How Long Does It Take To Become Good At Squash?

Squash is a racket sport that isn’t just about hitting a ball to the wall and back. There is a lot of practice that goes into becoming a good squash player. What can you do to improve your squash game, and how long should it take to become good at squash?

It should take you at least three to six months to become good at squash with vigorous effort. By this time, you should have all the basics down and only work to improve your game more and more. With a lot of effort, you can have squash down to a ‘T’ and be able to stand your ground in a year.

You will soon be good at squash if you prepare a strategy and keep to your workout schedule. You must be willing to put in some extra effort as well, in the form of other sporting and fitness activities that you should practice and participate in outside of the squash court to improve your squash game even more.

How Long Does It Take To Become Good At Squash?

Being good at squash doesn’t only require that you should know how to hit a small rubber ball against a wall. It requires time on and off the squash court. You should be fit, strong, fast, and able to withstand at least 45 minutes to an hour of a hard, rapid workout.

It may seem easier than it is, especially if you are not as fit as you should be. Squash requires an exceptional fitness level, so make sure that you have the necessary stamina to withstand that hour-long constant workout. Work on your good habits to become a good squash player.

With a lot of focus, you can perfect your knowledge and understanding of the sport in about three to six months. It will take another half a year of rigorous effort to get those skills to the point where people will regard you as a “good” squash player.

Tips For Being A Good Squash Player

There are a few things to consider when you want to become good at squash. This game isn’t just about spotting the ball and then hitting it towards the wall; there are so many factors that separate good squash players from the rest. Are you willing to put the amount of effort into your fitness routine that you need to achieve your goal of becoming good at something like squash?

Essential Tips On The Court

There are some basic, recommended tips that you should consider while playing squash. For example, most players who are starting out will hear the phrase “keep your eyes on the ball and not the wall.” Here are a few bonus tips for those who are starting on their journey to becoming good squash players:

Make sure that your shots are precise. Precision should always come before power. If you do not yet have control over the accuracy of your shots, you should practice this more.

If you struggle to hit long shots, you should practice hitting the ball higher on the wall before hitting the ball harder.

Practice your footwork; this is critically important for becoming good at squash. Practice hitting off your left foot when hitting forehand, and when hitting backhand, use your right foot.

You should practice reaching for the ball rather than running to the ball and walls. When you are as fit as you should be, you will have the ability to reach for the ball rather than chase after it. Practice taking longer strides and reaching for the ball whenever you can.

Your only quick movement should be to take your stand at the “T” and hold your ground there. Whenever you lose your ground here, you should get back to this point as soon as possible.

Practice hitting the rubber squash ball repeatedly, parallel to the wall, and as close as possible, never moving your eyes from the ball and always anticipating where it will bounce.

Work on your confidence. Start off by hitting safe balls, and work your way up from there. Improve your game slowly and know your limits. Do not push yourself too much, too fast; confidence and precision are essential.

You should practice your serve as much as you can. An effective serve is way more important than you might think.

Essential Tips Outside Of The Court

On your journey to achieving your goal on the squash court, you need to keep in mind that you should stay fit and practice the movements that will make you a better squash player.

To stay on top of your fitness, you should do plenty of cardio exercises, at least three to four hours per week. This is apart from the hours that you spend inside the squash court. You can do this by walking, running, cycling, and swimming. All of this is just to help keep your heart rate active in order to burn fat and calories and keep you fit.

Get your heart pumping more so that you can withstand the vigorous movements that playing squash will require of you.

You should also have a workout routine that focuses on squats and core strength; this will help you improve your game.

Tips On How To Improve Movement

Practicing how you move when playing squash is very important. Most of the time, mistakes on the squash court are caused by incorrect movement. Here are a few drills that you can practice to improve your movements during the game.

Practice bending your knees. To practice this effectively, get a workout routine that places a lot of emphasis on squats.

Practice your footwork. Get to the point where your feet can move faster and more accurately.

How Often Should You Practice?

We’ve all been told many times that practice makes perfect, so how many hours per week are you willing to put into something that you love that will help you to become a good squash player?

We are all different; we do not all have the same endurance, fitness levels, or even the same number of hours that we can put aside to be good at a recreational sport. But if you want to achieve greatness in squash, you must be willing to put in the necessary time and effort.

Excellent squash players are willing to put in between one and three hours per day for five to six days per week. This will come down to a minimum of five hours and a maximum of eighteen hours per week. However, if you aim to achieve greatness and become one of the best players, you should definitely aim for more than the minimum. The greatest players put in the most time.

Also, remember that you should make time to put effort into your fitness and body movements outside of the squash court as well; don’t put all of your efforts into the court.

Conclusion

This is a guideline of things you can consider on your journey towards becoming a good squash player. The best squash players put in the most time and effort. With adequate effort, you will be able to cut the one-year estimate in half (or less) and become a good squash player much sooner. So the choice is yours, as always. Will you be adequate, or will you be awesome?