Holding the racket can be a very fiddly business for players of all levels – this guide will help you grip a squash racket properly!
Lay the handle of the racket across the top of your palm so that it is resting just below the base of your fingers.
Make sure the racket is laying across the top of your palm at a slight angle, so that the side of the racket that will make contact with the ball is at an angle greater than 90 degrees. The racket face should not be facing straight towards the front wall or worse, pointing towards the floor at an angle smaller than 90 degrees like a tennis racket, which means the ball will always go downwards unless players go to great lengths with the wrist and lower arm.
The way the hand grips the racket is often described as being like shaking someones hand. This is a good way to imagine the basic grip. Ensure that your index finger, known here as the trigger finger, protrudes upwards slightly away from the rest of the fingers, making a V-Shape with the thumb.
It is universally recommended that you hold the racket in the middle of the grip. This is because it enables you to get a balance between power and control. The lower you hold the racket, the easier it is to achieve power and the higher you hold the racket the easier it is to achieve control. It is not necessarily wrong to hold it at the lower or upper end though, so feel free to experiment. If you are struggling for power or control on a consistent basis though, it might be best to hold the racket in the middle.
Lastly, your hold on the racket should be firm but not rigid. You can test this by having someone try to pull the racket out of your hand. If you are gripping it correctly, it should gradually slide out of your hand. If someone is tugging your racket fiercely and it won’t move, you are holding it far too tight.
Hi Nic, Good players does not necessarily make them good coaches.You are great coach , so detailed, n thorough and leave nothing to chance. You explanations are superb accompanied by video visuals to drove point s home clearly. EXCELLENT.
Thank you very much John! Your comments mean a lot and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the videos and found them useful.
Hi, i just started out squash few weeks ago and i’m still having trouble swinging x.x i feel like i’ve been using my wrists for forehand swings very often. Do u have any tips / guides for forehand swings?
Hi Noel, hope you’re well. We are actually close to publishing an eBook for beginners which will include the basic swing and technique for a few shots – watch this space!
Thank you! Ah i see, so it will be on the website? =O still having difficulties of swinging forehand x.x elbow area n wrist sometimes hurt due to not understanding the swinging motion still… not used to locking the wrist
“Make sure the racket is laying across the top of your palm at a slight angle, so that the side of the racket that will make contact with the ball is at an angle greater than 90 degrees.”
Greater than 90 degrees in relation to what? The hand ? The ground? The front wall? I know it’s tough explaining the tiny details. Maybe a GIF illustrating the rotation would help.
Hi – thanks for your comment. You want the racket face/side you’re going to hit the ball at to be greater than 90 degrees to the floor. Basically, this means this side of the strings is tilted upwards slightly. If it is tilted downwards towards the floor or completely straight, it doesn’t allow you a full range of shots and control in all situations.
Goodness me John, the tips and pointers you have given me are truly incredible they have helped me so much to improve my game it’s amazing. I have now been invited to participate in the UK national championships this summer and I for one can’t wait to get out there on that court. I would really appreciate if you could be there by my side and we can win it together and become best friends. You could sleep at mine if you want I live in Watford just near the Tesco’s off the near roundabout across the road from the chippy.