The Six Strengths For Winning Squash

When talking about sports there are always certain qualities that stand out for the top performers. We were amazed by Tiger Woods' focus on driving distance. The iconic college basketball coach, John Wooden stated that he loved to work with speed because it never went in slumps. And Wooden liked to push the tempo and press in basketball.

When I was in Malaysia for the Penang Junior Open it was evident that pace was a major factor for each of the age groups. When someone is young they normally struggle with pace as their racquet coordination and court coverage (speed, strength and anticipation) aren't fully developed. Clearly pace is an important asset which got me thinking about what are the other strengths in our game. Not everyone is built or has the ability to overhit their opponent. So today I will get into the 6 greatest strengths a squash player can posses. If you want to improve your game spend some time working on one or more of these areas.

Pace: Eventually pace will not be enough to win at the highest level. Everyone can hit it hard and handle pace. It makes a big difference in the speed of the game and the bounce of the ball. I can't think of any other sport that the bounce of the ball is so dependent on how hard and frequently the ball is struck. The reason I don't like coaching people to hit everything hard is that it creates tension in their arm and normally this style of player has a poor short game. Hitting everything hard also means you have less time to get back to the T and physically it takes a lot out of you. So I prefer picking my spots to inject pace, but that's what works for my game, it could be completely different for you. Plus how often does Cameron Pilley hit the ball as hard as he possible can? Probably very rarely if ever (unless there is a radar gun nearby).

Speed: just as Wooden exclaimed about basketball, I agree that speed is a major asset in squash. Certainly you look at players like Miguel Rodriguez and you know this is a huge factor in his success. Speed allows you to get on the ball early and retrieve more shots. Of course you need to have the aerobic stamina to keep your speed up throughout the duration of a match.

Attacking/'Hands': someone that can attack well from anywhere in the court can be extremely difficult to play against. Even after serving you are uncomfortable. There is little rhythm and you are repeatedly having to be on guard while on the T and having to make hard lunges into the front corners. Some people have superb racquet skills. If you're not one of them you can always improve this area of your game, but you will likely never become a shooter.

Consistent: if you aren't especially quick, or hit it hard or have A+ attacking skills you almost certainly have to be consistent and grind out your wins. I always think of Peter Nicol (pictured below) when I talk abut this. Of course Nicol had good shots and was smart, but he was so consistent. A big part of doing this well is containing your opponents, hitting the ball tight, taking away angles and being fit and mentally tough. If you're not a supreme athlete you will likely have the most success playing this style; taking minimal risks and making very few unforced errors. If you are a consistent player you will need to have a high level of aerobic fitness because you will like have to have long points and wait for easy openings and errors from your opponent to get your points.

Smart/Experienced: we have all played someone that just makes more good decisions then other opponents. Some people get stuck playing in a receptive pattern and hope this is enough to win. If you've read Brad Gilbert's Winning Ugly (pictured below), you will know that tactics are underused in racquet sports and are essential to becoming a champion. If you watched Canadian tennis player Vasek Pospisil at Wimbledon recently you would have noticed him looking over notes during his match about his opponent. He may have a plan B or C, or maybe this is to refocus his thoughts on his strategy if it was starting to wander. I'm surprised more players don't do this. Especially seeing that they are not allowed to receive coaching during a match.

Some people have a natural instincts and are very tough to play against. A smart player will know how to expose your weaknesses and play into theirs. They will be able to play a variety of styles and are always a tough opponent. This style of play is encouraged through decision making practice. If you're interested more in this you should check our Dr. Joan Vickers book Perception, Cognition, and Decision Training (pictured below). When reading this book I really thought all practices should be open and random, but have since learned the importance for blocked practice and repetition which allow you to acquire new skills, groove a swing path and boost your confidence. Finding the right balance here is what's crucial.

Mental Strength: some of the toughest matches I've played have been against mentally tough opponents. They may not have the smoothest technique, but they are super competitive. These players are normally consistent, but there are exceptions. Playing a mentally strong opponent means they never give up, no matter what the score. This style of player runs down every ball and gives max effort. This type of person plays better in competition then they do in practice. It's hard to measure someone's mental toughness and compare to another person, but this skill is necessary to become a successful pro. I always think of Tiger Woods (in his prime) and Rafa Nadal when I talk about mental strength. In squash I feel that Nick Matthew, Nicol David, and Mohamed Elshorbagy are the most mentally tough on the circuit these days.

