Unfortunately, my plague of injury has taken yet another turn and I'm now facing even longer off court due to constant lower back pain (that I've had for around six weeks now).
Like so many questions in squash, there isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer regarding which leg is right to lunge on on either side of the court.
Every year at the start of the season I try to focus an article on some of the players to watch on the PSA Squash Tour, and I think it's about time I did that again!
Having played squash for around 15 years now (and being a certified coach for around 8 of them), I've played with and coached many different players of many different standards.
You might remember my article around a year ago that covered my experience at a tournament named 'Squash Junkies' held in a town called Hoofddorp in the Netherlands.
It's pretty common knowledge that racquet sports all complement each other in a variety of different ways. Many players who excel at one tend to be pretty good at any other racquet sport they try.
I recently mentioned the GOAT debate in a previous newsletter (GOAT referring to the greatest player of all time), and, I was chatting about this with a few friends.
With the warmer months now here, many of us have either played, or are about to play, our last team matches, tournaments, and even friendlies of the squash season.
When I was a junior, one of my coaches believed that drives should generally be hit hard, regardless of your (and your opponent's) positioning. I guess there is some merit to this, especially if you ...
I did a pretty solid training session with two good friends of mine the other day, and, it got made me realise that I don't think I've ever actually focused an article on training in a three.
I recently wrote an article on 7 strategies for playing against taller opponents in squash and it got me thinking about other body types that we often come up against as players.
I recently wrote an article on men's World No.1, Ali Farag, who has had an unbelievable career so far, and, who continues to dominate the top of the rankings (showing no sign of slowing down).
I'm currently training for the Rome Marathon next month, so, it's obviously been a little difficult for me to focus on squash as well as running as I have a lot of miles to clock up!
I'm in a squash group chat with a bunch of my friends and I often run potential article topics off the rest of the group to get their ideas and feedback.
While I'm writing this, I'm actually at the squash club as I'm playing in our local county closed tournament, so, squash is all around me and very fresh in my mind too.
I recently got back from a season of travelling, so, I'd actually been pretty much off court for around four months. I did manage to play every now and then, but, no more than once per month so I'm ...
In this article, I often talk about specific drills and exercises that are good for working on certain areas of your game, however, after doing a full session focused on lengths just this morning, I ...
Quite a long time ago now, I wrote an article focusing on the importance of not neglecting your serve. That message still stands strong, however, the next step up from that is mixing up your serve.
Often, the difference between yourself and a player who is a bit better than you isn't capability. Chances are, you're capable of playing the exact same shots as they are, they just play them at the ...
Recently, we've seen a few injuries sustained on the PSA World Tour by some of the best players in the world. Given what they put their bodies through, injuries aren't unexpected per se, but, ...
One of the biggest shortcomings in my own game is that I don't volley particularly often, not necessarily because I can't, but perhaps it's because I'm being too risk averse, trying to conserve ...
Currently ranked at World No.7, Gina Kennedy is an English squash professional who, after absolutely skyrocketing up the rankings last season, has now solidified her place as one of the best players ...
I've written a couple of articles on how to beat certain types of players and, to be honest, I've really enjoyed delving deep into those types of topics!
It feels like I only recently watched the PSA World Tour Finals at the end of last season, but, I'm thoroughly excited that we're now entering the new 2023 - 24 PSA World Tour Season!
Around 5 or 6 months ago, a friend of mine mentioned an event called 'Squash Junkies' in Amsterdam. It was the first I'd heard about it, however, he assured me it was an incredibly popular team ...
I find etiquette in squash to be an interesting topic to think about. There are a bunch of unwritten rules that most squash players across the globe tend to follow.
There are many different ways to play the game of squash, however, more often than not, the characteristics of different players can be categorised into a specific player profile.
Since it's the off-season, some of you may be playing a bit less squash and taking a well-earned breather to enjoy the nice weather at this time of year.
Aged 26, England's Patrick Rooney has been climbing the PSA World Rankings consistently throughout the course of his career so far, reaching the top 20 for the first time in 2022 and reaching his ...
The mantra of 'keep your eye on the ball' often gets taught in squash, however, there is debate about whether you should constantly be watching the ball and nothing else, or, just watching it ...
Last weekend, I played an insane amount of squash in a very short space of time at one of my favourite tournaments of the year, the Danny Gamble Squash Open in Canterbury.
