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Whether you have played or watched some professional or beginner matches of squash, you probably have witnessed players touching the walls. The natural question coming up is, what is the reason behind this phenomenon or is there any unconventional benefit to it? Having wondered the same, I will walk you through the different reasons in detail.
Most squash players touch the walls to get rid of sweat during the game. Other players use the walls to keep or regain their focus during the match. During several training drills, the wall is used as a physical mark.
While the big word is out, it does not explain whether it will benefit you as a squash player. Let’s unpack and determine if you should consider doing the same!
Getting rid of sweat
If you have ever played a couple of games of squash, you would know. Drips of sweat everywhere and not a dry spot to wipe it off. This is exactly the most common reason squash players touch the walls, to get rid of the sweat. When your hands are too sweaty, you’ll risk losing grip on your racket and even dropping the racket. Having drips of sweat in your face and eyes may distract you from the task at hand during a match, that is, to win the next point. In case the court is full of moisture, it may even cause some serious slips and potential injuries.
All the more to you to wonder: ‘why not get rid of the excess sweat against the only dry surface on the court, namely the walls?’ But before you just do that, hold on! There are more hygienic options that would also not decay the appearance of the squash court. Let’s look at the alternatives, ranked from most to least obvious:
- A towel might very well be the most obvious choice, but quickly grabbing your towel in between points to remove excess droplets of sweat seems not really feasible. Nevertheless, if the situation allows you can try to grab your towel of course. Again, this may be harder in practice, since there are no set time breaks in between points.
- Head and wrist sweatbands are specifically designed to absorb sweat during sports and are commonly used for several (racket)sports including squash. Many squash players have multiple spare sweatbands in their squash bag to be able to switch once the bands are soaked with sweat.
- Make use of either a replacement grip or an overgrip with additional absorbing qualities. Replacement grips are used to put directly onto the handle of the racket. Replacement grips contain multiple layers with cushioning for better comfort. Some replacement grips also contain perforations to allow a better draining and absorption of sweat. Overgrips on the other hand are a thinner type of grip you put over the basic grip to give you a wider grip size and better control of your racket. Like replacement grips, there are some overgrips designed to better absorb moist and prevent your racket from slipping out of your hand while playing.
- Chalk is widely used across multiple sports to enhance grip, which may be useful for sweaty hands. Another good option to increase your grip is absorption lotion. Rub your hands and it will give a white non-sticky layer, similar to chalk. And don’t worry, it is easy to wash off after the game!
- A pro tip used in boxing is putting petroleum jelly (e.g. Vaseline) on their eyebrows to avoid sweat dripping into their eyes. Why change something that works?!
During training drills
The prevention of cutting corners is the actual benefit that physically touching the wall has over a mental mark.
Touching the wall can be a helpful physical point during many training drills. Using a mark you physically need to touch has the benefit that you can’t take any shortcuts. As you are getting exhausted, you may be more inclined to cut corners a bit in order to preserve energy and keep going. The prevention of cutting corners is the actual benefit that physically touching the wall has over a mental mark.
Now that we are aware of the benefit it has for squash players, let’s look at examples for its application as part of training:
Solo Squash drills :
- Wall to wall sprints (3-5 rounds of 10 sprints). If you start at the wall on the left side of the court, then touching the right wall of the court (without bumping to the wall) and going back to the left wall counts as one sprint. Do these sprints continuously until you’ve reached the count of 10. Then rest for 2 minutes and go back until you have completed 3 to 5 rounds. Based on your current endurance level or as you progress, you will probably need to tweak your resting period in order to reach 3 to 5 rounds. If you can’t reach 3 rounds, then increase the time to rest in between rounds by 30 seconds. If you can easily go on for 5 rounds, then reduce the time to rest in between rounds by 30 seconds.
Duo Squash drills :
- Relay wall to wall sprints (3-5 rounds of 20 sprints) : Take alternating turns to sprint from wall to wall while holding the squash ball in your hand. If you start at the wall on the left side of the court, touch the right wall of the court with the ball (without bumping to the wall) and sprint back to the left wall to hand over the ball to the other player. This counts as one sprint for the first player. Do these sprints continuously until you both have reached the count of 20. Then rest for 2 minutes and go back until you both have completed 5 rounds. Based on your current endurance level or as you progress, you will probably need to tweak your resting period in order to reach 3 to 5 rounds. If you can’t reach 3 rounds, then increase the time to rest in between rounds by 30 seconds. If you can easily go on for 5 rounds, then reduce the time to rest in between rounds by 30 seconds.
- Hit and run (2 rounds of 20 hits per player) : The first player (standing in the service box) throws the squash ball towards the second player (standing in the opposing service box). Player two hits the ball towards the front wall (above the tin), afterwards sprints directly to the front wall, touches the wall and sprints back to the same service box. This all counts as one time, repeat this until player two did this 20 times. Depending on the number of squash balls you have available, the throwing player needs to pick up the ball in between hits. Therefore I recommend having at least 3 balls to alternate with and keep the pace up. Afterwards, change positions so player one hits the ball and sprints. Another recommendation is to practice hitting with both grip techniques by alternating between the service boxes (for the hitting player). In order to practice forehand, hitting players stand in the right service box. To practice backhand, the hitting player stands in left service box.
Keep or regain focus
If it is working for them, why not?
Squash is a physically intense and fast-moving game, making it important to react quickly. Whether it is a friendly game of squash between amateurs or a professional match if you want to win you need to be focused. Despite the fact that there is no universal trick to focus like an on or off switch, some squash players have found their trick.
While entering the court or in between points, some squash players touch the walls to keep or regain their focus. I have witnessed the best squash players in the world, such as Mohamed ElShorbagy do the same. The mere act of touching triggers their mind to exit any drifting thoughts and allows them to focus on the match itself. Call it what you want, trick, habit, or superstition. If it is working for them, why not?!