So which area is your strength? If you don't fit into any I suggest you focus on becoming consistent. It's hard to beat someone that doesn't beat themselves. This depends on not only your current skill set and levels, but on how you enjoy playing. How do you envision yourself playing in the future? If you hit it hard and this is your strength, what happens when you come up against someone that hits it harder or can handle your pace? Same goes for speed. This is why at the highest level most players will be highly skilled in all 6 areas.

There are other areas that are important for competing at a high level, but I feel these are the most crucial. Aerobic fitness is right up there, and unless you are a shooter or extremely smart I think that's just a necessary skill, but without something else it will never be enough to win on its own.

Lastly, just because you are really strong in 1 category this doesn't mean you shouldn't try and expand your strengths and improve in another. We can all improve our pace, shot selection, mental toughness, attacking skills, consistency and to some extent our speed. Good luck!

Lessons In Losses

Today I'm going to talk about the importance of losing. I'm going to start off with a quite by John Wooden, the famous college basketball coach. Wooden said the only thing worse than losing too much is winning too much. Wooden had undefeated teams and he said they couldn't play their best basketball during the season because they felt pressure to continue to win and keep their streak alive.

Most people hate losing and this is why some people stop competing altogether. But avoiding competition isn't a solution, it's simply avoiding the issue. We think that losing is like failing and nobody wants to be not good enough. Staying confident and positive regardless of the outcome is one of the hardest things to accept in competition, but is an essential skill of top players. Winning and losing has such a major influence on our self-efficacy. When we win we feel good about ourselves, we lose we think we played awful and sulk. But someone always loses in competition; it's part of sport and is what makes it so exciting to play and watch.

This is why it is important you play against a variety of opponents; some that are a bit weaker than you, some at your level and other a bit better. I've always felt that I learned more from my loses. I thought about them more and they made me train and prepare better for future competitions. If you win all of the time you aren't playing against a high enough caliber of competition and you are failing to test yourself. If this is what you are doing you are holding yourself back from your true potential. You may become complacent with your current training routine and don't feel motivated to do more and try new things until you are pushed to do so.

The one area I get worried about is when people become complacent with losing. Some people lose too much and instead of fighting harder they are broken and are used to wilting when the going gets tough. This is a learned behaviour pattern is more psychological than physical. Learning to break out of this takes time and a change in your thinking. Here you could try setting small goals such as starting strong (e.g., being the first to get to 5 points), trying to win 2 rallies in a row late in a game, winning 1 game, focusing on your shot selection. You also will need to learn how to change your thinking patterns. If you've lost too much you automatically think negatively when you see yourself in a similar predicament in the future. You need to recognize this and understand that history doesn't always repeat itself, you can do this, you need to believe in yourself and come up with something positive to say to yourself. Learn to dig deeper when things seem the bleakest and anything can happen.

I already talked about how losing keeps you motivated to work harder and try new things. We may try and avoid playing stronger competitors because we don't feel ready to compete with them yet. You need to be brave enough to get out on court with a stronger opponent and learn from it. Don't take the results personally. In my opinion this is basically like getting a free lesson. The best players in the world have also lost the most. In squash it can be pretty psychologically damaging if you play someone a few levels higher than you. They can probably make quick work of you if they wish. This can be a tough pill to swallow especially for young kids. It takes a long time to jump up a number of levels, so be patient and persistent. You will get there if you believe and keep up the hard work. When we come up against a much stronger opponent the goal should be to make them work as hard as possible and give 100% effort. You never know what can happen. Also in future rematches they will respect your game and your effort and will expect a battle because of your previous effort. It also never hurts to ask them afterwards for some tips. Most good squash players are happy to give some tips afterwards. They likely have a better sense of what just happened on court and can offer you some excellent feedback. I always like people that aren't afraid of getting on court with stronger players, they enjoy the challenge like a puzzle that simply takes time to figure out the solution. You'll never figure out the puzzle by avoiding it.

So why else is winning too much no good for you? I feel one of the most important reasons is because we focus too much on immediate results and avoid trying new things that could have long terms gains for our game. This could happen in a number of different ways. Maybe you revert back to old habits and shots because they work and give you the desired result and you are comfortable doing this. But this is actually making it more challenging for you to reach your long term potential and goals. I enjoy trying to play new shots and a variety of shot combinations. This may come at the expense of a few more mistakes and maybe losing today, but can make a big impact on your long term development. Try and see your mistakes as a sign of learning and development and don't dwell on them. If you're not making any errors you're playing too safe.

I should also add that on the flip side of the coin, we can focus too much on long term goals and not put in our top effort to win today. I remember playing matches and thinking during them, well if I don't get this one I will one day down the road. You should be focusing on winning that match as well as keeping your long term development and goals in mind. This balance is what is so delicate and critical to being successful today and down the road. Regardless of the result, ask yourself afterwards some tough questions and continue learning and improving.

