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Squash · Basic · b5

A wall skills check

At home 10 min 1 and a grown-up One room

Ready when: Hit the wall and catch (b2) started.

Start a session

What you are learning

Four quick tests that show a child is ready for junior squash sessions: catching off the wall, tossing from hand to hand, hopping on each leg and an easy serve at the wall. Each is scored, so progress is easy to see.

Words on this card Drop, Serve
Drop
A soft shot that lands just above the tin and dies at the front.
Serve
The shot that starts a rally, and the first shot back.

Set up

A tape line about 3 m from the wall; a short racket; a soft ball.

Weather: dry ground

The base setup for squash

Show it first for the one teaching

  1. From the line, throw the ball one-handed at the wall and catch it after one bounce.
  2. Toss the ball from hand to hand.
  3. Hop on one leg, then the other.
  4. Drop the ball and hit an easy serve at the wall, above the line.

Your part while they practise

Count; write down each result.

Step by step

  1. Throw at the wall from the line and catch after a bounce, 10 throws.
  2. Toss the ball from hand to hand, 10 times.
  3. Hop 10 times on each leg.
  4. Serve 10 easy serves from the hand at the wall.

How much: 4 tasks 10 min a session 3 days a week

Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.

The game: Skills score

Add up the score of the four tasks; beat your own best total.

Who plays: the child against their own best; you write down the score.

How to play, turn by turn
Turns
  1. Do the four tasks in order
  2. Score each one
  3. Add up the total and write it with the date
Fair play
A grown-up does the tasks with the weaker hand and leg.
Points
1 point for each catch, each toss, each hop and each serve above the line; at most 50.
Fouls
That try scores no point
  • Throwing from in front of the line
  • A hop where the other foot touches down
  • A serve that hits the wall below the line
Winning
Beat your best total.
Stars
  1. 30 points for 1 star
  2. 40 points for 2 stars
  3. 47 points for 3 stars

Easier or harder

Easier

A bigger, softer ball.

Harder

Step back from the line.

What you will see, and what to say

  • the catch is late Watch it off the wallEyes on it.
  • the hop is wobbly Look ahead, soft kneeBend and look.

Self-check

7of 10

7 of 10 catches; 10 tosses without a drop; 10 hops on each leg; 7 of 10 serves hit the wall above the line.

Stop and get a coach when

All the tasks pass; ask a club about junior sessions.

Fitness for this

Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.

This card trains concentration, hand-eye, balance, serve.

Basic is done when the child meets the self-checks on b1 to b5.

awiseathlete.com/sports/squash/squash-b5