The Best of Eye Rackets and Serious Squash Skill Challenges

To celebrate Canada Day and a 9 month partnership between Serious Squash and Eye Rackets here is a best of skill challenge compilation! Enjoy :) and until the end of the long weekend order anything at SeriousSquashShop.com with the code 'canadaeh' and get 30% off your order :) Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! 

Knowing When To Stick With Plan A

One of the most difficult things I have found as a player and also as a coach is deciding after losing a game to not change a thing. We all think that because we lose a game we must change something so we do better in the next one. This is a really difficult concept to understand in the heat of battle as a player and as a coach. We want to play our best and if we lose we don't like to admit that our opponents executed really well or that there is a thing called statistics that balance themselves out over the long haul and that sometimes a single game isn't long enough to know if our tactics will prevail. In squash there is also a major fitness and mental component to a match which we must be taken into account. Often times all we need to change is our focus and other times it's simply maintaining that concentration and effort after a disappointing result. Plus if all we ever think about and hear after a game is what could have been better, how are we ever going to be confident in what we did well and what was working? Focusing too much on areas that need improvement doesn't always mean you will play better after acquiring such knowledge. Ahh, the art of coaching.

If we are playing someone stronger than our level we shouldn't look only at the score to determine how well we are playing. Here I prefer to focus on playing the right shot and simple things, such as getting your opponent behind you or extending the rallies or making them work harder. This all makes sense, but what happens when we lose a game to a person that we believe to be at or even below our level? This happens to all of us and when it does our ego takes a real shot in the gut. We get twisted up because we can't understand how we are playing so poorly, again forgetting that we are up against an opponent who has come out for a real fight.

The first thing here is just to let go of the worry about the outcome (outcome focused does not give you desired outcome results). Worry leads to tension, overthinking, anger and potentially freezing up. The key isn't always making a change, it's normally just focusing on the process; keeping things simple and staying positive. Keeping things simple and doing the basics well can take you a long ways on the court; the challenge is that this becomes all the more difficult to do when our back is up against the wall. And remember that if your basics are superior to your opponents, over the course of a match most of the time things will go in your favour.

If we use excuses like the refs or our opponents lucky bounces, or how it's not our day or some stoppages in play we are never giving ourselves a real shot of playing our best squash. These are all obstacles that are created more psychologically than physically. If you can learn how to enjoy the challenge of the challenges you face you will have the best chance of overcoming them in a positive manner. This is what handling adversity is all about. It's easy to be a good sport when we're winning and playing well, but when things are going against us it's when it reveals our true character. Learn to change your reactions to these situations if you aren't handling them well. But let's get back to the topic at hand.

Let's once again discuss the situation where you are playing someone of a similar standard and lose a game. I often see people lose a game by 2 or 3 points and they think they need to do something drastically different the following game and they come out and they end up following this up with a worse result. Normally when this happens the most important thing you can do is go out and play the exact same game. You almost won the last game, why make a drastic change? When we are in these situations it is so difficult to just stick with a game plan, but remember it's first to win 3 games not best of 1 or 3! At a high level squash is very physical and mental and if you can play a similar standard game later in the match often your opponent will drop, either their focus or fitness (which in turns results in unforced errors).  When we try and change our game too much we begin to overanalyze and possibly try playing out of our comfort zone and this is when we may actually perform worse. So don't go changing things simply because you lose a game; change things because you feel like your strategy was incorrect or could be slightly smarter.

I believe that we try and drastically change game plans far too frequently when we lose a game. Often it is simply about slightly better execution so just being given some reassurance that they are on the right track can be quite helpful. As a coach we also feel like we know better than the athletes and that we should give them some amazing pointers that will turn the game around! Once in awhile this does happen, but a great coach will know when to reaffirm what the athlete is doing and keep them positive and upbeat returning to court. I know this goes against the famous Albert Einstein quote about insanity, 'doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get a different result' which is possibly why we feel such an urge to change something.

This is an area I'm still working on because it is different from person to person. This is also why I believe you should always focus on playing the right shot. After a rally (not during) is your time to quickly process your previous point. You may learn 1 thing from it about improving your shot selection in a future similar situation; good players can make adjustments in game like this. If you are focusing on poor execution that's where we get in trouble. If we begin to think about our swing it is incredibly difficult to change our mechanics during a match so those types of self-analysis are best left for after the match. We might know we need to hit it deeper so we can change our target, but we don't need to get into specifics regarding our swing and how to do this unless you are quite advanced and if you are this advanced you probably don't need to think about your swing mechanics whatsoever to change your targets.

