Three Game-Changing Trends from the 2026 PSA Tour That Every Player Should Know
The 2026 PSA Tour has delivered some of the most compelling squash we have seen in years. Rallies are longer, the shot selection is more creative, and the physical demands on players have shifted in ways that surprise even seasoned coaches. If you have watched any of this season’s tournaments, you might have noticed something different about how the top players construct points. The old patterns of hit hard, hit straight, wait for an error are giving way to a more thoughtful, layered approach. And here is the good news: these changes are not just for the professionals. You can use them in your own matches tomorrow.
The 2026 PSA Tour reveals three major shifts that every club player can adopt: using the short lob as a deliberate attacking weapon, tailoring your training around match data rather than guesswork, and treating your serve as the start of a tactical sequence instead of just a way to start play. Each trend is backed by how elite players are winning matches today.
The Short Lob Has Become a Primary Attacking Weapon
The short lob is the biggest tactical story of the 2026 season. Top players are no longer using the lob purely as a defensive get-out-of-jail card. They are using it proactively to break an opponent’s rhythm, create space at the front of the court, and set up their own attacking shots.
What does this look like in practice? Instead of driving the ball hard and long down the wall when under pressure, players now flick a soft, high ball that lands just past the service box. The opponent has to retreat, wait for the ball to drop, and then try to generate pace from a low, deep position. By the time they play their response, the attacker has already reclaimed the T and is ready to pounce.
The data from the 2026 Tour Finals backs this up. Players who used the short lob at least four times per game won a higher percentage of the following rallies than those who relied on drives alone. The lob is no longer a sign of weakness. It is a signal of intent.
How to Add the Short Lob to Your Game
You do not need to be a PSA professional to use this shot. Here is a simple three-step process to start practising it tomorrow.
- Set up correctly. Stand on the T and have a partner feed you a ball that lands just behind the service box on your backhand side. Do not let the ball get past you. Step across and meet it early.
- Use a soft wrist and an open racket face. The key is to brush under the ball with a relaxed grip. Imagine you are trying to land the ball on a cushion just behind the service line on the opposite side. The trajectory should be high enough to clear an outstretched racket but not so high that it gives the opponent time to set.
- Follow into the front court. After you play the lob, do not stay static. Move forward to the T and then drift toward the front corner. Your opponent will likely respond with a loose drive or a drop. You want to be in position to volley or cut off the ball early.
When the Short Lob Works Best
| Situation | Recommended Shot | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Opponent is stood deep on the T | Short lob to backhand side | Hitting the lob too long, allowing them to volley |
| You are under pressure in the back corner | High defensive lob to buy time | Trying to drive when off balance |
| Opponent is cheating toward the front | Soft lob to the back of the court | Playing a drop shot instead, which plays into their hands |
| You want to vary the pace of the rally | Three-quarter length lob to the mid-court | Using the same height every time, making it predictable |
As former world number three and current coach Laura Massaro puts it:
The short lob is one of the most underrated shots in club squash. Players think they need to hit harder to win points, but the smartest players on the 2026 Tour are winning by taking pace off the ball. The lob disrupts timing, forces your opponent to generate their own power, and gives you control of the middle of the court. It is a weapon that costs nothing to develop and pays dividends immediately.
If you want to work on reading when to use the lob and other deceptive shots, take a look at our guide on reading the game with seven visual cues that telegraph your opponent’s next shot. It will help you identify the moments when a lob is the highest percentage play.
Data Driven Training Is Reshaping How Players Prepare
The second major trend from the 2026 PSA Tour is the way players and coaches are using match data to inform every aspect of training. This is not about wearing a heart rate monitor and calling it a day. The level of analysis has moved far beyond that.
What the Top 20 Are Tracking
Professional players on the 2026 Tour are now tracking four key metrics after every match and training session. If you want to train smarter rather than just harder, these are the numbers you should be paying attention to.
- Rally length distribution. How many rallies last 0-5 shots, 6-12 shots, and 13-plus shots? If most of your matches fall into the short rally category, your training should focus on first-strike effectiveness. If you are playing long rallies, your conditioning must match that demand.
- Shot outcome percentages. What percentage of your drives hit the side wall above the red line versus below it? What is your drop shot success rate from the front court versus the back court? Knowing these numbers tells you exactly which shots need work.
- Movement efficiency. How many steps do you take to cover a typical boast and drive combination? Players on the tour have reduced their average step count per rally by nearly 15 percent over the last two seasons by refining their footwork patterns. Less wasted movement means more energy for the deciding points.
- Recovery time between rallies. If your heart rate stays above 150 beats per minute for longer than 45 seconds after a rally ends, your aerobic base is not keeping up with your skill level.
How to Apply This Without a Full Analytics Team
You do not need a sports scientist to start using data. Here is a practical routine that any club player can implement.
