I’ve been playing squash for over 5 years now.  I’ve definitely improved since I first picked up a racket.  I think most of the improvement comes from adapting my previous experience with tennis, a general athletic ability to pick up sports and a dedication to breaking down all parts of my game from swing mechanics to strategic shot selection.

In the most recent local squash tournament this past weekend, I failed to win 2 matches on the first day which guarantees participating in the second day matches.  Analyzing what I did right/wrong afterwards I came to a few conclusions.

• Given enough time to set up, I usually will hit a good rail or cross court shot.
• My strategic/tactical squash play is good enough to play at a higher skill level.  My court awareness comes from being able to slow the game down with lobs and deep rails.  However, once the game speeds up, I lose awareness of the court and prevents me from executing my shots.  My shots tend to become just punching at the ball instead of swing/stroking.
• My general form and movement is also good enough to play at a higher skill level.  However, my overall fitness is an issue.  As I grow tired, my form breaks down leading to loose play and multiple mistakes.  This prevents me from executing my shots and general court strategy.
• When I’m hitting rails, I tend to hit the ball straight back at me irrespective if it’s a forehand or backhand stroke.  This is great if I’m close to the wall hitting the ball. But if I’m in the middle of the court, this becomes a big liability as the path of the ball puts it close the T.   This allows my opponent to not stray far from the T to return the ball.  This is also bad if I’m trying to hit a cross court shot as the path of the ball isn’t wide enough to actually traverse the width of the court.
• My lob serves are not consistent enough to rely on from both service boxes.  However, when the lob serves are working, they are generally hard to return.