So if Plan A didn't quite work, don't be so quick to jump to Plan B or C! Sometimes our best chance of winning is by sticking with what we just did. Knowing when to jump ship and went stay onboard is something you should think about and consider experimenting with. If you got away from your style too much and you think if you got back to your regular game it would help things then go for it! If you don't have a coach with you it can be quite helpful to make a few notes on an index card. You could have 2 or 3 styles or keys that can helps you play well.

For example: Plan A) Straight, deep and tight perhaps the pace is what needs to change so for example you can go to Plan B) pick up the pace and take the ball early! or maybe we are being too impatient so we look at Plan C) set up golden mid-court attacking opportunities by creating more pressure with your length

You could also try something a little different like this if your focus is on level of discipline/attacking. Plan A) Just play your game! Plan B) Be More AGGRESSIVE! Plan C) set it up before your fire it in!

Here's another simple card you could have if you want to focus on volleying or movement. Plan A) VOLLEY VOLLEY VOLLEY! Plan B) Get back to the T before they hit! Plan C) Be explosive off the T

Don't use too many at once. When we think too much we can get paralysis by over-analysis. Often a simple, gentle reminder works best. If you have a tendency to overhit the ball, maybe your notes should say Plan A) easy big guy, smarter not harder! Plan B) You're blowing them off the court! Plan C) Bring the heat!!!!

So just a simple cheat sheet can be quite useful and you'll notice I kept an option of doing what I was already doing; but sticking with this after losing a game is what today's topic is all about. If you feel the movement, pace or aggressiveness of play is your key to success design your card around that and maybe you'll stick with your Plan A's a little longer. All of today's article has to do with focusing on the process of your squash and not the outcome. I want to win as much as the next person, but our improvement and even the current result is often jeopardized by short term and result oriented thinking. If we jump ship maybe we aren't giving our opponents the opportunity to have a mental or physical lapse in their match. It isn't all about us on the court. Sometimes it's just about being so gritty and determined that it eventually breaks our opponent. I'm sure we can all think of someone who resembles these characteristics.

If you haven't heard yet, Serious Squash has just released a 64 minute instructional squash video titled, The Secrets Of Solo Hitting. This video contains 30 of the best solo drills aimed to improve your squash game with tips on how to best execute these drills and why they're so critical to your development. Stream or download a copy of the film at SeriousSquashShop.com/collections/coaching-videos and if you're not 100% satisfied with your purchase I will give you a full refund. Here's an in depth preview of the film:

Serious Squash Presents: The Secrets Of Solo Hitting (HD Stream & Download)

The video is finally ready for purchase. This is a 1 hour comprehensive instructional solo hitting video is aimed towards intermediate to advanced players as well as coaches. This is an excellent video for anyone keen to learn how to improve their solo practice and their squash game. The 3 sections in this video include 1) Drives 2) Midcourt/Volleys and 3) Short Game. I share over 30 of my favourite solo videos in these 3 sections. I also discuss how to set up technical tests and how to use this data to set goals and monitor your progress. After purchasing you will receive a streaming window within the webpage hosted by Vimeo which you can stream and there will be a and link which will allow you to download the video for safe keeping. Please do not share the video on any social media sites as this was a huge project. Thanks for your support and I hope you enjoy the video. Practice Smarter and Play Better Squash starting today!

Here's the link to the video: SeriousSquashShop.com/collections/coaching-videos

Below is an in-depth preview of the film.

The Benefits Of Analyzing Your Swing In Slow Motion

Here's a short little video I pieced together with my new intro video on the benefits of using slow motion video to break down your swing. I discuss some key points on the backhand drive in particular and finish with a few slow motion drives to demonstrate. Want to improve your swing? Break it down and check out the key performance indicators. Is it accurate? Can you generate power? Can you hit it deep/high enough? Does it break down under pressure? Check out the video on my Youtube channel here:

Below is an example of the same shot hit both in regular speed followed by slow motion. You can see a lot more from slowing things down. 

Serious Squash Coaching Videos Coming Soon!

I'm constantly trying to expand and explore new avenues with Serious Squash. I've decided that a next step is to produce some longer coaching videos to put all of my knowledge in specific areas into 1 place. My plan is to record a mini series of 12 episodes and release 1 each month. I've got a tripod on the way and am working on an intro video as we speak. Here's a peak at the 1st draft of it. Let me know what you think.

