We’ve all had that walk off the squash court; your legs still buzzing, replaying the one rally you know you should’ve won, that little voice muttering that maybe you’re just not getting any better at this.
Like most racquet sports, losses aren’t proof you’re stuck — they’re actually where most of the useful information is. Watch the players who climb the rankings fastest, and you’ll notice something: it’s not that they lose less often than everyone else. It’s that they get more out of each loss than everyone else does.
Why a Loss Feels So Personal in Squash
Squash doesn’t give you anywhere to hide. You’re stuck in a glass box, four feet from the person beating you, and every flinch is on display. No teammates to spread the blame around, no sub coming off the bench to save you. So a loss stops feeling like “I played badly today” and starts feeling like “I’m just not good enough.” That’s a rough leap to make, and it’s usually not true.
The first job is pulling those two things apart — your performance and your identity. A loss is one match, played on one day, under one set of conditions. It’s not a verdict on you as a player, and it’s definitely not a verdict on you as a person.
A Simple Way to Actually Review a Loss
Don’t just replay the match on a loop in your head — that mostly just replays the feeling, not the information. Give yourself a day to cool off, then sit down and actually break it apart. I like thinking about it in three layers:
- Tactically — what did they actually do to you? Were they cleaning up the volleys? Dragging you into the back corners over and over? Finding a soft crosscourt every time you were under pressure? Pin down two or three specific things, not just a general “I played bad.”
- Physically — did the third game fall apart because of tactics, or because you were gassed? A lot of what looks like a tactical collapse is really just fatigue — tired legs stop moving, so you start reaching for balls instead, and the shot selection goes downhill from there.
- Mentally — was there a moment things flipped? A bad let call, a soft error at the wrong time, a lead you felt slipping? Find that exact moment. Once you can name it, it tends to lose some of its grip on you next time it shows up.
The Scoreline Lies (a Little)
A 3-0 loss sounds brutal, but it can hide how close things actually were. A handful of points here and there is often the real gap between “comfortable win” and “gutting defeat.” So don’t just look at the final score — look for the moments that actually swung it. The 8-8 in game two.
The tin on the game ball. Those are the bits worth remembering, not the scoreline itself.
If you can get video of your Squash match (or have someone film for you) – even just a phone propped up on your bag, use it. You’ll see things you can’t feel in the moment — how your swing shortens when you’re rushed, where you drift to when you’re under pressure, which shot you quietly avoid when you’re nervous.
Make It a Habit, Not a Big Event
This works much better as a small ritual than as an occasional deep dive. After every match — win or lose — take five minutes and jot down:
- One thing that worked, worth keeping
- One tactical tweak for next time
- One physical or mental note to work on this week
Doesn’t need to be fancy — notebook, notes app, whatever sticks. After ten or fifteen matches, you’ll start seeing things you’d never notice from just one loss: recurring weak spots, situations that trip you up, types of players who consistently give you trouble.
Choose Your Losses Wisely
Not every loss teaches you the same amount. Getting hammered by someone way above your level is a different lesson than losing a scrappy three-gamer to someone around your standard. Honestly, seek out matches against players just a notch better than you. You’ll lose more of them, sure — but each one will teach you more than a comfortable win over someone easier ever could.
Play the Long Game
Every player who’s ever held a ranking has a losing record against somebody. That’s just the sport. Setbacks aren’t a detour from getting better — they’re pretty much the whole route. The players who stick around and keep improving are the ones who treat every loss like a lesson they haven’t cashed in yet, then walk back on court a little sharper because of it.
So next time you lose, don’t just chalk it up to a bad day. Ask what it was actually trying to tell you.