Squash reaction drills

Updated 7 November 2026

Short answer

Put phones in the corners of the court you want to train, start on the T and move to whichever one lights up. Swing the racket over it as if playing the shot, then push back to the T. Start with two pods in the front or back corners, then build up to six-point ghosting, return-to-the-T and a timed figure of eight.

Ghosting builds squash movement, but a fixed pattern lets the player know where the next shot goes. With reaction lights the corner is a surprise, so the player has to read, split step, push off and recover, the way a rally demands. Every drill below is in the NinjaLit library under Squash with these settings, and each picture shows the drill running.

Setting up the court

Front corners: tape a phone low on the front wall, close to each corner, about knee height, screen facing the T.
Side walls: tape a phone on each side wall level with the T. Shoulder height for volleys, lower for drives.
Back corners: lay a phone flat on the floor in each back corner, about half a metre off the walls.
The T: for Return to the T, lay one phone flat on the T itself.

Use the Touch or wave answer for every squash drill. A light counts when the player touches the pod's screen, or waves a hand or the racket over its camera, so the player can swing as if playing the shot without touching a phone. Keep the racket a few centimetres above the pod, and use cases you trust: a squash court is hard on dropped phones.

1Random2 podsFree plan

Front-corner ghosting

The lunge into the front corners and the push back to the T.

Answer: Touch or wave
Light duration: 1.6 s
Delay: 0.6–1.2 s
Lights: 10

How to run it

Tape one phone low on each front-wall corner, about knee height.
Start on the T, racket up. Split step as you expect the light.
Lunge to the lit corner and swing the racket head close over the pod.
Push back to the T before the next light comes.

Answering a light: touch the pod's screen with your hand, or wave your hand or racket over its camera.

Coach itThe last step is the longest: racket leg forward, chest up, and push off the front foot to recover.

Sets: 4 sets of 10 lights, 60 s rest.

2Random2 podsFree plan

Rear-corner ghosting

Turning into the back corners, the open stance and the recovery to the T.

Answer: Touch or wave
Light duration: 1.8 s
Delay: 0.6–1.2 s
Lights: 10

How to run it

Lay one phone flat in each back corner, half a metre off the walls.
Start on the T facing the front wall.
Turn, step into the lit corner and swing the racket over the pod.
Come back to the T facing the front again.

Answering a light: touch the pod's screen with your hand, or wave your hand or racket over its camera.

Coach itTurn the hips first and keep your eyes up. The backhand back corner is where most players lose time.

Sets: 4 sets of 10 lights, 60 s rest.

3Random2 podsFree plan

Volley step

A quick step across to cut the ball off on the volley, and straight back.

Answer: Touch or wave
Light duration: 1 s
Delay: 0.4–0.9 s
Lights: 12

How to run it

Tape a phone on each side wall at shoulder height, level with the T.
Start on the T with the racket up in front of you.
One step to the lit side and a short volley swing over the pod.
Step straight back to the T.

Answering a light: touch the pod's screen with your hand, or wave your hand or racket over its camera.

Coach itShort and sharp: one step, a compact swing, no wind-up. The light stays on for only a second.

Sets: 5 sets of 12 lights, 45 s rest.

4Sprint timing4 podsAthlete or Coach plan

Figure-eight route · timed

The classic diagonal ghosting pattern, with every leg timed corner to corner.

Answer: Touch or wave
Route: 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 1
Runs: 2
Rest: 45 s

How to run it

Pods 1 and 3 on the front corners, pods 2 and 4 flat in the back corners.
Swing over pod 1 (front left) to start the clock.
Go diagonally to pod 2 (back right), across to pod 3 (front right), diagonally to pod 4 (back left), and finish back at pod 1.
The result shows the time for each leg, so you can see which diagonal is slower.

Answering a light: touch the pod's screen with your hand, or wave your hand or racket over its camera.

Coach itRun the diagonals through the T, not around it. Watch for the leg that is always slowest.

Sets: 2 runs, 45 s rest. Repeat after a few weeks and compare the legs.

5Return to center5 podsAthlete or Coach plan

Return to the T

Recovery discipline: the T pod has to be reached between every corner.

Answer: Touch or wave
Light duration: 1.8 s
Delay: 0.4–0.8 s
Lights: 6

How to run it

Lay one phone flat on the T and put four in the corners: two low on the front wall, two flat in the back.
A corner lights: go and swing over it.
Then the T pod lights in light blue: get back and swing over it before the next corner lights.
Short rest, then repeat for 4 sets.

Answering a light: touch the pod's screen with your hand, or wave your hand or racket over its camera.

Coach itThe recovery step is timed too. Most players are quick to the corner and slow back to the T.