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3

I've already got my 12 topics decided and I think they will provide a lot of information to those who are looking for another way to improve their squash game.

I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to release the videos and what the cost will be, but I will try and make it simple, affordable and most importantly extremely effective for helping to improve your squash game. If you have any feedback or suggestions please feel free to contact me at info@serioussquash.com. Hopefully I will be able to release my 1st video this spring. And in case you're wondering, I will continue to post free blog write ups and videos on my Youtube channel (cchsquashpro), Instagram and Facebook page. Hopefully the best is yet to come from Serious Squash and thanks to all of you that have supported me thus far and especially to those of you that have bought some merch from the Serious Squash Shop!

Serious Squash Updates

Since I designed my first shirt about 4 months ago a lot has changed with the Serious Squash Shop. I really only started all of this because of my knee surgery and the time I was forced to take away from the game; well I guess I wasn't totally away from the game, just off court and not coaching.

My first clothing began with just 4 colours of the original 'Dominate The T' shirt and eventually I decided to add a black tee and some tank tops. I now have 5 different versions/colours of hats (yes, I love hats!). I ordered 100 bandanas custom made in California with an original logo I had designed by a friend at Merch Asylum (seen below) in the UK which has positive thought statements built into the design. I got 4 colours of the bandanas printed. A goal of mine was to produce gear that helped you perform better; whether it was the statement on the back of the original tee that reads' if you can read this I'm winning,' or the sport psych wristbands or this Merch designed logo.

I have so many styles and sizes of sport psych wristbands I can't even count them all. I used some of the most powerful statements for me which I hope will inspire other people when they wear them to stay positive, work harder, or be more aggressive, to play smarter or to focus.

I just recently got in the 1st batch of hoodies on 4 different colours. This was a test batch to see what they were like and how'd they sell. The verdict is positive so far and I've just recently placed a 2nd order for these. This time I've done the logo all in 1 colour which I think will show up well on a variety of different coloured hoodies.

Recently I have also designed a 2nd tee. This one has 'Serious Squash' on the back and the phrase 'Seriously Sick Skills' written around the base of the standard Serious Squash logo on the front. I've again used various colours to create some sharp looking gear.

I had an idea not too long ago to design some 'golden tickets.' So although they do not get you a tour of the Serious Squash factory! They do get you 50% off your next order! What I'm going to do is place them randomly in approximately 1 out of every 10 orders. So anytime you place an order you have a 10% chance of getting 1 of these golden tickets. This is just 1 of the ways I will be trying to have some fun with the social media marketing and hopefully spreading the word of Serious Squash and gaining repeat customers (I've already had quite a few so I'm happy about that).

On top of all the gear I've been adding to the shop I also designed some backpacks. The backpacks were not for sale, they were given to the top Serious Squash sponsored athletes. Yes, that's correct if you haven't heard I now have a team of 8 players that I sponsor with free or discounted gear depending on their level and ranking.

Serious Squash is also a sponsor of the Victoria Junior Squash League and the Women's Squash League here in Victoria. I feel it's really important to invest in squash and help ensure the success of these events.

While working on the shop I've been also getting things going with Eye Rackets. I just signed my contract with them a couple of weeks ago. They were really keen to join forces with me and Serious Squash. They loved what I was doing with my blog and videos and wanted to be a part of it. It feels great to have a company that wants to take part in something fresh and new and believe in what I'm doing. I feel they are extremely supportive of my creativity and of course I wouldn't have signed with them if I didn't love their racquets. I'm hopeful one day to have a Serious Squash model :) How cool would that be? I don't really want to get too big or popular though. I prefer having a small group of loyal followers and keep this is a hobby and keep it all light and fun. It's easy to get wrapped up into the seriousness of squash training and competing and I'm hoping to maintain a bit of balance between skill improvement and fun. That's why we all started in the first place.

I thought it was worth a quick update on what's been happening with Serious Squash. And I guess this is why I haven't written as many blog posts recently. I still am coaching as well and running a pretty large junior program so needles to say I've been keeping busy. I'll get back to more posts when creativity strikes and I have the time to explain it in writing. Until then be sure to check out all the new gear in the shop at SeriousSquashShop.com Since you actually read right to the end use the code 'SSROCKS' and receive 15% off any order! Thanks so much for reading, following and supporting Serious Squash.

