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Practice 3 - Boast and Drive

The Boast and Drive exercise, where Player A frontcourt straight drives and Player B backcourt boasts is the most important pairs exercise in squash.

For Beginners

Initially, when you are learning this practice, it can help to feed yourself with the ball occasionally before hitting it to your partner. This helps to get it under control. Get into a rhythm. Once you have established this, the drives can be made more difficult. 

For Intermediate Players

This is a marvellous exercise with which to practise technique, movement and shots. Don’t just go through the motions. How you set up your shots affects the control you have over the ball and hence your accuracy. Concentrate on one thing at a time.

For the straight drive: prepare as you move to the boast, turn your trunk a little, turn your shoulder and take the racket back; try to get into position early so that you are waiting for the ball; leave room so that the ball comes between you and the side wall. Let the ball come behind the right angle so that you can angle it into the side wall. Be aware of your target area (a tight shot will hit the side wall behind the service box and a full length will force your opponent to take it off the back). Alter each shot so that you gradually become more and more accurate.

For the boast: Pick one boast to practise at a time. Try to play the two-wall boast to die rather than sitting up off the side wall. 

For Advanced Players

Start your practice by concentrating on setting up your shots properly and getting them grooved into your target area. Start gently and then build up the pace. Next practise pushing back from your shots and recovering position on the T. From the back court recover to a ready position on the T. From the front court push backwards to the T.

Once your shots are grooved and movement is rhythmic, practise some variations – straight lobs, full length and dying length drives. Give your opponent the problem of deciding whether to take the ball before or after the back.

Play a simple condition game where each drive must land behind the back of the service box, within its width, and each boast must hit the front wall below the service line.

1. Player A boasts; 2. Player B straight drives; 3. Player A boasts; 4. Player B straight drives.

With practice and experience Player A will quickly swivel out of the shot set-up position and attempt to recover a ready position on the T (that is astride the half court line in front of the imaginary line joining the back of the service boxes), before setting off to boast on the opposite side.