Squash training tips for the 5.0 - B+ player by 5.5 level SquashClub.org members

For me to be competitive with 5.5 players I found I really had to be more consistent and patient. Everyone gets to almost all balls in the 5.5s so you must hit quality shots and not expect them to be winners like they were in the lower levels. So for me, drilling more and playing less matches has helped consistency and getting into an "automatic" mindset as to what shots to hit in order to keep your opponent under pressure.

You must also develop a good lob. This is essential for getting out of pressure in the front court and giving yourself time to get back to the T. As you get better with holding, delaying and disguising your lob, it can even turn into a weapon and not just a defensive shot.

Game strategy against a stronger opponent

My problem (at least with people who are just a little better, and not WAY better) is impatience. It's a hard balance though as I need to play aggressively, yet not go for too much too early. The first game against Imran, I played pretty much up and down the walls and cut off what I could and won the game handily. Imran is a skilled enough player to know how to change his game. He stepped up in the court and cut off more balls and applied way more pressure with pace and deception then the first game. My only response was to lamely try to hit deeper.

In hind site, I really need to stick with my game plan of hitting good depth and cutting off what I could. When Imran started applying more pressure, I responded by trying to match his pressure with short balls, that weren't all that short, and long balls that weren't all that long. I really needed to just hit good length and wait for my opportunities and try to prevent him from getting his feet firmly planted beneath him. Simple, right?

Tips on Refereeing

As long as the referee is consistent, then players should not question their calls. Whether it is game point or not is irrelevant to the outcome of a decision. Players should respect the referees call and understand that 'incorrect' calls work both ways. Of course after the game , one can point out some mistakes to help the referee to improve.

Referees and players are both under enough stress and arguing calls is just unnecessary and distracts from the game.