The serve is the one shot in squash you play with no pressure and all the time in the world, which makes it strange how many players waste it. A good serve does more than start the rally: it pins your opponent in the back corner and lets you take the T before they have even swung. Here is how to build one you can rely on.
Know what makes a serve legal
Get the basics right before worrying about tactics. You must keep at least one foot inside the service box as you strike the ball. The serve has to reach the front wall first, landing between the service line and the out line, and then drop into the back quarter on your opponent's side. Miss any of those and it is a fault. Unlike tennis, you get only one serve, there is no second chance. At the start of each game you choose which box to serve from; after that you swap sides every time you win a point.
Set up your stance
Stand side-on to the front wall, feet about shoulder-width apart, weight balanced with your dominant foot forward and the other back. Standing side-on is not just habit, it opens up a smoother, more controlled swing than squaring up to the wall. Hold the racket with a normal grip, firm but relaxed, up and ready with your wrist cocked.
Pick your target, then hit it
Decide where the ball is going before you swing. The reliable default is the lob serve: aim high on the front wall so the ball arcs over, clings to the side wall and dies in the back corner, forcing your opponent deep and handing you the middle of the court. As a rule of thumb, aim for your opponent's backhand back corner, almost everyone has a weaker backhand high-volley than forehand, so a lob to that corner forces a defensive return more often than not. When you want to catch them out, switch to a drive serve, flatter, harder and lower, hit to rush their return. A third option is the hard serve (sometimes called a smash or power serve): a flat, full-power ball that hits the front wall just above the service line and rebounds towards the receiver's body, useful for pressuring a returner who has settled into reading your lob.
Whichever you choose, the toss matters more than the power. Feed the ball gently and consistently into your swing, make contact near the top of your reach, and follow through towards your target. A calm, repeatable toss is what separates a serve you trust from one you only hope works.
Move the moment you have served
Do not stand admiring your serve. As soon as the ball leaves your racket, step to the T at the centre of the court, the spot from which you can reach almost any reply. Rooting yourself in the service box is the fastest way to give back the advantage your serve just earned.
Keep them guessing
Predictable serves get punished. Once you can place a lob on demand, mix in the occasional drive, change your pace, and serve confidently from both boxes so neither side becomes a weakness. Watch how your opponent copes with each one and lean on whatever troubles them most.
Serve drills to practise
A dependable serve is built through repetition. These solo drills help:
- Target practice: put a cone or towel in the back corner and hit 20 serves at it, scoring each one that lands.
- Height and width: aim to land the ball high off the front wall so it hugs the side wall and dies in the corner.
- Both boxes: practise equally from the left and right so neither side lets you down in a match.
- Serve and recover: after every serve, move straight to the T so you are ready for the return.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Over-hitting: swinging for power without control simply gives away faults.
- A sloppy toss: an inconsistent feed wrecks your accuracy before you have even swung.
- Ball-watching: staying put instead of moving to the T leaves you stranded for the next shot.
- Serving the same ball every time: a predictable lob is a free volley for the receiver, vary pace and trajectory once you have the lob nailed.
- Drifting too close to the side wall: a serve that bounces off the side wall back into the middle of the court is a gift, often a stroke against you.
The Bottom Line
A good squash serve rests on three things: legal placement (front wall above the service line, back quarter on your opponent's side), a calm repeatable toss, and a move to the T the instant the ball leaves your racket. Master a deep lob to the backhand corner, learn to vary it, and treat each serve as a free point you are trying to set up, not a formality.
