It’s the final entry in our SquashSkills exclusive 3-part series ‘Nick Matthew’s guide to the volley’ this week, with a deeper examination of the more advanced elements of the shot being covered this time round.
[Editor’s Note: This article is based on the SquashSkills’ series on volleying, presented by Nick Matthew. Watch the full series: Nick Matthew’s Ultimate Guide To Volleying Video Series.]
The purpose of this blog is to give you some suggestions on sessions that you can use to best incorporate some of Nick’s advice and wisdom surrounding all the advanced areas that he discusses.
We’ve had a terrific response to the series so far, with Nick’s unique insight into a comprehensive range of topics across the beginner and intermediate videos offering real value to those looking to improve this area of their game. This third and final part is no different, with a breakdown of some of the more complex techniques including the volley lob, the volley boast, and the volley nick.
Nick also delves into some of the more in-depth considerations of the tactics and mindset of the volley in this ‘advanced’ playlist, offering the expertise and elite experience that only a player of his calibre is able to. There’s also an inside look at some of Nick’s favourite practice drills, where he introduces us to his ‘volley matrix’ routines.
We hope you enjoy this final entry in our volleying series and have been able to already start implementing some of the elements from the earlier videos into your game. We’ve put together some great solo and pairs sessions below for you to use to practice these more advanced ideas now, and while we can’t guarantee to get you to be able to start volleying like Nick Matthew, they’ll certainly help you develop and refine your skills to get you on the road to using the volley much more effectively in your game!
READ MORE: 10 Tips To Improve Your Volley
Put it into practice
This 40mins session is built around a selection of solo skills practices and tests, focusing on some of the more advanced volley techniques.
This advanced pairs session uses a series of progressive routines to help you develop your volleying skills in a variety of rally-based situations.
Pairs practice – Condition games – Advanced
This second pairs session revolves around volley-specific conditioned games, allowing you to work on your volleying in more realistic match-relevant scenario.
Being a good lateral mover is an important part of being an effective volleyer, to allow you to be able to quickly and efficiently cover that mid-court short line during your games. Check out this on-court conditioning session to help you really start optimising this physical attribute.
READ PART 1: Nick Matthew’s Guide to Volleying (Beginner)
READ PART 2: Nick Matthew’s Guide to Volleying (Intermediate)
Related content
In this series, Elite Squash coach Hadrian Stiff discusses the mentality of shot execution from different areas of the court.
Lee Drew walks us through everything you need to know about reading your opponents and teaches us how to get one step ahead of them.
How to employ Nick Matthew’s tactics
David Pearson discusses the tactics that made Nick Matthew into a World Champion.
Let us know how you get on with the sessions, we’d love to hear your feedback!
Haven't seen the full playlist yet?
In this final chapter, Nick reveals the secrets to some of his favourite shots and most successful patterns of play for advanced players.
Watch the playlist in full