The modern game is so powerful and strenuous that correct physical preparation is crucial to success. This preparation must begin before a player steps on court. For the serious player, off-court training can be as important as on-court training.

Competitive squash requires a combination of speed, agility, skill, strength/power, flexibility and endurance. These attributes can all be improved through on court training. But for players to reach there full potential in squash, they must incorporate an off-court training program.

1. Establish a Balance

aerobic training
anaerobic training
strength/power training
flexibility training

2. Progressive Overload

To improve, the system must be overloaded.
To continue to improve, the training stimulus must increase.

3. Specificity

Your body adapts very specifically to training. Develop your off-court training to simulate the requirements of squash.

4. Individuality

Everyone adapts differently to a given training programme. Your genetics and training history will determine how much training you can do now and how your body will respond to that training.

5. Recovery

Hard training must be interspersed with rest and recovery during which the body rebuilds and adapts to new levels. In designing the overall training programme, different systems should be stressed on different days.

6. Nutrition

Also crucial to performance.

There are over 50 nutrients that your body needs on a daily basis. Inadequate intake or omission of any of these nutrients can have a negative affect on health and athletic performance. By eating healthily you will feel better, train harder and be in better condition. This could mean the difference between winning and losing.

There is no perfect diet. Everyone is different and has individualised needs. The best diet is one that keeps you well hydrated, provides adequate calories and supplies the 50-plus nutrients in the needed amounts. No single food or supplement can do this. Consume a wide variety of food on a daily basis.

Water is also a vital nutrient. You can go for weeks and even months without certain vitamins or minerals before noticing an effect, but without adequate water, performance can be affected in less than an hour. Dehydration can cause your body to overheat. Small unreplaced fluid losses can impair performance, and large unreplaced losses can cause heat stroke and even death.