In squash, you are constantly aiming to stay one foot ahead of your opponent just as humans look to stay ahead of the constantly adapting bacteria.

If you play a lot of drop shots – watch how your opponent will start to move higher up the court before your shot, anticipating your next drop. If you hit it hard, harder and then harder still, watch how your opponent sinks back deeper on the court, below the T-Position expecting your next drive, making them vulnerable to a vicious two-wall boast. You need your game to be constantly evolving during a match to stay on top.

What you need to do is always try and stay one step ahead of your opponent. Once they start dropping deep after your onslaught of lengths, go for a quick boast or a long drop. That will catch them out and them leave them unsure of your next move again.

If you’ve played a lot of drops from the forehand front corner, go through a stage of playing more cross-court lengths from the same position. Again, they will be caught out. Much like the bacteria though, your opponent will eventually adapt and evolve again and look for a cross-court drive from the forehand front corner.

If you play a lot of drop shots – watch how your opponent will start to move higher up the court before your shot, anticipating your next drop. If you hit it hard, harder and then harder still, watch how your opponent sinks back deeper on the court, below the T-Position expecting your next drive, making them vulnerable to a vicious two-wall boast. You need your game to be constantly evolving during a match to stay on top.”

My advice for you is to make sure that you mix up your game frequently and keep evolving. This is not to say every single shot should be played to a different corner – that is unlikely to create sustained pressure (although playing a game like that is a worthwhile exercise*). You might just alternate between a drop and a drive from the forehand front corner (though I would recommend a little more variation!). What it does mean though is that once you have had success with a particular tactic or shot, you need to be ready to change that before your opponent gets in rhythm with it too easily. As with many things, you need to strengthen while you are ahead. You need to sense that point when your opponent starts to predict that cheeky boast you’ve been playing and swap it for a straight shot. Make your opponent think they are on to you and just as they are catching up, pull the rug out from under their feet by changing your tactics again.

Your Plan A from the forehand front corner might be to play a cross-court drive low and hard. If it is, make sure you have a Plan B and even a Plan C, which might be a straight drop and lob respectively. Whatever your plans, make sure you are able to switch between these plans and to do so at the right time. Eventually, your opponent will adapt to your Plan A no matter how good it is. Even alternating a Plan A and a Plan B again and again can make a real difference.

Make sure you are the one that is ahead in the squash evolutionary race!

*As an exercise, play a match where both players have to play every shot to a different quarter of the court than the last shot they played. Both players could play to the same quarter but an individual’s shot must go to a different quarter than their own last shot. See what patterns of play it creates and how it effects your opponent’s anticipation. It’s also good for making players think about their shot selection.