Serving and Returning in Squash
Just like in other racket sports, the serve and return in squash are vital to the game. The serve is the only time in the game where you have complete control of the ball.
How to serve in squash
The rules
To serve in squash, there are a few things to remember
- One foot must be touching the floor inside the service box when you strike the ball
- The ball must hit the ball above the service line (line in the middle of the front wall)
- The ball must land in the opposite quarter at the back of the court (the opponent can volley the serve)
- The ball must not go above any out-of-court lines on the court
- The ball must hit the front wall first
- There are no second serves.
A good serve can set you up immediately for a good rally or a chance to attack. A bad serve can cause a negative effect and your opponent can put you under pressure immediately if your target isn’t hit.
There are different types of serves in squash and having a variety of effective serves is great for adapting your game to different players.
Types of serves
The lob serve
A lob serve can be extremely effective on courts with high ceilings and colder temperatures.
The lob serve causes your opponent to reach high to volley the ball from a potentially uncomfortable position. They will struggle to get power for the next shot or risk leaving it to take on the bounce in the back corner.
A good lob serve will nestle in the back and can be very tricky to retrieve (especially if the court is cold and there isn’t much power in the ball).
The obvious risk of the lob serve is hitting the ball out of the court. Establishing a target on the front wall and not hitting the ball too close to the opposing side wall are important factors.
The lob serve requires a good element of ball control and feel in the grip. A lot of practice is recommended to execute the lob serve effectively.
The power serve
One of the most frequently used serves in squash is the power serve. This serve starts from a higher shoulder position and aims to travel quickly past the opponent so they are unable to volley it back.
It is important to start from a high position and hit down on the ball (without hitting the ball under the service line). If a player hits underneath the ball with too much power, the ball is likely to fly out of court.
The side wall serve
The most popular serve used in squash is the simple but effective, side wall serve.
This serve is a medium-paced serve that hits the side wall to stop opponents from directly attacking and finds the back corner. This allows the server to take up a strong position on the ’T’.
The down-the-middle serve
The down-the-middle serve is used in conjunction with your preferred serve and is used to catch your opponent out. If you notice your opponent is creeping further over to the side wall to anticipate a certain serve, the down-the-middle serve could force them to react quickly and not execute their return well due to the reaction speed required.
To learn more about serving, see SquashSkills’ Paul Carter gives some tips on how to vary the serve and catch your opponent off-guard.
Returning in squash
The serve can be both volleyed or taken on the bounce.
Returning the serve on the volley is the preferred method as it stops the ball from nestling in the back corner, which can be very hard to retrieve.
Taking the ball on the volley can give you an attacking opportunity if the serve is not close to the side wall as is at a pace that you can step forward and attack.
If you aren’t able to volley the serve because it is too fast or too close to the side wall, think about your positioning. Move your feet in accordance with the ball. The quicker a player can adapt their position and find a solid stance, the better.
As with serves, practising a variety of returns is important to developing your game for different conditions to achieve the best outcome.
Take a look at Squash Skills’ Jethro Binns talks through some hints and tips to help you return the ball better.
To get more familiar with the basic concept of squash, you can read our guide to the rules of squash or if you need help picking out the perfect squash ball for you, take a look at our squash balls explained article.
