Have you ever wondered why squash players ‘boast’ about their shots, after all it’s a game. Then it dawns upon you (actually explained by a squash professional) that ‘boast’ is actually a type of shot in squash. The following guide is refresher for anybody wanting to pick up this game or trying to understand the different shots of Squash.
Squash Boast
The boast is a shot whereby you use the side wall or the back wall before hitting the front wall. The ball after the front wall drops short and opens up the front half of the court. The boast can be used as an attacking shot or a defensive shot. The different types of boasts are:
- Two Wall Boast
- Three Wall Boast
- Trickle Boast
- Skid Boast
- Reverse Boast
- Back Wall Boast
Position – in the drive the shoulders are usually parallel with the sidewall, however, when playing the boast the shoulder closest to the front wall points slightly towards the sidewall so as to facilitate playing towards the side wall.
While playing a boast, it is important to have the knees bent and hit through the ball with a slightly open-faced racquet.
Sidewall Boast – Attacking and Defensive
Attacking Boast – The attacking boast is played when you are in front of your opponent. The ideal shot would be get the ball to hit the middle of the front wall and bounce twice before hitting the side wall. Ideally the second bounce should be just before the side-wall/floor nick. This shot forces your opponent to run the full diagonal while you take one step back to the ‘T’.
Defensive Boast – This shot is hit when you are behind your opponent. In this shot the aim should be to hit the opposite corner floor – side wall nick. This is referred to as a 3-wall shot and has to be used at the appropriate time.
The common mistake done by beginners is to either go too close to the ball (cramped shot) or try to lift the ball instead of going through with the shot.