S Q U A S H 5 7
B E G I N N E R S

GRIP BASIC DRILLS FOREHAND BACKHAND SERVE VOLLEY THINGS TO KNOW
WORDS OF WISDOM

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The videos below are designed to help you begin your Squash57 (racketball) journey. Please ensure you have read our DISCLAIMER prior to starting any of the exercises/drills shown in the videos.

Overview of Rules

Welcome to Squash57 Beginners

Getting Your Grip Right

Just starting out? One of the key issues in Squash57 (Racketball) is having the correct grip when holding the racket. If you get this right then it’s going to be much easier for you then to control the ball when you hit it. Check out the different grip videos below and also the traditionally correct footwork to adopt when you hit the ball. Good luck and good hitting!

Your grip. As a beginner the most important thing is to get your grip right on your racket so it is easier to hit and control the ball. This clip will show you the fundamentals.

Recap the grip. This takes you through a 'photographic' overview of the grip. This hopefully will make it easy for you to pause the clip at any stage so you can practice how you should hold the racket.

First time on court. Elspeth is shown how to hold the racket.

Footwork & Swing. This will help you work on the traditional footwork for your forehand & backhand as well as demonstrating the racket swing for you.

Changing the Grip. How to change my racketball grip.

Basic Drills

The following 9 drills have been designed for you if you are just starting out and have not really been on the court and hit a ball before. They take you through the basics for hitting all the standard shots and give you routines to practice. They may look simple but if you can master these then you will be well on your way! Ideally go on court by yourself to do these routines or if you have a friend who is just starting they are designed so you could both do them at the same time if you make sure you give each other space. Good luck and good hitting!

Practice 1. Working on a basic exercise to help you control your forehand and backhand at the front of the court. This is designed for you to get used to hitting the ball under control on both your forehand and your backhand.

Practice 2. This builds from P1 by getting you to hit the ball backwards and forwards consecutively from forehand to the backhand. This will again help with your control of the racket and where you are hitting the ball.

Practice 3. Once you've mastered hitting the ball at the front now you need to move back towards the shortline (middle of the court) and try to hit forehands and backhands back to yourself making sure you hit the ball above the cut line. Don't try and hit it hard just look for control.

Practice 4. Once you've mastered practice 3, then you do the same again but you hit consecutively alternate forehands and backhands. This will again help to build your control. How many can you do in a row?

Practice 5. This practice helps you get a feel of hitting a 'boast' at the front of the court, this is where you hit the ball on to the side wall and then back again.

Practice 6. This practice helps you work on hitting the ball softly while having to control what you are hitting it into (the service box)! You work on both your forehand and backhand 'touch' on this exercise.

Practice 7. This video covers a very basic drill to start you out with your volley practice. It's really all about feeling confident with your control over your racket and the ball.

Practice 8. Volleying from a short distance from the side wall. Again this is to build up your confidence on volleying the ball on both your forehand and your backhand.

Practice 9. To simulate the forehand and backhand volley you are now going to hit the ball at the front of the court on both the forehand and the backhand.

The Forehand

The two basic strokes you will need to master as a beginner is your forehand and backhand. Here we give you a basic explanation of your forehand and how to make sure you don’t get too close to the ball. It’s important to work on the basic drills above which will help you develop control on your forehand.

The Basics - Why it’s good to work on getting the basics right.

The Basics - A basic explanation of the Forehand

The Basics - Making space to hit the ball.

The Backhand

The two basic strokes you will need to master as a beginner is your forehand and backhand. Here we give you a basic explanation of your backhand. It’s important to work on the basic drills above which will help you develop control on your backhand.

The Basics - The Backhand basic explanation.

Correct footwork. Knowing which is the traditional foot to hit your shot off.

Backhand front & back drill. This is an extension to Practices 1-9. Here you are working on controlling the ball while hitting it up to the front wall and then back to the short line. Not as easy as it looks!

Backhand down the wall drill part 1

Backhand down the wall part 2

Backhand front & back drill. This is an extension to Practices 1-9. Here you are working on controlling the ball while hitting it up to the front wall and then back to the short line. Not as easy as it looks!

The Serve

The serve is the way that you start a game. Whoever wins the point then serves to start the next rally. Level 1 gives you the basics that you need to try and do when hitting this shot. L2 builds on this and gives you tips to improve your serve.

1. The Serve L1 - What you need to know before you serve. This covers all the basic issues you need to understand before you serve!

2. The Serve L1 - The Forehand. What you need to do to hit your forehand serve. How to do it and where you need to aim to hit a good serve.

3. The Serve L1 - The Backhand. How do I do a backhand serve? Where do I aim and how do I hit it?

Recapping the Serve. A basic guide to remind you about the serve.

Practice Serving Game. The Serve is an important shot - it’s how you start each rally and as a beginner you need to master it! Use this ‘game’ and play with a friend in order to improve your serve and have some fun at the same time.

4. The Serve L2 - The Forehand. How to improve on your serve and movement to the T.

4a. Serve L2 - The Forehand. This takes you through how to hit a forehand serve, once you've mastered the level 1 serve and also explains to you issues to do with hitting a 'fault' service.

5. The Serve L2 - The Backhand. How to improve your backhand serve.

5a. The Serve L2 - The Backhand. This takes you through how to hit a backhand serve, once you've mastered the level 1 serve and also explains to you issues to do with hitting a 'fault' service.

The Volley

Things to know!

The videos below help you work out different situations on the court which you will encounter as you begin your racketball journey!

Watching the ball. A major issue for beginners and some club players is watching the front wall and not the ball in between shots! Watch this video to see how to correct this mistake. Equally important for squash or racketball players.

The knock-up. This clip explains what the knock up is at the start of the game and how it works.

The Tin. This clip explains what happens if you hit the tin.

What’s a Let? Working out what a let is. In a rally if your opponent gets in the way normally you would play the point again this is called a 'Let'. Check examples of this in the clip.

What’s a Stroke? During a rally there can be occasions when your opponent is totally in your way and you can't hit the ball - this would normally be a 'stroke', meaning that you win the point. Check out examples in this clip.