It is very true that overwhelming power is a key to hitting winning shots, but this is also true of Lawn Tennis.  Employing the so-called “Big Game of Tennis” is an absolute must if a circuit player today is going to be a winner.  No longer do you see any classic baseline duels where the premium is on guile and steadiness.  The Big Service, the powerful rapier-like follow-up volley or overhead smash are the standard weapons that pay off in today’s Tennis game.

Squash Tennis, although played in a regular Squash court, is indeed “different” from Squash Racquets.  It possesses its own distinctive variety of shots, subtleties and ways of defeating your opponent.

One of the most difficult and frustrating tasks we in the National Squash Tennis Association have in our attempts to expose the game to potential players is to somehow get a prospect out on the court more than once.  Squash Tennis is a game calling for such speed of racquet and comprehensive understanding of much longer or wider angles (than Squash Racquets) that no one can really feel “comfortable” until he has been out on the court playing at least a half dozen times.  It is a rare player, indeed, who does not quickly become discouraged the first few times and decides the game just isn’t for him after all.  And what a pity it is!  For he is missing out on playing a sport that offers him many years of wonderful, exhilarating exercise, good camaraderie, and a beautiful, matchless rhythm displayed in harmonious coordination of racquet and graceful footwork.

The following are some of the fundamental shots you should attempt to include in your repertoire: 

Rails:  Your “bread and butter” shots, similar to Squash Racquets, are the “rails” or shots hit straight up and down, parallel to the side wall.  These rails keep your opponents “scrambling” and allow you to hold that important “T” position.

The rail shot is hit more effectually when you are fairly close, within three feet, of the side wall.  The closer your position to the side wall, the easier it is to hit a shot that stays right next to the wall during the entire flight of the shot (see fig. 9 [Straight up and down backhand and forehand rail shots.]).

Many winners are made off of these rail shots in the following manner: 

1.  Frequently the ball hits straight into a rear corner and dies; or 2.  It pops unexpectedly out of the corner and right into your opponent; 3.  When hit with the proper pace, and low, the ball will die before it comes off the back wall; 4.  When hit with sheer power and relatively high, your opponent will be unable to catch up with it; 5.  If the ball is hit in such a manner as to make it cling to the side wall all the way back, your opponent will err in attempting to pick it off the side wall.

Crosscourts:  To be mixed in with your straight up and down strokes are the crosscourt forehand and backhand shots.  Here again, these are employed to keep the ball out of the middle and keep your opponent defensive and on the move.  They can be hit either straight toward the opposite back wall corner (see fig. 10 [Cross court to opponent’s backhand.]) frequently for a winner, or more sharply cross court, so that the ball either breaks into or behind your opponent’s position (see fig. 11 [Cross court that breaks into or behind opponent.]).