Five things that make Ali Farag a great squash player

1. His ability to leave the ball short

In the clip below you’ll notice how Ali is able to leave the ball along way up the court. He uses an open racket face and imparts huge amounts of spin onto the ball meaning that it stays a long way up the court, making it tough for his opponents to pick keep the ball in play.

2. His understanding of the game

Ali is like a walking squash encyclopaedia. Sitting with him and chatting about the game is fascinating, not only does he understand how to play it incredibly well, his knowledge and understanding around the history of the sport is impeccable. You can clearly tell that he simply loves the sport.

3. Playing a suitable game for his physicality

Ali is a smart guy, he knows his strengths and he knows his weaknesses. In his fascinating interview he did exclusively for SquashSkills earlier in the year he talked about the importance of playing to your physicality. He highlighted the need to use your physical attributes effectively and always look to negate your opponent’s strengths. If they like playing fast, try to play slow. If they like playing slow, you try to play fast.

4. He’s smart

You don’t become a Harvard graduate without being clever. Ali is able to transfer his intelligence onto the squash court and play a really smart game. He uses all corners of the court and constantly drags his opponents into difficult positions. He doesn’t blast people off the court, instead, he plays a clever game, like a chess grandmaster constantly looking to move his opponent around the court as he looks for checkmate.

5. He moves efficiently

Ali makes movement on the squash court look ridiculously easy. He’s tall and lean but incredibly quick. He’s able to soak up the pressure but also uses his natural attributes to attack when the opportunity arises.

To find out more about Ali’s approach to movement and the practices he uses check out the series on SquashSkills from the man himself!

Jethro Binns – SquashSkills founder