Content Centre | Coaching Tips | Videos | Audio | Articles

Hopefully you’ll be serving more often than receiving, but you can assume that you’ll have to hit many serve returns in the course of a match. It opens the rally and establishes who has first control of it, so its importance must not be underestimated. On top of this, if a challenging serve comes your way, which it is likely to, then in my opinion it is the hardest shot in squash. Add all this together, and you come to the conclusion that it is one of the most important aspects of your game.

To have a serve return technique and strategy that will at least put you at parity in the rally is essential.

Let’s just flip this for one moment. I get many people asking for help with their returns. “I lose so many points, it just kills me when I play Natalie” is a typical statement. This tells me that Natalie has a good serve, and my student is not coping well. It also tells me that my student is probably not getting many free points out of their serve. Clearly it should be a priority to improve the return of serve for this player, but equally important would be to improve their serve, which might generate as many free points as they are losing. It will in all probablility be easier to improve the serve than the return, so could be the best path the follow in the short term.

So firstly, ask yourself are you putting the same or more pressure on your opponent as you are being put under yourself. If the answer is no, then it is not just time to work on the return, but also time to work on your serve.

Ok. Back to the subject.

Shot Selection.

I was always taught that you should return serve straight and deep. It’s safe and away from your opponent, and if you hit a great length can really apply pressure. It’s hard to argue with this logic, and it still comes highly recommended.

Hitting this straight return of serve deep, off either a hard accurate serve, or a steepling lob serve requires lots of skill, developed from hours of practice. It is not easy. What if you can’t hit it consistently? Mis-hits, shots out or down, back to your opponent, worse still back to the middle are all likely outcomes and from there the inevitable loss of the rally and another point on the board for your opponent.

Aside from working hard on the return is there anything else we can do? Well yes. We can try to hit somewhere else. How about a cross court return? Well, this is back to our opponent, so not ideal, but a crosscourt with good width to the back of the court preventing your opponent from volleying is vastly preferable to one of the aforementioned results from an unsuccessful straight deep attempt.

Off some serves, if you are looking to take them before they hit the side wall as an example, it might be much easier to play them cross court as it could be tricky to get to the side of the ball. This could mean that your best percentage strategy is to hit the cross court. It might not have a devastating effect on your opponent, but at least it gets you back into the rally and you are in with a shout. Of course it is still possible to put your opponent under pressure from a high wide cross court dying in the back corner.

Equally hitting short might, on occasion, be easier than hitting deep. A tight short ball is better than a deep loose one so again, hitting short could form part of a sensible play in order to maximise your position at the start of the rally.

In summary, don’t feel you have to hit straight and deep because this is the best and safest return. Do it if you can, but don’t be frightened to take on a shot that you realistically have more chance to put in an area that will ask some questions of your opponent.

Use the Height of the Front Wall

It can be difficult to put pace onto a return, particularly from a good lob serve. The good news is that you don’t need to try to lace the return through the front wall. A simple pushed, soft return will suffice. This has the dual advantage of being easier to hit and keep tight, and giving you time to recover your preferred position, on the ‘T’.

Variety

Above we spoke about your different options returning serve from a defensive perspective. What about offensively? Treat each serve as a discreet individual shot, and play it on its merits, and vary your returns.

 You don’t need to play all serve returns deep, and you certainly shouldn’t attack all returns to the front. Mix your play and it can be a great time to attack and surprise your opponent. Both straight volley drop, and cross court volley drop can be devastating. Not only is the technique of how you play it vitally important, but the decision of when to play it is imperative that you get right.

Often when serving your opponent might be thinking about the rally just won, he/she could be congratulating themselves just a little, thye may be focusing on their game plan. Sometimes, and with some players, it is at the very start of the rally where they might just sleep a bit and forget to cover the front.

If it’s loose enough for you to attack short and either a, you suspect that your opponent is not expecting it or b, you are good enough to put it tight enough that it doesn’t matter then go for it. As always just by playing some short balls, it adds indecision to your opponent, and will make your deep returns more effective.

In short, don’t be predictable, vary your returns for the sake of variety, and the benefits that gives in terms of opponent not getting into a pattern of movement. On top of this look for the weak serve and punish it. It is the quickest and easiest way to win a rally.

Positioning

Most players will take a position quite close to the corner of the service box to receive serve. This allows quick and easy access to all the box, and maximises efficiency in getting in position for most serves. Might you consider changing it? Well, yes, if needs be. Has your opponent got a predictable serve? What if you don’t need to cover the whole service box because they never change their serve? You might anticipate and, say, to a hard server stand further forward. This now allows you to take the ball before the sidewall much more easily, which will make for an easier return and less time for your opponent.

It might also be a good defensive move. By moving forward your opponent will have to change where they are aiming to create problems for you. This may very well disrupt their rhythm and give you much less difficult serves to receive.

So, alter your position to anticipate, and to ask questions of the server.

As a conclusion,

·         Whilst straight and deep returns come highly recommended, don’t get into a rutt trying to hit straight and deep, particularly if it’s not working.

·         Mix your returns to give problems to your opponent and going short or cross court could even be the percentage shot particularly if you are faced with a particularly nasty serve.

·         The return can often be a great opportunity to surprise your opponent and take them short either straight or cross court, so look for these opportunities.

·         You don’t need to hit the return hard if you don’t want to, keeping it tight and in a corner will almost always be good enough.

·         Try to predict the upcoming serve and use your position to try to counter-act or even attack it.

·         Make sure you give your adversary serves at least as difficult to return as those he/she gives to you!