Playing against a shot-maker can be an absolute nightmare in squash. They can seemingly play a winner from anywhere on the court and they are known for taking balls in short at random times during ...
The back of the court is often seen as a place for building the foundations of the rally using depth to create volleying opportunities for yourself, however, there is a lot to be said for mixing ...
I want to talk about the return of serve, as I think it's quite a neglected area of the game that could help a lot of players step up their tactics to the next level.
I recently went away skiing and had a couple of weeks off squash, and, after getting back on court, I've come to the conclusion that it's always my T positioning that suffers the most when I have ...
You may be aware that we sponsor a number of exceptional squash players here at Control the 'T' Sports and I'm thrilled to announce that we have a new addition to Team CT!
Due to two of our players being injured, we've recently had a new player join my home club's first team at number five in the order. He's a junior player aged 16 and is very keen on improving his ...
I like to think that my style of play is quite deceptive. I like to experiment with tricky shots with the aim of sending my opponent the wrong way or forcing a weak shot out of them.
As I've mentioned in past blog posts, I'm a qualified squash coach and, before the pandemic, I was doing a heck of a lot of coaching. I still do the odd lesson here and there, but not as much as I ...
In the previous article, I unpacked the counter drop shot. Going into that much detail on the shot has really helped me begin to use that shot better in my own match situations over the past week.
The more I watch professional squash the more I notice that they utilise the counter drop way more often than I thought. This has also made me realise that I very rarely play this shot myself and, ...
Over the past month or so I've been trying to work on the consistency and accuracy of my straight lengths. One of the main things I'd been having trouble with was repeatedly hitting the ball tight ...
I’m sure some of you will have some New Year's resolutions for the coming year which is great. They can be a great way to get into something new, push yourself a little bit further, or just make your ...
There are a number of reasons why Paul 'Superman' Coll (one of the best players in the world) uses the Head Graphene 360+ Speed 120 Slimbody Squash Racquet. It's light, fast to play with, and ...
Used by one Joelle King (one of the best female squash players on the PSA World Tour), the Head Graphene 360+ Speed 135 Slimbody squash racquet is incredibly powerful and super accurate to play ...
The Head Graphene 360+ Speed 135 is ideal for control-focused players looking to optimise their length game and access some serious touch at the same time.
Used by Indian squash legend, Saurav Ghosal, the Head Graphene 360+ Speed 120 is designed to provide players with explosive power combined with accurate touch.
The Speed series from Head consists of four awesome teardrop-shaped squash racquets each of which offering a slightly different blend of speed, accuracy, and power depending on your playing style!
I recently wrote an article about my experience of returning to squash after 6 months off court. I'm sure you'll all be thrilled to hear that I'm much less sore after matches now and my movement is ...
When I watch professional squash I don't usually dissect players' swings and techniques in too much detail because I'm immersed in the game, but, after watching Mazen Hesham play a few times, there's ...
I recently got back to the UK after a 6-month trip travelling around Canada, which was absolutely incredible! However, this meant that I haven't actually been able to play squash for around 6 months.
In case you didn't already know, we sponsor a number of professional and up-and-coming players here at Control the 'T' Sports. We often refer to our players as 'Team CT' or 'Team Control the T' and ...
A recent incident between Mostafa Asal and Lucas Serme divided the world of squash with regards to who was at fault and what each player should have done in the situation.
I know I talk a lot about the PSA World Tour on our blog, however, I'm aware that not all of you will keep up with professional squash (which is absolutely fine).
Tournament season is well and truly underway and if there's one thing that's great about tournaments, it's that there are options and opportunities for players of literally any standard out there!
The Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite is ideal for accessing maneuverability and dynamic control with every shot. I decided to jump on court and put it to the test, here are my thoughts...
The Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro is the control-orientated racquet of choice for Egyptian squash legend, Ali Farag. This really speaks volumes about what this racquet is capable of.
The Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation 125 is focused on one thing, explosive power. With that said, I put this racquet to the test and found it pretty versatile all around!
Constructed with control in mind, the Dunlop Sonic Core Pro 130 allows the user to place the ball exactly where their opponent will not be able to reach it.
The Dunlop Sonic Core Elite Gregory Gaultier Edition was created in collaboration with the French General himself, it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to jump on court and put this racquet to ...
