back deep).

Any practice routine can be varied slightly in this way to make it more realistic and useful. Quality not quantity. Brainless "one shot only" routines reinforce bad habits. You will also become predictable, one-dimensional and play shots from positions that you should not do - e.g. play a boast off a ball that is too tight to boast well.

H - If your last shot is a good one, your next one will be easy. If your last shot is weak, you will have to work. Every shot counts. Thus, if your opponent hits a clean winner, you should not be thinking "I must get fitter and faster". You should be thinking "If I had played a better shot before, he could not have played that winner. I will not give him such an easy one again".

I - Don't fall for the sucker shot. However bad a position, there is almost always a way out, and with interest. For example, and most commonly, if your opponent plays a good boast and you are being forced into playing a cross-court, then don't play the cross-court. The easy option might be cross-court (which your opponent of course knows) so if you actually play that shot you will merely go from 70/30 down to 90/10 down and with the end inevitable.

A good player knows that his opponent knows that he is being forced into the cross-court so he will actually play anything but that - probably a straight drive or perhaps a drop or (a great counter attack under pressure) a cross-court lob. Indeed, the master player will reinforce the opponent's belief that he is going to play the naive cross-court by totally showing the cross-court (his body being in a position where the ball is very much in front of the body thus "confirming" the shot) but actually playing something else. Hence, he has got out of trouble with interest.

J - If you are being forced to play a boast at the back, don't. Of course, there are times when it is the only shot left (but even then it can be played slowly so as to finish at least fairly tight on the side wall rather than very loose in the middle) but it is possible to straighten many more deep balls than you think.

The trick is to shorten your grip if you see that the ball is going to be difficult in the back corner. Move down the grip so that you are holding the racket with your hand half on the top of the grip and half on the shaft. You are therefore now effectively playing with a racket that is shorter than standard and which can therefore get closer to the back wall without hitting it.

With practice, it is amazing how a "difficult" deep ball can actually be straightened and again you can therefore turn defense into attack very quickly. There is nothing so demoralizing for an opponent who thinks they have forced you into a weak defensive boast when you actually manage to play it deep.

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K - There is never anything wrong with playing a good hard straight drive that dies away into the back corner.

L - Put your tactical plan into action as soon as you can. If your opponent gives you a weak serve, play a straight drop immediately - on the first point if possible. You then have the serve and you have started the doubt. Also, most players are not warmed up enough at the beginning and are initially slower to the front.

M - Warm up well yourself. You should be just beginning to break sweat as the match starts.

N - If your opponent guesses where you are going to hit the ball (even if he guesses right), this is a good sign. He is desperate and the end is in sight. Keep to your game.

O - The same if your opponent gets very tired or injured. Keep to your game. Don't try to finish it too soon.

P - The fitter you are, the longer in a match you will be able to concentrate on and implement the tactical side of your game.

Q - If you and your opponent are involved in a horribly hard rally - with oxygen to the brain fading fast - the temptation is to "Go for it". Don't. The first player to hit a good deep drive will normally win it.

R - Use the lob more than you think. It is an excellent way to turn defense into attack and it is also an underused attacking shot in its own right. Most players are weak and predictable high in the air, particularly on the backhand.

S - For goodness sake play a decent serve - your one chance to dominate immediately. So many players waste this opportunity, with many actually being immediately on the defensive instead of the offensive. From the right court, play mostly lob or step across to play a backhand sliding down the wall as tight as you can. (Obviously, the further you step across, the tighter you can be). From the left court, step across and play mainly a forehand tight down the wall. Serves should also not come easily off the back wall.

T - Return of serve. Mostly straight, particularly on the backhand. Some variety creates doubt. If you receive a very good lob serve (putting you 80/20 down potentially) just content yourself with a simple straight reply (don't worry about power) to get back to at least 50/50 for the next shot. Anything else is suicidal.

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U - Be particularly careful about playing a drop shot off an (even slightly) awkward ball - even if it is from a (nearly very easy) central position. This situation will often arise when the opponent has hit a badly directed shot that you can therefore take early - often a volley - but not in total control.

The opponent will generally expect you to play short off such an apparently easy and early ball (particularly if he is out of position - probably stranded deep) so he will immediately be moving forward anyway to cover it.

If you can in fact play a good short ball from this position, it is often right to do so but if you cannot play it with 100% control then the risk/reward cost benefit analysis dictates that you should actually play it deep to await other more controlled opportunities.

To play it to the obvious place (short) and badly is the worst case scenario. His body weight is already moving in the right direction and you will immediately lose the "half-opening" advantage and go from attack to defense in an instant.

V - Front corners (normally following your opponent's boast or drop). If the ball is loose then, as discussed above, a drop/cross-court/straight drive combination is normally appropriate. However, as the ball becomes tighter to the side wall, then the cross-court element should be played less and the straight element more.
There is, however, still scope for adding value to the straight shot by holding for the boast but playing straight and, of course, if you play the drop shot off a fairly tight ball, then the angle allows you to play it tighter than if you play it off a looser and wider ball. Indeed, it is often correct off a tighter ball to simply play a good tight drop - even though it is obvious. This gives your opponent a really difficult escape route.
If, however, you are not totally in control, it is generally too risky to play the tight ball as a drop and you should (depending on the time available) dummy the drop and either play straight drive or cross-court/straight lob.

Risk/reward formula - that endless multitude of considerations that determine which shot to play:

• What options do I have?
• Is there a definite correct shot to play now, even though it is obvious?
• What shot did I play last time I was in this position?
• What shot am I being (even slightly) forced to play?
• What options can I show I have?
• How tired am I?
• Will the attempted shot I play from here be worth it?
• If I miss it, will it put me in a much worse position than the position I am in now?
• Even if I miss the shot - but I don't miss it by much - will it be worth it since I will anyway force a loose reply and I will have created doubt for the next time I am in this position?
• Overall, have I been too positive or too negative so far?
• Is this the right shot to really delay and deceive or is it too tight or too obvious a shot so that the benefit - although there would be some - would be more if I waited for a slightly different ball?

The computer may work out the risk/reward formula and simply conclude "play straight drives deep". Indeed, it will rightly conclude this often. Risks and rewards of a multitude of shots will be calculated continuously and shots selected accordingly.
The tighter the ball to be played, the straighter will be the selection. The looser the ball to be played, the more variety is available. A continuous correct selection of shots quickly becomes a virtuous circle where the rally will inevitably end with your winning shot. A continuous incorrect selection of shots quickly becomes a vicious circle where the rally will inevitably end with your losing shot. It really is possible - unless the ball is very tight - to go "forward" in the rally every time you play the ball. In other words, having played the ball, you should always be in a better position than you were just before you played it. When coaching, my most commonly used word is "nothing": when the pupil hits a shot that achieves nothing - normally an "attacking" boast that actually comes back to the middle or a cross-court hit wide and/or too obviously. In fact, they are less than "nothing" shots: the player is in a worse position than they were just before they hit it.

If you can't or won't do any of the above, you had better start some serious training. Good players do not waste a single shot - the energy clock is ticking.

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