Something I (and many other players) often neglect is preparing for matches and tournaments in advance.
I was thinking of writing this article on just warming up before matches, however, I thought I'd take it one step further and start a little early.
Realistically, whether you like it or not, your preparation for a match or tournament actually starts days before your match.
For example, if you have a few late nights in a row or a particularly heavy match or training session in the days leading up to a match or tournament, it will certainly impact you on the day.
So, I thought I'd incorporate this into this blog post.
Yes, I will be talking about the warm up just before your match (and even while you're on the court), but, I'll be starting earlier in the process by talking about the best ways to prepare in the days before, the day of, and hours leading up to your match or tournament too...
Days Before
As I mentioned in the introduction, many actions we take on any given day have an impact on how we feel and perform the following few days.
If you have one or more very late nights with minimal sleep, it often means you need to catch up the following night(s) which can completely throw your entire sleep rhythm out the window.
This often leads to fatigue, stress, and inability to focus and these are all things that can be detrimental to your performance on the squash court.
So, in the days leading up to your match, prioritizing rest and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule is key.
Of course, everybody is different. I do okay on 6 hours of sleep, however, 7 is pretty ideal.
I believe the most common recommendation is to aim for at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night and try to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same times.
This consistency helps keep your body clock steady and ensures you’re mentally and physically recharged.
Another factor to consider in the days leading up to a match or tournament is your training load.
It can be tempting to go hard in the days before, as this feels as though you're going to be ready and sharp for your match, but pushing yourself to the limit too close to a match could leave you feeling drained instead.
Sometimes, rest and recovery is the best approach.
I'm not saying not to train in those days leading up to your match, I'm just saying that you should keep it light. Perhaps focus on the core elements of your game such as length rallies, ghosting, or conditioned games.
I'd say avoid playing full matches against anyone similar to your standard in the two to three-day period before your match. Of course, you can't always help this if you perhaps play for a couple of teams or in your club's box league, but just do what you can to get enough rest.
Also, try to avoid doing any heavy endurance-focused drills with lots of explosive movements in those days leading up to the match.
This tapering approach gives your body time to recover, so you’re fresher and sharper on game day.
Nutrition is equally crucial too, especially if your match is important or against a tough opponent, or, if you're playing a tournament that may involve more than one match over a day or two.
Stick to balanced meals, rich in lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. I'm not much of a dietitian, but I think we all know to try to steer clear of super unhealthy foods the day or two before you play.
These can lead to burnout on the day.
Also, the day before, perhaps try to avoid anything super spicy or oily that may upset your stomach. Again, everybody is different, but I know I've made the mistake of having a very spicy meal the day before a match and struggling on the day.
Hydration is often overlooked but is just as essential; being even slightly dehydrated can impact your stamina and concentration during squash, so make sure you’re drinking water consistently throughout the days leading up to the match.
Last, but not least, mental preparation is another often underutilized tool.
As your match day approaches, take some time to visualize yourself on the court, running through your game plan and mentally preparing for challenging scenarios.
This type of rehearsal can improve your confidence and calm your nerves if the match or tournament is a big one, helping you go into the match with a focused mindset on the day.
On The Day
The day of a match or tournament is all about setting yourself up mentally and physically for peak performance.
Start the day with a light, balanced breakfast that includes a mix of carbs, protein, and some healthy fats. Something like oatmeal with berries and a few nuts or a whole-grain toast with eggs will provide steady energy without weighing you down.
Again, it's now even more important not to eat anything that might upset your stomach.
Throughout the day, stay hydrated. It’s easy to underestimate how much water you’ll need, especially if nerves are kicking in.
Keep sipping water consistently, rather than gulping down large amounts at once. If you’re playing later in the day, make sure you’ve had a light meal a couple of hours before the match—avoid anything heavy or overly rich that could leave you feeling sluggish.
Also, for me personally as a bit of a caffeine addict, I try to make sure not to drink loads and loads of coffee or energy drinks on the day of my match or tournament.
I'm prone to crashing in the few hours after ingesting caffeine.
Of course, this is another one of those things where you will know your body better than anyone else. You'll know what's likely to have a negative or positive impact on the day of a match when it comes to food and drink.
Mentally, this is the time to tune out distractions and focus on your game.
If you're nervous for your match, try to do some things to distract you from thinking about it too much. Mental fatigue is a thing too and I know for a fact that I've had matches in the past that I was so worried about, I spent the entire day of the game dreading it only to feel absolutely exhausted when I stepped on court.
Perhaps do something light like go for a walk or go for food with some friends to keep your mind off squash.
Or, being at work on the day of your match can give you another outlet to focus on (depending on how much you like your job)...
With that said, as the time comes closer, you can still take 5-10 minutes to think about your game plan or start to get yourself a bit psyched up.
Visualisation helps prepare your mind to face high-pressure moments and can increase your confidence in the build up.
The Hours Before
A lot of the above is the same for the few hours before a match.
However, a few hours before your match might be the time to start doing some light walking or stretching and mobility work to loosen up.
Keep sipping water to maintain hydration but avoid any heavy meals—stick to light snacks like a banana, a handful of nuts, or an energy bar. You should try to have your last big meal no less than 3 hours before your match if you can at least.