Sets: 4 sets of 6 corners, 60 s rest.

6Random6 podsAthlete or Coach plan

Corner ghosting

Movement to all four corners and both side walls, back to the T each time.

Answer: Touch or wave
Light duration: 1.8 s
Delay: 0.5–1 s
Lights: 10

How to run it

Six phones: low on the front-wall corners and on the side walls, flat in the two back corners.
Start on the T.
Ghost the shot to the lit pod with a racket swing over it.
Back to the T for every light.

Answering a light: touch the pod's screen with your hand, or wave your hand or racket over its camera.

Coach itSplit step as the light is about to come, not after it appears. Stay balanced on the T.

Sets: 4 sets of 10 lights, 90 s rest.

7Timed challenge6 podsAthlete or Coach plan

Six-point ghosting · 60 s

Court-covering fitness: as many corners as possible in a minute, always through the T.

Answer: Touch or wave
Light duration: 2 s
Delay: 0.3–0.6 s
Duration: 60 s

How to run it

Six phones: front corners and side walls taped low, back corners flat on the floor.
Each light is a shot: move, swing over the pod, back through the T.
The score is how many lights you reach in 60 seconds.

Answering a light: touch the pod's screen with your hand, or wave your hand or racket over its camera.

Coach itKeep the quality as you tire: a full lunge and a real swing every time, not a lean and a reach.

Sets: 3 sets of 60 s, 60 s rest. A standard ghosting session.

8Timed challenge2 podsFree plan

Court sprints · 60 s

Speed and fitness over the full length of the court: as many lengths as you can in a minute.

Answer: Touch or wave
Order: 1 → 2
Light duration: Until hit
Duration: 60 s

How to run it

Lay pod 1 flat on the floor by the front wall and pod 2 flat by the back wall, both in the middle of the court.
Start at the back. Pod 1 lights and stays lit until you swing over it; then pod 2 lights at once, and so on, front and back.
Sprint to the lit pod, swing the racket low over it, turn and sprint to the other end.
Each light is one length. The score is how many lengths you reach in 60 seconds.

Answering a light: touch the pod's screen with your hand, or wave your hand or racket over its camera.

Coach itStay low through each turn and push off the outside foot. As a guide, about 20 lengths in a minute is good and strong players reach 22.

Sets: One 60 s test, or 3 × 60 s with 2 min rest as fitness work. Test again every few weeks and compare.

A 30-minute squash movement session

Block	Drill	Work / rest
Warm-up	Shadow movement at half pace	5 min
1	Front-corner ghosting	3 × 10 lights / 60 s
2	Rear-corner ghosting	3 × 10 lights / 60 s
3	Return to the T	3 × 6 corners / 60 s
4	Six-point ghosting · 60 s	3 × 60 s / 60 s
Finish	Figure-eight route · timed	2 runs

With only two phones, swap blocks 3 to 5 for Volley step and run the front and back corners twice.

Making it harder

Shorter lights. Lower the light duration a step at a time. A light that goes out before the player arrives counts as missed, so it is clear when it is too fast.
Shorter delay. Less time between lights means less time to recover, closer to a fast rally.
More lights or longer sets. For fitness, not for movement quality. Keep the two apart.
Compare over weeks. Run the same drill with the same settings every week or two and compare the results, not the feeling.

Common questions

Do I need six phones?

No. Front-corner ghosting, Rear-corner ghosting, Volley step and Court sprints use two pods, which the free plan covers. The four- to six-pod drills need the Athlete or Coach plan, which allow up to 6 and 12 pods.

Is it safe to tape phones to the wall?

Tape them low and flat, inside a case, and away from where the ball is hit. In these drills the player only ghosts the shot, so there is no ball on court. For the back corners, lay the phones flat on the floor.

Can the player hold the racket the whole time?

Yes. With the Touch or wave answer the pod's camera notices the racket passing over it (a hand works too), so the player keeps a real grip and swing. The camera images are processed on the pod and are not recorded or uploaded.

Can I run these with a group?

Yes. Each player takes a turn while the others rest, and with the Coach plan every player's results are saved under their own name for rankings and reports.

More guides

Squash ghosting and badminton footwork drills with reaction lightsHow to use reaction lights for squash ghosting and badminton six-corner footwork: where to place the pods, set lengths, the cues to coach and how to find the weak corner.Reaction light training: what it is, what it trains and how to startA practical introduction to reaction light training: the main drill types, what each one works on, how long sessions should be and how to measure progress without fooling yourself.DIY reaction lights: turn old phones into a reaction training setHow to build a reaction light training set from old phones and tablets instead of buying a kit: what you need, how to set it up, where to place the pods and which drills to start with.