We’re thrilled to welcome back 3x World Champion and Commonwealth Gold Medallist Nick Matthew to SquashSkills for our latest playlist, this time taking a look at using height in your game.
One of the very best British players of all time, ‘The Wolf’ had a hugely successful career spent at the very top of the game. Now working as a highly successful coach as part of the England Squash elite performance team, he’s put together for us an exclusive playlist focused on using the upper parts of the front wall – something many amateur players don’t fully exploit.
Whatever level you play at, you want to be able to really use all parts of the court to maximise the pressure you can create during a rally. While most players know how to switch pace and angles, you don’t quite as often see players outside the pro game able to do the same thing with the height they hit at. Nick in his career was one of the very best at utilising that top third of the front wall, and taking the time to listen to and implement his advice on this aspect of the game can pay huge dividends.
Nick’s approach to tackling this subject is as comprehensive as ever, and his understanding of not just the technical and tactical elements of using height but also the mental and physical considerations, makes this playlist required watching for all players who recognise that they’re not taking full advantage of using all that prime ‘real estate’ at the top of the front wall!
The aim of this blog is to introduce Nick’s video series, along with the related solo and pairs sessions that we’ve created to help you put it into practice. We’ve also included links to some of the other content we have here on the site on similar topics, to help you gain a more comprehensive understanding of the whole concept of using height. Getting that switch in your mind of thinking about exploiting height in scenarios other than just as a defensive release, will really open up new dimensions in your game.
Watch through the videos from the playlist and then click through the links to the sessions below to check them out, and discover the myriad benefits of incorporating more height in your shot-making toolbox!
Put it into practice
This solo session is designed to get you started off with some of the basic technical fundamentals of using height.
This pairs session works through a series of drills where you can practice your skills within a more natural rally environment, and begin developing the ability to use height within a more realistic matchplay context.
Developing your strength and stability will help give you a more solid base to hit from when you’re trying to utilise height in your shots during a rally. Try out this great session created by SquashSkills Fitness Director Gary Nisbet.
Related content
Using height with David Palmer
In this series, we welcome former World Champion and World Number One David Palmer back to the site to focus on using height from all areas of the court.
In this series, David Pearson explores one of the most underused shots in the game – the lob.
Let us know how you get on with the sessions, we’d love to hear your feedback!
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