Straight Up and Down and Cross Court Drops:  These soft or “touch” shots are employed primarily to move your opponent up and back, although an occasional winner will result when a low ball, hit with the right amount of pace and spin, dies before your opponent can get to it.  Too few Squash Tennis players today, including many of the ranking competitors, employ this change of pace shot.  Of all the shots, this one must be hit with a short, low follow-through in order to work successfully.  Your primary goal to accomplish these shots is to make certain you hit the front wall first and, ideally, not allow the ball to angle into the side walls (see figs. 16 [Straight backhand drop shot.] & 17 [Cross court forehand drop shot.]).

Corner Shots:  Again, unlike Squash Racquets, the Squash Tennis corner shots rarely result in an outright winner.  The ball is just too lively.  These shots are worth employing occasionally, however, to keep your opponent cross-legged, off balance, and on the run.

The most effective corner shots are hit with fairly good pace.  Your aim should be low and into the side wall to a point much closer to the front wall than the spot a Squash Racquets player employs.  The reason for hitting a corner shot in this “in and out” manner is to keep the livelier ball out of the center of the court (see figs. 18 [How not to hit corner shot.] & 19 [How to hit corner shot.]).

Miscellaneous:  Generally it is best when hitting any Squash Tennis shot to “hold” your shot as long as you can, thus reducing the chances that your opponent can anticipate where you are going to put the ball and start moving to position even prior to your actually hitting.

Whenever possible, shield the ball with your body so that your opponent cannot see the direction you have hit until the very last possible instant.  There is nothing in the Playing Rules against blocking your opponent’s view, as long as you do not interfere with his swing or with his getting into the proper position.

Remember that the key to your shot making is mixing up your strokes and keeping the ball angled away from the middle of the court.  A ball that ends up in the center will probably result in your losing the point or, at best, having to leave the “T” and go on the defensive.  The exception, of course, is the widely employed “gut ball” that you hit into the front wall with great speed and at such a height that it rebounds right into your opponent’s body (see fig. 20 [Ball aimed to rebound off front wall and into opponent.]).

Employ the side walls as much as possible to keep the ball ricocheting and rocketing about the court so your opponent becomes frustrated and almost dizzy from following the flight of your angled shots.