Squash boast: check your form with your phone
The boast is the angled shot that hits the side wall first, then the front wall, usually played from the back to move your opponent forward and across the court. Done well it is a tactical weapon, not just a get-out shot.
No equipment needed. Practise at home. Just do the swing properly in front of your phone. No court, ball or shuttle is needed, and a racket is optional: the coach judges your movement, so a shadow swing at home in a hallway or garden is enough.
What good looks like
- Prepare as for a drive, with your racket up and your body side-on.
- Aim the ball at the side wall near you, so it travels to the front wall at an angle.
- Use a compact swing with a slight cut, meeting the ball in front of you.
- Return to the T quickly, ready for the reply.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Hitting it too hard
A hard boast sits up and is easy to attack. Control the pace.
Aiming at the front wall
A boast goes to the side wall first. Aim at the side wall.
Not recovering
Return to the T after the shot.
What Formanti checks on your boast
At the moment of contact, on every swing you take.
- Contact in front: hand clearly in front of your shoulder. meet it in front of you, not beside or behind
- Contact height: between waist and knee height. the height this shot is usually hit at
- Arm height (only if far off): 20–140°. Square hips to side wall, slice angle
- Elbow (only if far off): 100–185°. Open face cuts across the ball
- Body at contact: legs not locked, no leaning back. a stable base to hit from
Your ready stance
Hold still between swings and the coach talks you into position.
- Knees: 110–160°. Soft, bent knees let you push off in any direction
- Back lean: 5–35° forward. A little forward: not upright, not hunched
- Feet apart: 1–2× shoulder width. Feet wider than your shoulders, for balance
What your report looks like
When you finish, you get a report like this one.
- How many swings were in range, out of how many.
- The one thing to work on next, then the next, each with a drill.
- Every swing as a picture with your skeleton on it: ticked, or flagged with what was off.
What you hear and see when you are off
Hitting it too close to you
The coach says: “Meet it further out in front.”
On screen: Meet it further out in front.
Drill: Shadow swings, freezing at contact: your hand should be clearly in front of your shoulder before you swing for real. If the ball is too close, move your feet, not your arm.
Hitting it too high
The coach says: “Let it drop. Meet it lower.”
On screen: Let it drop and meet it lower.
Drill: Shadow swings with your knees bent, freezing at contact at the right height, so your legs do the lowering and your arm stays quiet.
Hitting it too low
The coach says: “Take it a bit higher.”
On screen: Meet it higher.
Drill: Shadow swings freezing at contact at the right height, then feed yourself a ball and take it on the rise.
Arm too low
The coach says: “Get that arm up a bit higher.”
On screen: Lift your hitting arm a lot higher at contact.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings in slow motion and freeze at contact: check where your elbow is before you speed up.
Arm too high
The coach says: “Keep that arm a bit lower.”
On screen: Keep your hitting arm a lot lower at contact.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings in slow motion and freeze at contact: check where your elbow is before you speed up.
Arm too bent
The coach says: “Straighten the arm more. Meet it long.”
On screen: Straighten your arm a lot more through contact.
Drill: Slow shadow swings, pausing at contact: your arm should be almost straight with a soft bend.
Arm locked straight
The coach says: “Keep a little bend in the elbow.”
On screen: Keep a lot more bend in your elbow at contact.
Drill: Slow shadow swings, pausing at contact: keep a soft bend and finish with a wrist snap.
Legs too straight in your stance
The coach says: “Bend your knees”
On screen: Bend your knees.
Drill: Hold a low ready stance for 20 seconds between reps.
Hunched over in your stance
The coach says: “Chest up, don't hunch”
On screen: Chest up, don't hunch.
Drill: Hold the ready stance with your chest proud for 20 seconds.
Drills you can do alone
- Angle shadow: shadow the boast, pointing your racket toward the side wall at contact.
- Corner ghosting: move to the back corner, shadow the boast and return to the T.
How to set up your phone
Prop your phone up 2 to 3 metres away with your whole body in view, at about hip height. For the boast, stand side-on to the camera on your hitting side: how far in front you make contact and how big your backswing is can only be judged from the side. It all runs on your phone and nothing is uploaded.
Guide values: where the hand should be at contact comes from coaching rules (Squash coaching (e.g. Squash Canada): the ball is hit at the top of the bounce, about knee height, slightly ahead of the front shoulder.) and has not yet been checked against real players. Contact point and backswing need you side-on to the camera.
Frequently asked questions
What is a boast in squash?
A shot that hits the side wall first and then the front wall, used to move your opponent forward and across the court.
When should I play a boast?
When you are in the back of the court and want to change the direction of the rally or move your opponent.