Start by recording three of your next league matches on your phone. Watch them back and count how many rallies fall into each length category. If more than half of your rallies end within five shots, your training should include more drill-based work on serve and return patterns. If the majority go beyond 12 shots, your court fitness needs to be your priority.
Next, pick one shot that you want to improve and track its success rate across a full match. Let us say it is your backhand drop shot. Count how many times you attempt it and how many times you win the point or force a weak reply. If your success rate is below 60 percent, you need dedicated practice on that specific shot rather than general hitting.
Finally, ask a training partner to time your recovery between rallies during a practice match. If you regularly take longer than 30 seconds to feel ready for the next point, your aerobic conditioning is a limiting factor. This is where you can benefit from reading about how to structure your weekly training for maximum court performance. It will help you design a week that balances skills work with the right type of conditioning.
The science of recovery is also central to how the pros train now. Our article on why elite squash players never skip recovery days explains why taking a proper rest day can actually improve your performance more than an extra session on court.
The Serve Has Evolved Into a Tactical Sequence
The third trend from the 2026 PSA Tour is a fundamental shift in how the serve is approached. For years, the serve in squash was treated as a formality: get it in, deep, and hope for a loose return. That is no longer enough at the highest level.
The New Serving Philosophy
Players on the 2026 Tour are treating the serve as the first move of a three-shot sequence rather than a standalone shot. They are not just aiming for the back corner. They are choosing a specific serve based on what they want their opponent to do, and they already have the next two shots planned before the ball leaves their racket.
Here are the three most effective serving patterns from the 2026 season.
| Serve Type | Intended Response | Your Next Shot |
|---|---|---|
| Wide serve to the backhand side | Weak cross-court drive or boast | Volley drive straight down the wall |
| Lob serve to the backhand | High, looping return that sits up | Drop shot or kill to the front court |
| Body serve aimed at the hip | Flicked return that floats mid-court | Volley drop or hard drive to the open court |
The most noticeable change in 2026 is the increased use of the lob serve, especially on the backhand side. Players like Paul Coll and Nouran Gohar have used it to neutralise opponents who rely on firing the ball straight back down the wall. By forcing a high return, they take away the opponent’s ability to generate pace and step into the court.
Common Serving Mistakes to Avoid
If you are going to upgrade your serve, there are a few traps that club players often fall into. Here are the three most common ones, based on what coaches on the 2026 Tour are seeing at the amateur level.
- Serving with the same pace every time. If your serve always comes at the same speed, your opponent will time it easily. Mix in a softer serve that lands shorter and dies against the side wall. This variation makes it harder for them to step into the return.
- Ignoring the lob serve. Many club players never practise the lob serve because it feels less powerful. But the lob serve is not about power. It is about disrupting the opponent’s position. If they are standing on the T waiting for a hard serve, a well-placed lob will force them to scramble backward.
- Not moving after the serve. The most common mistake of all. Players hit their serve and then watch it, staying rooted to the spot. By the time they move, the opponent has already played the return. The moment your serve leaves your racket, you should be moving toward the T and reading the angle of the return.
For more detail on where to place your serve to cause maximum trouble, have a look at our guide on how to target the four back corners with your serve. It breaks down the exact positions that force the weakest returns.
How These Trends Work Together
The three trends from the 2026 PSA Tour are not isolated from each other. They feed into a single, cohesive approach to the game.
The short lob forces your opponent into a deeper court position. That deeper position makes their return of serve less dangerous, which gives you more freedom to vary your serve. And the data you collect from your matches tells you exactly which combination of lobs and serves is working against different opponents.
If you want to take this further, look at how top PSA players analyse their opponents before a match. Our article on mastering opponent analysis to craft winning match strategies walks through the exact process that tour players use to build a game plan around these trends.
Putting These Trends Into Action This Week
You do not need to wait for the next tournament to start using these ideas. Here is a simple list of actions you can take before your next club night.
- Spend 15 minutes this week practising the short lob with a partner. Focus on landing it just past the service box on the backhand side.
- Record one match on your phone and count your rally lengths. Write down the number of short, medium, and long rallies.
- Pick one serving pattern from the table above and commit to using it at least five times in your next match.
- Check your recovery time between rallies. If it takes you more than 30 seconds to feel ready, add one interval running session to your week for the next month.
If you are serious about improving your footwork to support these new patterns, the ladder drill programme we have put together is a proven way to build faster court coverage. It is the same type of movement training that many PSA players use during the off-season.
What the Rest of the 2026 Season Will Tell Us
We are only partway through the 2026 calendar, and the trends are already clear. The short lob has arrived as a legitimate attacking tool. Data is driving how players train, rest, and prepare. And the serve is no longer just a start point, it is the first shot in a deliberate tactical sequence.
The players who adapt to these changes will gain a noticeable edge, not just on the tour but in your local league as well. Watch the next PSA event with these three trends in mind. You will start spotting them within the first few rallies. And when you step onto the court yourself, you will have a clearer idea of what to try and why.
Give one of these trends a go in your next match. The results might surprise you.
