MENTALLY COOL AND TOUGH: DAVID PALMER

This video is from 2006, Windy City Open, final. It's David Palmer against Jonathon Power. First time I watched this rally I thought to myself "my god, what a difference compared to current top pro squash, hardly any short balls, they are sending back deep even the loose balls..." Then at a second view I realised that this was a match point for Power (and not the first one). From this point of view Palmer's calm and coolness is absolutely incredible. Not even too surprising that he ended up winning the match and the title - and claimed as a consequence the #1 spot from JP in the following month's world rankings. A month later, JP claimed the #1 spot back and retired straight after with a golden aura around his head (the nastiest and funniest angel of squash ever to entertain the pro circuit). Another month went on, and started the 33 month rule of mighty Amr Shabana... 

Karim Darwish Teaches Deception

If I am not wrong, it was Jonathon Power who introduced into the world of squash the COMPACT BACKSWING: a racket preparation that is always similar, if not the same, regardless the type of shot that will 'come out' of the racket. The main difference to the traditional backswing consists in the distance of the elbow to the hip: whereas with the conventional backswing the elbow is raised almost to the heights of the shoulders, with the 'JP' backswing the elbow remains very close to the hip (the difference is more evident on the forehand side and less on the backhand). The other main difference between 'old' and 'new' schools of hitting the ball is the way you use your body's momentum for the shot. The traditional backswing is generally accompanied by a wavy turn of the body - this, as a positive effect, gives pace to the shot, but will also make your shot selection more readable, as you will turn differently for a drive, a cross-court or a drop. This is why the 'new' backswing uses somewhat less the momentum of the body and more the flick of the wrist. There will be less pace in the ball, but a lot more hold and deception. Of course, on high standards, players are capable of mixing the two type of swings, but let's get back to this in a later post. In the below video, Karim Darwish - the player with the most compact racket preparation on the tour - shows how to prepare your shot when you receive a very loose ball in the front around the middle of the court. It's pretty straight forward: 
1) you get a loose ball, so you have time to prepare your shot, but also your opponent to observe your preparation, therefore you need deception 
2) reduce your backswing as much as you can. 
3) hold your shot 
4) show the straight drop, play the cross-court or show the cross-court (body turning in advance) and play the straight drop 
5) play straight drives rarely in this situation, as your opponent will follow up for the straight drop and cover that side.