Category Archives: Squash Training

The National Squash Academy Open was held last week and it would be my first tournament in nearly two months. I had put in a good, consistent summer of training and was very anxious to finally get on court and see what improvements had been made. It was a nice change to be feeling 100% physically and take some rest days before the match, as summer training is very high volume and taxing on the body; you’re never quite fully recovered from your last session before you start a new one.

I was drawn against Tyler Hamilton, a fellow Canadian and opponent I’ve trained/played with often. I had never beaten him in a competitive match and had been thinking about the impending showdown every day since the draw came out a month before the event. I wanted to perform well at my home club, but more importantly wanted to prove to myself that I am indeed improving. I was extremely nervous the entire 24 hours before the match, which is a rare feeling for me. A poor performance would mean another first-round loss and a (seemingly) wasted summer of training. I tried to cope by visualizing well-played rallies and key points. Thankfully, I was able to positively translate this nervous energy. I forced a very high pace and got to a few more balls than I might normally reach. Tyler was off his game on the day, and these factors combined to a 3-0 win in under 25 minutes. I had a massive sense of relief and validation at achieving my goal.

In the quarterfinals I played Colin West, who ultimately finished second in the event. I continued in the same vein as the previous match, trying to keep the ball relatively tight and playing defense as needed. I was able to steal the first game, but Colin maintained a standard of play I could not match for long. Eventually I lost 3-1 in an hour, but again was pleased with my efforts.

As I thought about the tournament afterwards, I concluded that one of the keys to my win over Tyler was desperation; I brought a life-or-death attitude to the match, because I would not have been able to deal with the consequences of losing in my own mind. Leaving myself with no other options, I was able to perform at my best almost out of necessity. This desperation has been a common theme in many of my good performances in PSA matches, and I am going to try and reach that high level of intensity before all matches from now on.

This post will be a two-themed piece; I will briefly touch on the Olympics, and then get into a squash specific discussion.

The Olympic Games are currently in full swing in London and as always, squash is conspicuously absent. The pinnacle of world sport is happening while the world’s best squashers are toiling away on the back courts of the world in the midst of summer training. The absence of our game from the Olympics is still an elephant in the room whenever the topic of pro squash comes up in discussions with the average sports fan. Everyone knows it is a serious injustice to the sport; no need to reiterate the usual arguments. Furthermore, this Olympics has seen several controversies with regards to athletes giving their full effort and over-involved referees. This would never happen in squash.

Now onto some actual squash talk. Every player has come across a frustrating opponent who is not far better in overall level, but seems impossible to beat or even put under pressure. It feels like this play can read and control play, never get tired and win rallies at will. They seem invincible, only to be convincingly beaten in the next round by a higher class player. Suddenly your foil seems mediocre and has no answers. What is the cause of this distinct difference in standard? The answer is usually “basic game”. Slightly better length, fewer errors, more consistency and smoother movement. The player who is better in those four areas will feel comfortable with the pace and have confidence to win big points near the end of games. This should be encouraging, because it means that you probably don’t have to reinvent your game or hit shots like Ramy to take down your nemesis! If you watch any pro match, one player will usually look slightly more efficient and comfortable from the outset. Even if their opponent hits some explosive winners or has a few hot streaks, the calmer player will almost always win the match.

In summary, you can never spend too much time working on basics. The final 5% on each shot makes the difference between perfect width and clipping the sidewall, for example. Something that simple can make the difference between being in control and getting run ragged around the court.