There's always a best player in a club. If that person is much stronger than any other member they will have to look outside of the club to get tough matches. That is if this person still wants to see how much better they can get. I've been the best player at a few different clubs over the years. I got pretty creative to make it more challenging. I tried playing matches where my opponents point total tallied over from game to game and I tried winning 3 games before they won 1 game.

I also enjoy playing matches where you put restrictions on yourself or playing someone after a tough training session. Sometimes I would do 10 court sprints after my opponent gets a multiple of 3 points. Of course you want to make sure you do this with someone who understands what you two are doing, like a sparring partner. Doing something like this in a regular league game will just make you seem like a jerk. Seek someone who is keen to train and is close to your level and is pretty fit. You can also try and set up back to back matches. Although I'm sure some of these things helped me, they were no replacement for playing someone at or above your level. The pace and duration of the rallies is much different and very tough to replicate. If at all possible, find someone that can push you and hopefully someone where the result is uncertain.

Losing is a tough pill to swallow but is part of becoming a champion. If top athletes couldn't handle losing they wouldn't compete with stronger opponents and would not have become so great. Be creative and try new shots. I always applaud good shot selections regardless of the result. Learn to be content with making good choices or trying a sneaky shot even if they don't work out this time. Otherwise you will just keep playing the same style with modest increments in accuracy over time. When you see someone creative or a top player play you realize there are so many things you can do and ways to win points. It doesn't have to just be by hitting good length and waiting for an error or very loose ball. You can also force the action, but this territory will come with plenty of mistakes as you learn how to execute them properly and when to play them.

I want to finish off this subject explaining another reason why healthy competition is so invaluable. If you win, but are not challenged, the win isn't very meaningful. If you win all of the time the wins also diminish in value. But if you win only once in a while and it's against tough competition you will have really tested yourself and they will hold more meaning to you. You have to be willing to put yourself on court with people of equal or sightly higher standards to get that sense of accomplishment. And even if you don't win this time around you will have learned more than sandbagging and winning with ease in a lower level. Although this can go both ways, where people perceive themselves as stronger players or don't want to risk losing to people that they believe are not at their level. This is why I like the U.S. ranking points system, you automatically are entered in the appropriate point level when you enter an event and have to have results to move up a division.

Have fun with your squash. Always play to win, but don't concentrate solely on the outcomes. If Ramy had done that as a child he never would have come up with such a masterful attacking repertoire. High risk shots can become consistent breathtaking shots with plenty of practice and patience. Play to win, not to not lose. You must make countless mistakes and lose to a lot of people along the way if you truly want to become the best that you can possibly be and a great champion.

Staying Positive After A Loss

There's a famous saying that goes something like this, 'don't let a win go to your head and a loss to your heart.' Staying positive after making an error and losing a point is one thing, but how do you stay confident and upbeat after losing a match? This is an important discussion because we all lose. We have all had tough loses, either very tight matches that could have went either way, or just performed below our standard and lost to a player we believe we should have beaten.

John Wooden, the legendary college basketball coach at UCLA once stated that the only thing worse than losing too much is winning too much. At one stage, Wooden's team won over 50 straight games and he said his team felt the pressure every night and weren't able to play up to their potential. For most of us, winning too much isn't a problem. If that is happening you need to face some stiffer competition.

I've been in this spot a few times in my life where I was the best player at my club and didn't lose a match for months or even a year at a time. It's pretty nice winning all of the time, but it isn't good preparation for tougher competition. I would go to a big event with evenly matched competition and I wasn't properly prepared. It's tough to simulate that level of competition and pressure. I wasn't prepared mentally either. Sometimes I would have trouble during the big points simply because I hadn't encountered these situations in training. I also had difficulty preparing for a tougher match because normally you are so relaxed when you know who you're playing and that you won't be challenged. If you don't get a healthy dose of competition from time to time it's hard to believe that you belong out there and that you are capable of beating who you perceive to be a stroneger player. So if you win too often, set up some tougher matches! If you lose to much set up some easier ones and get some wins. Neither is healthy for your game.

I can't remember for sure, but I believe this story was about Tiger Woods. When he was a boy he would play people better than him a third of the time, close to his level one third of the time and not as good as him the other third. When we play people better than us we learn, but we are under lots of pressure so we don't get to practice different shots and tactics. When we play someone close to our level we learn how to play in tight matches and get an even balance of attacking and defending. When we play someone that isn't as strong as us we can work on various parts of our game; you can try different types of serves, to volley a lot, some holds, etc. I think it's important to have this balance. So whether it's losing a single match or a few in a tournament it is necessary expereicne for your development as a squash player. If you only win you won't think you need to work harder and try to improve various parts of your game.

