AI Squash Coach: Rule the T and Stop Losing Points That Were Yours

An AI squash coach is a luxury that simply didn't exist until now: squash is a cult sport with far more devoted players than available coaches. In NAIARA, that gap is filled by Martiño, the app's squash pro, whose creed is law on any court: rule the T, rule the point. Tell him your level, your style, your dominant hand and your days, and he builds a plan splitting court work and fitness up to your peak. He polishes your game stroke by stroke — from the rail hugging the wall to the drop dying in the corner — teaches you length, width and deception, and programs squash-specific fitness: ghosting, agility, lunge work and anaerobic conditioning, with prehab for ankle, Achilles and shoulder. He has two non-negotiables: polycarbonate eye protection and your health. If something hurts, he stops and refers you. Hit the ball.

The problem: in squash, the player who runs more loses

Few sports punish the tactic-less player like squash: you run twice as much, hit twice as much, and lose anyway, because the veteran is planted on the T while you ricochet between corners. Technique alone won't fix it — you can own a beautiful drive and hit it to the wrong place every time — and fitness alone won't either: reaching everything and returning it to the middle is the recipe for elegant defeat. What separates levels is positional play: holding the T, pushing your rival deep with length, opening the court with width, and hiding your intentions with deception. That's learned from a coach — and there lies the problem: outside a handful of big clubs, squash coaches are scarce. Most players have competed for years without anyone ever looking at their game.

How Martiño coaches you

Martiño reads your game like a pro: tell him how you lose points ("they kill me with the drop whenever I'm stuck deep") and he returns the pattern that explains it and the plan to fix it. Real scenes: club league coming up — he builds your peak; drawn against that left-hander you hate — he gives you the anti-lefty plan; alone on court — he sets up forty minutes of pattern ghosting plus a solo drive routine against the wall.

He also watches your gear and your body: send a photo of your running shoes and he'll explain why they can't handle squash's lateral braking; mention a twinge in your Achilles and he activates the prehab — or stops you and sends you to the physio, depending on what you describe. And polycarbonate goggles, always: he's proudly relentless about that.

What Martiño can do

• Your squash plan: by level, style, dominant hand and days, splitting court and fitness to your peak.
• Court sessions: stroke by stroke, warm-up to cool-down, with cues and the fine point of each movement.
• Rule the T: owning the center, length and width, deception and reading your rival, with a plan per opponent.
• Squash fitness: ghosting, agility, lunge and anaerobic work, plus ankle, Achilles and shoulder prehab.
• Eyes and joints: non-negotiable polycarbonate goggles, and a warning when racket or shoes overload you.
• The racket you need: racket, shoes and balls for your level; if yours works, he sells you nothing.

If walls and rackets are your happy place, his NAIARA siblings are waiting: Álvaro for padel and Nadia for tennis.

What Martiño won't do

Martiño isn't up in the gallery watching you play: he works with what you tell and describe, so the more match detail you give him, the better he reads your game. He's not a doctor or physiotherapist: squash loads ankles, Achilles tendons and shoulders, and his protocol is blunt — real pain means stop and see a health professional, no heroics. He won't promise you'll climb X spots in the club league either: squash is a sport of years, and anyone selling shortcuts is selling injuries. And although he loves gear, he's no salesman: if your racket and shoes are right for your level, he says so and moves on. His job is to make you play smart, last decades on court, and hit the ball better every season.

How to start

1. Download NAIARA on Google Play or the App Store.
2. Pick Martiño among the sports agents.
3. Tell him your level, your style, your dominant hand and your court days.
4. Get your plan and debrief your matches with him — the tactics sharpen with every one.

The full map of AI-powered training lives in the pillar guide on AI and sports training.

Frequently asked questions

Can AI coach me at squash?

Yes: a plan by level, style, dominant hand and days, with stroke-by-stroke sessions and squash-specific fitness included.

What does ruling the T mean?

Holding the central crossing so you reach everything sooner and your rival runs double. Martiño systematizes it with length, width and T recovery.

What is ghosting?

Moving through court patterns simulating strokes without a ball — the best squash-specific training there is. Martiño programs it by pattern.

Are protective goggles mandatory?

In many competitions, yes — and for Martiño, always: the ball tops 200 km/h and eyes have no spares. Certified polycarbonate, non-negotiable.

Which racket should I get?

Depends on level and style: weight, balance and stiffness change the game. He recommends by profile, and if yours works, he sells you nothing.

Hit the ball

The T is open — take it. Download NAIARA on Google Play or the App Store and ask Martiño for your first plan. For everything else, meet NAIARA's 54 agents.