Before the boasts, the volleys and the drops, there is one skill that decides more squash rallies than any other: a good, deep, straight length. Hit the ball tight to the side wall so it dies in the back corner and your opponent is pinned behind the service box with nothing to attack. Everything else in the game is built on top of that. Foundation Drives is exactly what the name says — the routine that grooves your basic straight and cross-court drives until deep length becomes automatic.
Before you take this routine onto a real court, play the drills online first to learn the rhythm. The feed comes at a steady tempo, so you can settle into a repeatable swing and see where each ball needs to land — the ideal way to build the habit before you are chasing balls on court.
What's in the routine
Six drills, all fed at a steady pace, taking you from a single-wall length to choosing your shot on the fly:
- Straight Drive Rail (R) and (L) — the coach feeds to mid-court; drive each ball straight down the wall to a deep length. One wall at a time, so you can groove a clean, repeatable swing on both wings.
- Cross-Court Drive (R→L) and (L→R) — drive the feed cross-court into the opposite back corner. The key is width: the ball should be wide enough to catch the side wall behind the service box.
- Alternating Rails (L/R) — feeds switch sides; drive each one straight and deep, recovering through the T between shots. Now you are moving as well as hitting.
- Straight & Cross Mix — same feed, two possible answers. Decide straight or cross before the bounce — the first taste of shot choice under a steady feed.
Why start here
If you are new to squash, or coming back after a break, this is the routine to run first. Straight and cross-court length are the two shots you will play most in any match, and they are the shots that keep you in a rally — deep enough that your opponent can't attack, tight enough that they can't get comfortable. Grooving them on a steady feed, before adding movement and shot choice, is how every good player built their game. Get length right and the rest of the court opens up.
A few things to feel while you train it
- Aim for the back corner every time. A length that lands short and sits in the middle is an invitation to attack. Make every ball die deep and tight.
- Keep the swing compact. Deep length comes from a clean contact and a full follow-through toward the target, not from swinging harder — and watch the backhand, the wing that tends to get long and loose.
- For the cross, take it out in front. Width comes from meeting the ball a touch further forward so it angles wide and catches the side wall behind the box; a late contact sends it straight instead.
- Recover to the T. On the moving drills, get back to the middle between every shot — good length only pays off if you're in position to use it.
Open the routine, watch each drill in 3D Court View or from above on the Tactics Board, then hit Train all drills to run the whole session in order. Once your length is solid, move on to the rest of the community's shared work on the Routines and Drills pages.