In thinking about your game or in analyzing an opponent, it is useful to divide the game into its various aspects so as to yield a list of categories, each of which has importance.
In general, it is possible to divide the game in half: offense and defense. Every shot contributes to one or the other. And it won't do to try to bypass defense with that old cliche, “The best defense is a good offense.” That phrase sounds so clever and so pat, and it has extra appeal because it is much more fun to imagine one's self making great shots than to picture scrambling and making tough gets. But the fact is that quite frequently (half the time?) your opponent has the serve, therefore the initiative, so you are on the defensive whether you like it or not. Actually it is often possible (and desirable) to make an aggressive return of serve thereby wresting the initiative away from the server. However, if the serve is a good one, this is much more easily said than done. Also, to assume that you will always be playing offensively is a most undesirable form of arrogance: do you flatter yourself that you are the only one who makes good basic shots such as serves, rails, volleys? If you have proper respect for a tough opponent, you will admit at the start that you can only hope to win the basic rally about half the time, so your defense will necessarily be half your game. Don't neglect it.
A second division may relate to the court: how good are you, how good is your opponent, in the back of the court or the front of the court? Information about these aspects of play can well lead to a change in tactics that wins the match: play a lot of front wall shots, or keep the ball deep most of the time.
The third division again relates to the court: should you concentrate on the forehand side or the backhand side? Many players assume your forehand is stronger than your backhand. Quite frequently, the opposite is true. Usually a play can hit the forehand harder because it is one's natural throwing motion. But often the backhand is a better executed, smoother stroke that makes less errors and clings closer to the wall: it looks less threatening but actually is your opponent's great strength. In that case, it's better to play to the forehand.
This concept is reinforced by the fact that many players, wishing to be as macho as possible and having a great admiration for sheer power, will smash every forehand so you can read them easily, while with their backhand they may develop finesse and deceptive variety: a much greater threat. I recall playing a towering (6'5') slugger who had a huge pinwheel forehand. Whenever he got a set-upout front, he ALWAYS smashed it crosscourt. He never thought about following me or varying his play; he just thought "KILL." After he did this a couple of times, I began to drop the ball on his forehand, then move over to the backhand side. So predictable was his smash that I even was able to volley it a few times by ignoring completely the possibility of a forehand rail or drop shot-which he never made. Needless to say, I had fun and success playing to this at first apparently fearsome strength. So, in analyzing an opponent, don't let sheer velocity control your thinking. A ball hit hard but sloppily or predictably, may be weaker than a more moderate but dependable, accurate and perhaps deceptive, shot.
There are, of course, many subdivisions within these larger divisions. Take your offense: are
your basic strokes good? This must be further divided into forehand and backhand. Do the same with the volley, the corner shots, the drop shots, the serve.
Apply similar thinking to your opponent's game. I have frequently noticed that many players are so disgusted with themselves when they put the ball out that they fail to observe what their
...it looks less threatening
but actually is your opponent's
great strength.
opponent does. This is a huge error of omission in your defense. Only the best players can do everything. Most have one pet shot with their forehand and a pet shot with their backhand. If, early in the match, you observe an opponent's preferences, you may well be able, as the match wears on, to anticipate and retrieve these shots or even counterattack so as to reverse a losing situation. If you are even with your opponent, the ability to steal in this way a few of the points you should theoretically have lost can mean the match. Added to this is the pleasure in out-thinking an opponent, of getting the better of him mentally-a very smug plea sure indeed.
The most neglected area in squash in defense, particularly among women. When coaches chat or lecture, they are forever talking about strokes and shots from an offensive point of view. How often have you heard a coach or pro talking about teaching people, particularly women, to scramble, or how to retrieve and lob, or how to retrieve and counterattack? I even often see girls who are naturally unusually quick, getting to a lot of balls but making a thoughtless return that leaves them vulnerable to the next shot. This means they have neglected to turn a great and rare asset-quickness-into a positive offensive force that should be much more than merely getting the ball back.
In future columns, I shall try to elaborate on many of the areas outlined in this article. The point here is to encourage players-and particularly coaches-to become more systematic and specific in their analysis both of their own games and those of their opponents.
Some may object that I am getting too picky-there isn't time to fuss over all these things. I counter by just pointing out how many matches are very close and are decided by a few points. If you can stretch your efforts and those of your players, to develop even a little expertise in these more specialized areas, it can be the difference. A single pebble can move a scale that is evenly balanced.
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