The Dunlop Sonic Core Elite 135 is a control-orientated racquet that's ideal for players with a larger swing looking to dictate the pace of rallies through accurate play.
I've watched the Qatar Classic (2022) a little while back and noticed a particular shot that those top players seem to be able to execute repeatedly and perfectly.
Stiffness plays a pretty big role in the feel of the racquet as well as the type of player it's suited to, despite this, it seems as though there isn't a ton of information about racquet flexibility ...
Beginning with the CIB Zed Squash Open (which is currently underway as I write this), the 2022/23 PSA World Tour season is now underway and I can't wait to binge-watch as many tournaments as possible!
I've met a ton of squash players over the years and one thing that's really blown my mind is just how many players have some sort of ritual when it comes to squash.
I've been playing squash for a pretty long time (around 15 years) and there have been a number of periods throughout my squash journey in which I've slipped into the bad habit of having a lazy ...
Do you ever find yourself in the situation where your opponent has hit a really deep shot to one of the back corners, it bounces against the floor and then against the back wall, and you struggle to ...
Our previous blog post reflected on the 2021/22 PSA World Tour Season, so it only seemed right to follow up with some of my predictions for next season!
Have you heard of the 'Mizuki shot'? I hadn't either until recently! Even though it's a shot I've played on occasion in training and in matches, I didn't actually realize that it was named the Mizuki ...
As I often mention, I (Alex Robertson) live in England, and I'm incredibly lucky that the standard of squash in my local area is pretty good. Whether they're better than me, on a similar level to me, ...
I often talk about unorthodox shots in blog posts and I must say I really enjoy writing about them... So, I decided to focus on yet another, the body shot.
There are a few things my coach taught me as a junior that have really stuck in my head throughout my years of playing squash, one of those things is to do with the pre-game warm-up.
I recently managed to jump on court to try out the Dunlop Sonic Core Evolution 120 Squash Racquet. As a long-term Tecnifibre user, it was good fun to try out something new for a change!
I haven't written a player profile in quite a while and, in light of the unbelievable season she's had, I thought it'd be a good idea to write one up on Gina Kennedy.
I had a chat with Control the 'T' Founder the other day and we got into a chat about squash swings and how they've changed over the years, and, how certain players have adapted to the newer, faster ...
For those of you who are newer to the sport (or those of you who play with a different scoring system), most matches in modern squash are scored as; the first player to get 11 points wins the game, ...
I've had many ups and downs throughout my time playing squash. There have been numerous phases where I've not really wanted to train or play any form of competitive squash.
I'll have to apologise in advance as I'm a little over a week late with this, but on October 15th, French squash legend Gregory Gaultier announced his immediate retirement from professional squash.
Preparing for tournaments is a very important aspect of squash that is overlooked by many players. People tend to show up on the day of a tournament and dive right into the action without putting ...
Following some awesome results at the Egyptian Open, I thought it'd be a good idea to write a bit more about the up-and-coming Malaysian pro, Eain Yow Ng, in a more focused 'player profile' type blog ...
Cold squash courts are disliked by many and they're not particularly fun to play a match on. Some player's playing styles match perfectly to a cold dead court, but this isn't the case for most!
Everyone has a slightly different preference when it comes to court temperature, and finding a squash court that's the perfect temperature for you is pretty rare.
I remember the first time I really watched Youssef Ibrahim play in the 2020 PSA Qatar Classic in which he managed to beat 1 seed, Mohamed ElShorbagy, 3 games to 2.
I've been playing squash for around 15 years now and I've seen lots of changes and advances in coaching over the years in order to cater to the different playing styles.
If there's one thing that pleases the crowd in professional squash, it's a crosscourt nick. It's a high-risk, high-reward shot, and it really gets people fired up.
Squash is often compared with chess. Being able to move your opponent around the court, attain a dominant position, and execute your strategy is the key to winning points, and ultimately, winning ...
There's nothing more humiliating in squash than getting 'taxied' and there's nothing more satisfying in squash than 'taxi-ing' someone else! For those of you don't know, a taxi is basically showing ...
I imagine most of you know what a boast is, however, just in case there are any beginners reading this I'll quickly break down the boast. A boast is basically when you hit the ball against the side ...
Since the start of the pandemic, the number of people running has increased exponentially. I myself am part of this trend and so are many of my friends and family.
