MAKING A SERVE IN SQUASH

Your serve can be a deciding factor that can make or break a rally or the game. Unlike tennis, a serve in squash does not have a second serve. A rally starts as soon as the ball makes contact.

• The ball must bounce off any part of the back wall above the service line and below the outside line.
• The ball can bounce off any number of walls as long as it does not bounce off the floor before it reaches the opposite quarter of the court.
• The ball must bounce off the opposite quarter of the court to make a point, which can be the ground, side wall or back wall.
• One foot of the server must be anywhere inside the serving box during the serve.

Overhead Power Serve

The lob serve is performed with an overhead power serve. This makes it easier to hit the ball high enough towards the direction above your opponent’s head.

1. Position your body with your feet wide apart, knees bent and the racquet at head level.
2. Gently throw the ball at arm’s length with the opposite hand.
3. At the peak of the throw, hit the ball towards the intended direction.

Key Areas

Projecting the ball from the front wall as close to the side wall or the back corner as possible gives your opponent less room to work with and a more difficult serve to return. You have the option to bounce the ball on the side wall or not.

• Bouncing the ball on the side wall gets the ball closer to the wall but loses the momentum as it reaches the opponent’s quarter court.
• Not bouncing on the side wall projects the ball to the quarter court much faster but can leave more room for your opponent to volley.

Before making the serve, decide on which part of the front wall would be the best area to project the ball from.

• Near center, past the opposite side is the key area to making the serve closer to the wall as it reaches your opponent.
• With practice, work on spinning the ball as you get closer to the side wall to make the serve even more difficult to volley.
• Practice the serve with these keys areas in mind to gain more control over the serve.
• Understanding the opponent by observing movement patterns to know what kind of serve delivery can put you at an advantage for the rally.