These five squash training aids are worth checking out

Updated February 08, 2024

Do you play squash during the summer? 

Or, do you switch to golf, tennis, or some other outdoor sports?

If you are taking some time off from active squash, this may be a good time to invest in some training to tune-up of your game.

The upside of squash training is that you can do solo drills. The downside is that it can be boring.

To break up the monotony of solo training, you could look at some squash training aids that could potentially help improve your game. Unlike tennis training aids and pickleball training aids, there are not many affordable squash training tools out there.

Most of the training tools for squash appear to be targeted and priced at a level that only clubs or organizations can afford. The average squash enthusiast would struggle to justify the expense required to acquire some of these training gadgets.

Here are five squash training aids worth checking out.

Footworker Pro

If you do a lot of ghosting as part of your squash training, this may be of interest to you.

The concept is simple. The Footworker Pro adds randomness to your ghosting routine by taking the predictability out of your movements on the court. With settings that take into account your skill level, the device offers variations on speed, duration, and areas of the court covered – full-court vs. front or back.

The Footworker Pro is placed on the front of the squash court and cycles through a random sequence of lights that turn on and off guiding the player to the next position from where the imaginary ball should be hit.

Here’s a demo.

The Footworker Pro is listed on the company’s website at CAD 350.

The Squash Cannon

If you don’t much care for solo drills, and cannot always find a partner to hit with, this one may be for you. The squash Cannon is a ball machine for squash.

Endorsed by none other than the former world number one squash player Jonathan Power, the squash cannon has a sixty-ball capacity and comes with a range of modes and timing settings to simulate game situations.

With a price per unit of $3987, this is probably a tool more suited for clubs that offer training for their members and potentially a revenue stream through rentals of the machine.

Here’s a video of the Squash Cannon being used for training.

Smartspeed

Technically, Smartspeed is not a squash training tool – it is way more than that.

With professional soccer player Christiano Ronaldo and American football running back, Ryan Matthews featured in its case studies, it is touted as a system for reactive speed and performance training.  In simple terms, it uses a system of timing gates to measure the speed and agility of athletes.

Here’s how the Smartspeed system is used for squash training.

With use cases spanning the military, educational institutions, healthcare, and sports, the Smartspeed system is not built or priced for the individual squash player.

Note: The Smartspeed timing gate system has been rebranded as VALD SmartSpeed Plus Electronic Timing System which is now offered as a subscription service. The best price I could find for a 4-set Smartspeed Plus system was $3510 per year. For that kind of money, you can train with a coach around the year.

Big Toy Squash Feeding Machine

The BigToy is an 80-ball-capacity squash ball machine. As far as I can tell, BigToy is produced by the Chinese company Dongguan Siboasi Sports Goods Technology Co. which also sells squash ball machines under the Siboasi brand. BigToy comes with a remote control, ball heating system, and compatibility with standard-size squash balls. It boasts accurate feeds and a feed rate of up to 80 balls in 120 seconds.

The machine is marketed as the ideal training partner for professional players and coaches, providing a range of functionalities to support skill development and training sessions. While the BigToy website does not show a price, the price for the Siboasi squash ball machines starts at $2308 on Alibaba.

Stingray Squash Ball Machine

The yet-to-be generally available, Stingray Squash Ball Machine is the brainchild of former PSA player Jesse Engelbrech. While the specific price and availability timeline for the Stingray Squash Ball Machine is not readily available, the ball machine is touted to be a powerful, easy-to-use, accurate, and portable training tool designed to enhance squash players’ skills. For the most accurate and up-to-date information on the price and availability of the Stingray Squash Ball Machine, it is recommended to visit the official website of Stingray Squash Machines or contact the manufacturer directly.

Here’s a video of the Stingray squash ball machine in use.

As stated earlier, the squash training aids included in this post are pricey. If there are modestly priced, yet effective training aids out there, let me know and I will add it to the list.