Drives in Squash

This is by far the easiest shots to begin with in Squash and the most used shots while doing rallies. So mastery of the shot is a must and all beginners start off learning this shot.

Forehand Drive

The forehand drive is the most fundamental shot of squash and it’s a shot that after hitting the front wall the ball goes parallel to the side wall to a good length so that the ball dies on its second bounce near the back wall.

The idea is to get the ball as parallel to the side wall as possible so that the opponent has to leave the crucial ‘T’ zone.

Position – The body and shoulders should be parallel to the side wall, and the ball should be at the top of the bounce and at a comfortable distance opposite the left knee. The arm should straight while hitting the ball and follow through should be in the direction of the ball.

Backhand Drive

The backhand drive is similar to the forehand drive except it’s done on the backhand side of the wall (left side). This is relatively harder to accomplish especially for beginners as it’s hit off the right foot and the hand position and follow through become very important.

Cross-Court Drive

The cross-court drive is shot that is hit to the front wall and after rebound it goes across and hits the further side wall on the other side just after the service box. The cross-court is similar to forehand drive in terms of swing but the body position is slightly different.

Position – the body position is slightly aligned to the center rather than being parallel to the side wall. The shot has to be wide enough to prevent the opponent from volleying it and to try and make the ball die in the back court area on the other side.