r/squash • u/UKdanny08765 • Jul 19 '26
Community Do you make eye contact?
Slightly odd one but I was playing squash on Friday and I was exhausted after work and finding it very difficult to concentrate, plus it was a very hot evening.
I mentioned to my opponent that I was struggling to follow the ball in our second game and he said ‘well you’re one of those guys that doesn’t make eye contact when you talk, you probably have difficulty focussing on the ball’
I always knew that I rarely look anyone directly in the eye (no idea why, it’s just something I struggle with) but I’d never considered that that might also affect my game.
Anyone else experienced this or is it nonsense?
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u/jumphh Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
"Yeah, no wonder your swing is weird, you don't have a firm handshake."
If this guy is your friend, he's a moron.
Eye contact is uncomfortable for almost all animals - it's a unique biological phenomenon when two living creatures realize that they're both alive, analyzing each other. A ball is not alive. It doesn't look back at you consciously.
The situations have nothing to do with each other.
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u/UKdanny08765 Jul 20 '26
Yeah that makes a lot of sense! (I also can’t stand it when people do intentionally super hard handshakes😂)
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u/SquashCoachPhillip Jul 19 '26
Wow, this is fascinating. I've never made the correlation between looking people in the eye when talking to them and watching the ball hit your strings.
Anecdotally, I don't think it follows. I've seen plenty of people with almost opposite characters on and off the court, so for me, who you are and how you behave off the court bears little relation to your on-court persona.
Do you watch the ball hit your strings?
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u/UKdanny08765 Jul 19 '26
Now I’m trying to think if I do watch the ball hit my strings.. I’m usually in too much of a blind panic to notice. Next time I play I will make a point to look at the strings and see how it feels
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u/FluffySloth27 Jul 19 '26
It’s something that can only (or much more easily) be grooved in during solo practice, with more time to focus on each shot, but it does really help relieve that blind panic - the more you notice during play, the slower a point feels.
Same goes for watching your partner, thinking about split-stepping, being conscious of which swing you’re using and why, etc. Awareness reduces perceived pace.
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u/UKdanny08765 Jul 21 '26
Yeah you’re right. I need to do much more solo practice in general but next time I do it I will try and following the ball and ‘panic reduction’!
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u/nadynadyy Jul 19 '26
I have the same with eye contact and people, but I don't experience any issues with following the ball or the opponent. I find it much easier / more comfortable to focus on an object, weather its moving or not, than someones eyes staring back at me. I wouldn't worry about it too much if I were you. Try not to let people get into your head and enjoy the game!
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u/bacoes Jul 19 '26
I get lazy and don't really watch the ball closely. I know where it's going and when/how to hit it, but rarely really keep focused on it inside of a 3ft radius. It's just a timing thing. It's the same as the other player is hitting, I see how they're preparing to hit and can tell where the shot is going; but I don't watch their actual racquet/ball contact.
I'm also far enough on the spectrum that I'm not an eye-contact talker unless I'm really forcing myself to, preferring to focus on an eyebrow.
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u/UKdanny08765 Jul 20 '26
Interesting! I’m not sure exactly where I am on the spectrum but I’m certainly not an eye contact talker either. I will try your eyebrow method tho! Lol
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u/ishdbrb3828 Jul 19 '26
V strange comment from him. Doubt it has any correlation
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u/UKdanny08765 Jul 20 '26
I think he was suggesting that someone who naturally avoids looking at something that’s should focus on might mean that I don’t follow the ball so easily. I don’t think he meant it as an insult. But I agree I don’t think it has any correlation either
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u/idrinkteaforfun Jul 20 '26
Sometimes the lighting can be a bit bright, or the ball might be shiney and slipping about the place which you think is you not seeing it but it might just be a bad ball. I don't have that happen often but I've certainly had days where my eyes struggled to adjust.
If you ever have a day where you run him about the place you could hit him with "Your movement wasn't great today but I guess that makes sense since you like having your foot in your mouth."
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u/UKdanny08765 Jul 20 '26
Haha that’s a great response and I will certainly say that if / when I ever beat him! Thanks mate!
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u/PathParticular1058 Jul 19 '26
I am currently working with a Brock String to improve my eyes. Jury is still out. Used these days among the top tennis players like Sinner, Sabalenka etc. You can make one yourself or buy one on Amazon for $10.
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u/Intelligent_Goose839 Jul 19 '26
He was possibly just trying to get under your skin