Biomechanical Principles Squash

Preparation Phase
During the course of the preparation phase my weight is initially shifted from the front foot to the rear foot. Concurrently the left arm tosses the ball, consistency is imperative in the motion to the performance of the serve. It is important for a consistent toss, to have the left arm extended throughout the toss looking across from me somewhat poor mechanics. My elbow slightly flexed and extends the arm, rotating it from the shoulder, across my body from my outside hip. The left arm carries up to a fully extended position and aids concentration on the ball. This action occurs in order to counter the action of the racquet arm, which is moving to the rear of the body. The action of the non-racquet and racquet arm is an example of Newton’s third law, which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The action of the left arm balances that of the right arm so that the racquet arm does not initiate unwanted angular momentum. As the action of the arms and torso occur the weight is shifted from the rear leg back to the front leg and the knees are bent in order to store potential energy. Notice the degree to which I bends my knees in above pictures, this enables my to generate more thrust against the ground therefore generating a more swing. This concept is known as ground reaction force. As I begin to develop consistency in my serve and begin increasing its power, I will have to start bending my knees more in order to store up more potential energy in an attempt to produce a more powerful serves. My hips shift forward, also as a result of Newton’s third law. The action of the arms and torso to the rear is equal and opposite to the hips shifting forward. The body therefore maintains balance and allows the body to flex further backward, storing more strain energy and increasing impulse. I flexes my arm almost too horizontal which a powerful swing to my serve. As a result of this my non racquet arm is extended to counter react and keep