It's no secret that squash is a pretty tough sport. For someone who's never played, the ball feels a bit weird, the racquets feel way lighter than a tennis racquet, they're trapped in a strange ...
Professional squash is in a very interesting stage right now. We've got younger players, such as Mostafa Asal and Hania El Hammamy making their presence known on the tour, and we've got experienced ...
A good friend of mine, and a fellow squash player, mentioned recently that he thought that professional squash needed more drama, excitement, and rivalry.
For many of us, getting on the squash court may not be possible at the moment. For everyone here at Control the 'T' Sports, we're in a form of lockdown and not able to play squash at present.
2020 has been a strange year for us all. The pandemic (which I'm sure you're probably sick of hearing about) has impacted everyone's lives in ways we would have never expected. Sports, in particular, ...
I was reading a thread on Twitter recently which discussed some really interesting points regarding power in squash. The people in the thread were debating whether or not you have to have big, strong ...
We all know the importance of practice. Repetition of any skill should in theory make you better at that skill. However, whether or not your practice is meaningful can have a huge impact on the speed ...
Full disclosure: Something I've been struggling with a little bit recently is maintaining motivation. I know I'm not alone in this as some local squash players I've spoken to have expressed similar ...
I think every player knows and acknowledges that height is important in squash, but I believe that it's still severely under-appreciated by beginner, intermediate, and even some advanced level ...
I recently found myself thinking about squash's past campaigns for getting into the Olympic Games, and there's one key point that these campaigns mention which stands out as one of my favourite ...
Hopefully you all managed to watch the first PSA World Tour event to take place following the suspension of the PSA World Tour due to COVID-19. It might not have been exactly what we're used to in ...
Open throat or closed throat, which is which? There was recently a small debate in the comments section of one of our blog posts regarding this very question. The blog post itself is a guide to what ...
There's a reason that our slogan is 'helping you find the right gear for your game', we at Control the 'T' believe that everybody has different playing styles and that it's important to know what ...
It seems like everywhere is in a slightly different stage in terms of COVID related restrictions on indoor sports. However, many squash players are now managing to get on court again finally... even ...
In my humble opinion, having a good grip is equally as important as having a good squash racquet. While playing sports with high intensity levels, such as squash, getting sweaty palms is inevitable. ...
The Dunlop squash ball... the official ball of the WSF and PSA and the only ball used in professional international squash competitions. If you're a squash player, it's highly likely you use or have ...
With the re-opening of courts (hopefully) on the horizon, maintaining our squash based movement skills is crucial when preparing to get back to the sport.
As today is the final episode of Week of Workouts, for day 7 we decided to take on a tough physical fitness challenge... 'The Spartan 500'. It's certainly one heck of a workout!
For day 6 of Week of Workouts, I decided to focus on an area that is often neglected by many (myself included), dynamic flexibility! Today's workout is ideal for getting your body prepared for ...
Day 5's episode of Week of Workouts slows things down a little... today's workout focuses on stability and balance. The exercises involved are low-intensity and require a little more concentration ...
We're now up to day 4 in our Week of Workouts, similar to day 2, today's episode features a calorie burning high intensity cardio circuit that requires no equipment and minimal space!
Here it is, 'Week of Workouts' day 3! Today's video focuses on an area that's extremely important for squash players, athletes, and indeed everybody in everyday life, core strength!
If you're looking for a fast, high-intensity workout that requires minimal space and burns a few calories, Day 2's episode of Week of Workouts is ideal... check it out:
Most areas of the world are in some form of lockdown, with sports clubs and gyms mostly closed, improving or even maintaining your fitness, strength, and flexibility from home can prove incredibly ...
The global COVID-19 pandemic has had an effect on everybody. With the PSA Tour suspended until the end of April and most local clubs now closed, it's definitely a very strange and uncertain time for ...
I hope the title of this post grabbed your attention and that you are here because you love the game of squash! I love the game. I love being able to play, I love running a squash business and I love ...
A good friend of mine first introduced me to squash in 2010 while we were both in school. The Arthur Currie Gymnasium at McGill University had recently been renovated to include 7 new international ...
A Short Rundown of the Event: This year's Windy City Open in Chicago was an absolute rollercoaster of unbelievable squash, and was packed full of marathon matches. With some stand-out performances ...
The average squash player knows that cut (often used interchangeably with 'backspin') is important on drop shots, but not many players know how it can be used on every single shot in squash. ...
