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Here we have some of the opening rallies between Chris Ryder and Daryl Selby in the British Championships quarter finals.

It looks like not a great deal is happening, and to some extent, that is part of the players’ plan.

They are not wanting to take any unnecessary risks. They don’t want to give their opponent a fast start by making a couple of cheap errors.

What they are trying to do is find their feet a little. Settle into the match. Get used to the court, its lighting, how fast it is and the ball and how their opponent is playing. They will be trying to keep their opponent at arms’ length whilst they figure out exactly how they should hit the ball in terms of height and speed and their tactics against this specific opponent.

Most of their shots are played deep to the back of the court trying to find a good length. In so doing they are playing squash of the least risk, giving themselves time to grow into the match. They will also be trying to make their opponent work. This will be of benefit later on in the match as their opponent tires, but it is of vital importance even in this early stage.

Also no matter how well you warm up, it can never be the same as the first points in and important match, so there is an element of getting the body up to speed, though it has to be said that the opening to this match is played at frenetic pace and is somewhat loose for their level.

You can take this into your matches if you feel this strategy would work for you. Your philosophy might be to hit a disproportionate amount of balls into the back areas of the court until you are confident with how the ball reacts off your racket. Once more settled and confident, you might attack more freely. Of course if there is a gift on a plate, don’t pass it up – you should always have in your mind that if a comfortable opportunity presents itself to win the rally, that you would take it, so there is no ban on attacking!

Of course this isn’t the only valid strategy to playing the opening rallies in a match, but it is a common and useful one to help you build a winning platform for your match.