Squash backhand technique

The backhand seems to be a shot that seems to require more work than the forehead for many of us. If you don’t get the technique right your shot can be inaccurate, not powerful, (or could be more powerful), or you can start to develop injury in your elbow from incorrect wrist usage.

A lot of it is about timing and starting the sequence of movement at the right time (as well as knowing where the ball should be when you hit it).

Jesse Engelbrecht shows the backhand here starting about 52 seconds into the following video (also includes forehand here) and then again at about 1:58.

What he doesn’t cover here is that you should be facing the wall when you hit the ball. Many players face the front or perhaps the corner. Note the position of the wrist.

As discussed in the forehand article, also consider the kinetic chain.

The overarching concept to gain more power is increasing racquet head speed. Not muscling through the shot. When you break down the moving parts in a backhand drive (a straight backhand down the wall for example). Each part of the chain speeds up the next further down the line.

If you can imagine how a whip works, or if you have ever snapped a wet towel at anyone (or been hit with one), the concept is pretty much the same in some ways, there is an uncurling of movement that can generate a lot of power at the end of the chain. In the case of a squash shot, the point where the ball meets the racquet.

The chain is not too dissimilar to the forehand drive and seems to be for a straight backhand drive:

1. Stepping into the shot
2. Starting from the racquet being up – a high racquet position to take advantage of gravity and bringing the racquet down and around
3. Turning of the torso, hips and shoulders
4. Arm straightens, bringing the forearm around
5. As the forearm rotates it brings the racquet around

Getting the ball out of the backhand back corner

Once you get your backhand to a place you want it, the next thing you’ll like struggle with are those balls that end up in the corner.

The technique is different than it is for a basic drive so when you are ready, check out getting the ball out of the backhand corner.

More…

See forehand technique here.