Does height make a difference?
Does height make a difference? Squash is one of a few sports where people of a shorter stature are not severely disadvantaged, but is height or in some cases, a lack of it, an advantage on the squash court? A taller player has advantages; they can reach further, they can get to the four corners with fewer steps and then can lunge further, they can reach a higher ball on the side wall and you need to put in a great lob to get it over their heads. Some can also be rather awkward to get around as they take up so much space with those long arms and legs! At times it seems that a taller player can be very hard to get the ball past to the back wall, they can just stand on the T and get everything!! – or so it seems to some of us shorter players!! So what tactics can you use? You need to focus on getting that ball really tight to the wall, and keeping the ball a bit lower so the taller opponent has to bend more. You still need to mix up your shots and be prepared to move the player around the court – just be careful of cross court shots. They may need to be wider than you would usually play if the tall opponent is on the T. don’t be afraid to lob, but make sure you get plenty of height on the ball so the player has to move off the T to get the ball. Of course there are many factors that determine the ability of a squash player, and a highly tuned athlete with great ball control will not be deterred by the fact that they have a few less centimeters than their opponent. Happy squashing to all short and tall people Kay