A corkscrew lob is a really cool squash trick shot to knock off your opponent and produce an awkward ball for them to return. You have previously learned about the standard squash lob and its importance in your game. Now in this article, learn how to the play a corkscrew lob and surprise your opponent next time you’re on court. Watch a demo of the corkscrew lob here or at the end of this article.
Corkscrew Lob Concept
This shot is a variant of the lob which goes high over your opponents T-position. While the standard lob aims to get the ball from the the front wall court to a back corner, the corkscrew lob aims to get the ball spinning so that it ends up moving sideways or parallel to the back wall. This shot not only wrong-foots your opponent who is expecting straight drives and cross-courts, but also puts the ball in an awkward direction. If executed perfectly like Ramy Ashour and Ali Farag, the ball could end up sticking to the ball glass, making it impossible to return.
Position
For the corkscrew lob, you have to be at the T, and the ball should be coming towards you at an angle. This happens when your opponent hits a very high three-wall-boast out of desperation. At this point it is up to you whether you want to hit it with your forehand or backhand. This depends on you early you have your racket up for the next shot. The key is to have decent height on the ball to begin with. You can’t hit this shot picking the ball up from the floor.
Corkscrew Lob target
You want the hit the ball as high as possible into the front corner such that the makes contact with the front wall first and the side wall next. The harder and higher you hit it the better. Height is the key for any good lob and the weight of your shot will influence the spin as explained next.
Effect of the Corkscrew Lob
By hitting the ball upwards, the ball will skid off the front wall and get some top spin. After touching the sidewall, even more spin will be imparted on the ball and its spinning axis will point to the front of the court. When the ball touches the sidewall on the way down, it will spin right off the wall. The sharp spin will cause the ball to spin directly away from the sidewall towards the center of the court, almost parallel to the back wall. The inexperienced opponent will either be behind the line of the ball expecting it to come towards them and see the ball move sideways instead, of have the ball come towards their body leaving them with no room to swing.
How to practice the corkscrew lob
Hit some high three-wall boasts and let the ball bounce up to a decent height. Then just whack the ball upwards towards the front corner. Remember that the harder you hit the ball, the more distance and spin you will get on your shot. Try bunch on the backhand side and then on the forehand. You want to be able to hit this shot from either side.
Corkscrew Lob Demo
The corkscrew lob has become somewhat of an exhibition shot in professional squash since its all fancy and hard to get a winning point from. Because pros recognize the shot, they will know exactly where the ball will land and how it will behave. This would leave fancy corkscrew lob hitting player wide open for an attack. However, in professional squash, when a corkscrew lob is executed perfectly, it is a joy for everyone.
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