It’s fair to say that Joel Makin is not a naturally attacking squash player. He is best known for his attritional play, and his ability to grind people down. However, you don’t become a top ten player by not being able to attack the front of the court and finish rallies off effectively.
This is something that Joel has been continually developing over the course of his professional career. A successful spell under the guidance of Rob Owen created the technical foundations that allow Joel to take the ball in short and compete with the best players in the world.
In this brand new series, Joel reveals the most important things he thinks about when he is taking the ball in short. It’s a fascinating insight into the approach of one of the game’s biggest names.
Over the course of the playlist you’ll learn about:
- Building pressure with good length
- Importance of using the bottom edge
- Using the straight drop to set up different patterns of play
- Adapting your racket face for different scenarios
We’re delighted to welcome Joel back to the site, spending time with him made it abundantly clear that he has incredible insight into his own game and knows exactly what he is trying to achieve. We feel very lucky that he wanted to share this with the SquashSkills community.
Enjoy.

Watch the video now
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