So this new female squash player has horrible form.  A glaring example is when she hits the ball.  Her wrist isn’t naturally “cocked” which is one way of saying that the racket and the forearm forms a 90 degree angle. So when she goes to hit a forehand shot, it looks like the racket is an extension of the arm with the racket and the forearm forming nearly a 180 degree angle.  Her backhand is very similar to the forehand but there’s an added element of trying to snap her wrist on her backhand in order to generate “power.”  This results in a “broken wrist” which is bad form.  Playing with bad form affects your squash game limiting the strategy and tactics available.

I was also a beginner once.  I also believed in establishing strong fundamentals. For squash, a proper forehand and backhand swing is the foundation of being able to tactically hit the different squash shots which opens the court up for even more efficient movement.  Don’t get me wrong… Movement is also a squash fundamental too.  But movement tends to comes more from playing experience and the discipline/muscle memory of all the squash practice (if hitting with a partner/coach).  In some ways, I practiced and corrected my form constantly for 6-12 months because in my mind, I was in no condition to play anyone.  Why? Because playing with someone, not only do I need to focus on returning the ball but I also had to focus on the where the opponent would hit the ball and also focus on my movement around the court.  Having to think about all these items is added brain functionality that ultimately breaks down everything resulting in nothing going right.

I suggested that this new squash player focus on just hitting against the wall to get her form correct.  Her response?  She countered that that playing against other people allows her to learn ALL aspects of squash from hitting to movement.  I’m not sure how much she’s learning when she doesn’t have a consistent swing and constantly running from side to side.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Meh…