Although, if you're playing on a work night, I know this isn't always doable, so, perhaps you need to keep your food intake light and then you can have your big meal after your match.
You can also start reviewing your game plan or speaking to friends or teammates for advice to start getting your head into squash mode.
As the game gets closer, just try to stay calm and positive if you're feeling nervous.
Remember that worrying about the match can only really have negative impacts when you come to actually stepping on court...
Photo credit: Steve Cubbins
15-30 Minutes Before
It's warm-up time!
I used the image above for two reasons, first off, it's just a really cool photo, secondly, it is also a depiction of what you'll be able to do if you do your warm up...
At this stage, it’s all about getting both your body and mind into match mode, now is the time to starting hyping yourself up a bit and getting your mind focused on your match plan.
Start by doing a light jog or brisk walk to elevate your heart rate.
If you can get a court to yourself, that's absolutely ideal.
Do some light ghosting and swinging to get your body ready for the motions of the match.
Follow this with dynamic stretches, focusing on areas that need extra mobility like your hips, shoulders, and ankles. Movements like lunges, arm swings, and high knees are ideal for activating key muscle groups that you use in squash.
Just make sure not to wear yourself out or go to hard before you even start your match.
Also, from a tactical perspective, if your opponent sees you warming up and taking the match seriously, it's a good way to potentially get into their head!
If you can, hit a few balls too. Nothing too hard or heavy, just hit some drives back to yourself so you can feel the temperature of the courts and start hitting your sweet spot more consistently.
This helps your body settle into the rhythm of your stroke, ensuring that your timing and coordination are sharp. Keep your breathing steady and controlled, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly to calm your nerves and maintain focus.
If you can time it well enough, you should be ready and warmed up around 5-10 minutes before you get on court.
Of course, this is much easier said than done in tournament situations, for example, where you're perhaps waiting for the match before yours to finish.
There's nothing worse than that match going to the fifth and you having to keep warming up again and again to stop yourself cooling down too much.
Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about this. It's something even the professionals have to deal with!
Lastly, if you can/need, make sure to go to the toilet, there's nothing worse than warming up or starting a match and then suddenly needing to go!
5 Minutes Before
My top tip for five minutes before your match is to try to stay on your feet.
Just wander around and keep that blood slowly pumping. You can sit down if you want to, but, since it's impossible to super accurately time the start of your match, you might end up sitting down for longer than expected.
Plus, from a mental perspective, staying stood up and active makes you look more positive and ready to your opponent.
Take a few deep, controlled breaths to calm your nerves and focus your mind.
Remind yourself of your game plan and the key points you want to execute at the start. Visualise yourself moving fluidly, staying balanced, and hitting confidently.
This is also a good time to visualise specific shots you plan to use, like a tight drop or a powerful length, and mentally walk through those opening rallies.
Use these 5 minutes to think through the first few rallies: Will you be aggressive and look for volleys? Or will you play patiently and build pressure? Mentally rehearsing these scenarios can ease nerves and make your approach feel familiar, even before you’ve stepped onto the court.
If the match before yours is a close one, that might get you pumped up to play too!
Also, on a side note, something that many players forget to to is to check your equipment.
Make sure your racquet grip isn't old or too slippery and that you have your towel and water bottle ready courtside.
This final moment is about setting yourself up to start the match with a clear head, controlled energy, and complete focus.
Now let's get on court...
On-Court Warm-Up
Now, I want to talk a bit about the on-court warm-up with your opponent, as this is something that's often neglected by players.
My coach used to talk a lot about how important this warm-up is. He rightly used to point out that so many people just hit a few drives back to themselves and then cross court to their opponent.
It should be much more than that.
The on-court warm-up is an opportunity to prepare each and every one of your shots including volleys, volley drops, normal drops, boasts, kills, and lobs.
Make sure to play them with purpose too, try your best to make them accurate and hit those targets.
It's also a key chance to begin to sus out your opponent (especially if they're someone you've never played before).
You can tell an awful lot just by watching them hit the ball back to themselves, you can look for inconsistencies in their swing, flaws in their positioning, and you can also analyse their shot accuracy.
If they have a bit of a strange backhand technique and they're not hitting their lengths particularly tightly, perhaps this is a weak spot that you can target during the match.
Or alternatively, if they look like they're hitting very accurate straight forehand volley drops, maybe this is an area you should avoid playing the ball during the match.
You can even test out how they react to certain shots when you hit the ball back to them after you've hit a few shots to yourself.
For example, hit a few cross court lobs their way to see how they deal with volleying up high, or, you could try cracking the ball with some pace to see how they react.
Also, on a side note, club and tournament-level players like myself (and I assume many of you readers) actually tend to get a bit longer to warm up their shots in comparison to the strict 2 minutes on each side that the pros get.
In regular league games, friendlies, and team matches, it's usually up to the players to decide when to switch sides, or, if there's a marker, they often don't actually time the warm-up too meticulously.
So that's another little advantage!
Anyway, now you'll probably be about to spin for serve and you'll be as ready as humanly possible for the match ahead to give yourself the best chance of winning.
Best of luck!
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