We all lose, so how do you stay positive after a loss? The first thing I ask myself is how I played. Sometimes we think we played poorly, but really this may not be true. Maybe we played at our potential, but our opponent was just a little better. The way squash is scored you can win more points than your opponent and still lose the match. Does this mean you didn't play better than your opponent? This is why I always try and focus on the process of the match. If I won and didn't play well I may be content that I was able to battle through it and pull out the win, but I won't be satisfied with my level of play.

I think most people look into a loss too much. We want answers and don't know why all of our training hasn't paid off. If you have a really bad loss, sometimes the best thing to do is not even think about what happened. Just toss that one out and forget about it. Often after a tough loss sometimes the best thing to do is get back out there and play again. When we sit around and think too much about a loss we get down on ourself and lose confidence in our ability. A single outcome doesn't mean that is who you are. Be respectful to your opponent and even if you think you played awful congratulate them on playing well. It's disrespectful to take a cheap shot and make excuses; valid or not.

Now let's talk about staying positive after a poor result at a competition. Everyone but 1 person in your draw is going to lose a match. Unless you're a professional all but the 2 finalists will likely have to play after losing a match. This is why it's crucial to have a short term memory after a loss. You'll feel much better about your game if you can back up a loss with a good win. I've seen a lot of people drop out of tournaments after they get knocked out of the main round. This is ridiculous. Unless you are injured or sick you should play out the event. If you drop out you make it unfair for some of the other players and this also demonstrates that you are completely absorbed in the results. Put your ego aside and get in there and try your best.

If you have a poor showing at a tournament when you get home you can analyze it. This is a good method for setting and adjusting your goals. Were you prepared for the tournament? What can you do to prepare better next time? What did you do well at the event? When we are unhappy with our performance it's easy to be too critical, but normally we aren't too far off the pace or our standard. Make a list of 3 things you did well. How was your fitness? How was your warmup? Did you eat well and stretch after your matches? These are all things that everyone can take care of even if your squash isn't the highest standard. If you worked hard up to the competition and did the little things before and after your matches you should be proud of yourself. If you continue doing this the results will come. If you didn't prepare properly than you know what you need to improve for the next tournament.

Sometimes what we've been working on in practice doesn't show up in tournament play. We get nervous and play different opponents. Something is on the line and we aren't able to play how we normally do, how we would like to. How can you improve this? The first thing you can do is keep playing tournaments. The more you play, generally you get better at handling your nerves and playing up to your ability. Also changes in tactics or technique take a lot of time for the muscle memory to kick in. Don't give up on it if you believe in the changes you're making. In competition many of us are only focused on that point, game, match and event. We don't trust the shots we should be hitting and have worked on. This is very psychological. We have too much pride to maybe lose this game so we resort back to what we're comfortable with and what we've done all along. This also happens when we get tired. When we're fatigued we usually fall back into our old habits.

I like to use this example for the pressure we feel in competition. You're serving down 9-10. Would you trust hitting a lob serve? Maybe you've even had some success with the lob serve during the match. What would you be thinking at this stage if you considered doing one? Could you hit this serve without your conscious mind getting in the way? Are you able to block out the negative thoughts? 'Don't serve out.' 'What if I miss? That would be a horrible way to lose the game.' What if you served out previously in the match? Do you have the belief and courage to go right back to it? Do you think you would feel the extra tension in your arm? If you do, do you shy away from it?  We all play the scoreboard and I wouldn't tell someone they have to hit a lob serve at this stage of the match. If you're not 100% committed to the shot you will probably not execute it the way you normally do in practice. In the case of the lob serves this means you may hit it out or so far off the wall it's not effective whatsoever.

The next time you play don't focus on the score, hit the shot you think is best regardless of the score. If you want to reach your potential this is how you have to play. This is how you'll improve long term. Learning to handle your nerves and play your best in competition has a lot to do with preparation, but is also very psychological. Keep playing the best shot so you learn how to fight off the self-destructive thoughts and control your nerves. If you have ever been in the zone when you've played you'll know that the mind is quiet. Your body is already programmed about what to do and you just keep your brain out of the way.

There are lessons in losses. Don't overthink them. Know when to disregard them. Use them as fuel to train harder, prepare better and improve your game. Play hard, play to win, but if you don't be gracious in defeat, learn from it and move on. Squash is a journey, not a sprint. Losing is part of sport and we don't have to like it, but we have to accept it.