Introducing The 2016/2017 Serious Squash Team

Recently I've started offering Serious Squash sponsorships. You can look back a few posts if you're curious what each of the 3 tiers entitle. Here I am to release the current list of Serious Squash sponsored athletes with a short bio of each member. Each payer will be posting at least 1 skill challenge this season so be sure to follow Serious Squash on Instagram (#serioussquash), Facebook (Facebook.com/serioussquash) or my Youtube channel (cchsquashpro) to see how the kids stack up to me ;) If you'd like to apply to join our Team there is still time. Send an email to info@serioussquash.com to apply. Now let's meet the current 2016/2017 Serious Squash Team.

Gold Team Members 
Curtis Malik - Sussex, England, 17 years old
Racquet: Mantis Power 110 2 (blue)    Home Club: K2 Crawley
Favourite Solo Drill: Figure 8's and hitting nicks.
Favourite Skill Challenge: 4 Corner Figure 8's/Butterfly
Career Highlights: English Junior Winner in the U13's, U15's and runner up in the U17's. British Junior Championships - U13 Winner. U17 3rd place. Has been ranked #1 in the U13, U15 and U17. Just joined the PSA world tour.

Tom Schreurs - Netherlands, 15 years old
Racquet: Dunlop Force 125    Home Club: Meersquash And Activity
Career Highlights: Junior National Champion in U13, U15, and U17. European U15 ranking last season - 4th. Other U15 results: 2nd at Belgian Junior Open, 3rd at Swiss Junior Open and 4th at Nordic Junior Open.

Gabriel Yun - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 13 years old.
Racquet: Harrow Spark     Home Club: Sport Central
Favourite Solo Drill:  Figure 8's  Favourite Skill Challenge: Hitting Nicks!
Career Highlights: 2nd place at U13 Nationals Last Season. Represented Team Canada at the Battle Of The Borders in August.

Silver Team Members
Sam Scivier - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 16 years old
Racquet: Harrow Vapor       Home Club: Jericho Tennis Club
Favourite Solo Drill:   Figure 8's with nicks!  Favourite Skill Challenge: Off the back wall, through the legs figure 8 to behind the back figure 8.
3rd in U17 at Alberta Jesters in 2015 and 2nd in the BC Junior Closed last season. Currently ranked 6th in the U17 in Canada. Ranked 2nd in British Columbia in the U17.

Alex Brown - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. 12 years old
Racquet: Black Knight Quicksilver    Home Club: St. Michaels University School
Favourite Solo Drill: Figure 8's  Favourite Skill Challenge:
Career Highlights: The one lefty on the Serious Squash Team! Alex finished tied for 7th in the U13 Nationals last season and 2nd at the Provincials. She is currently ranked in the top 5 in Canada. She was on Team Canada at the Battle Of The Borders in August. She is one of the hardest workers on the team that I coach. This year she will be going overseas and competing in the British and Scottish Junior Open.

Bronze Team Members
Matias Totz - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. 14 years old
Racquet: Dunlop Tour Elite    Home Club: St. Michaels University School
Favourite Solo Drill: Continuous Volleys  Favourite Skill Challenge: "All of Mr. Serious Squash Instagram Posts"
Career Highlights: One of the top boys in British Columbia in the U15 division. Matias is a boy I currently coach and is in grade 9. He's a hard worker, dedicated to improving his squash game, thinks he's really funny and has the potential to become a Canadian champ one day. Lucky for Matias he has a good coach ;)

Thomas Porter - Ontario, Canada. 16 years old.
Racquet: Oliver   Home Club: Ottawa Athletic Club
Favourite Solo Drill: Mid court volley drives Favourite Skill Challenge: Off the back wall, through the legs figure 8 to behind the back figure 8.
Career Highlights: Tom has been playing for 6 years and is one of the young bright stars on the Ontario Junior circuit. He is a big fan of Serious Squash and has progressed from beginner to one of the top competitive juniors in the Ottawa and district area.

Mario Ramirez - Canary Island, Spain. 21 years old.
Racquet: University of Las Palmas Home Club: Salming Fusion Aero Vetan
Favourite Solo Drill: Crosscourt Nicks.
Career Highlights: #1 of Gran Canaria and Canary Champion.

The Serious Squash Shop Golden Ticket

Starting October 1st Serious Squash Shop will have a limited amount of golden tickets that will be randomly added to approximately 1 out of every 10 orders. Each golden ticket contains a unique code for 50% off your next order. Get your order in at SeriousSquashShop.com

Serious Squash And Eye Rackets Join Forces

This week I signed a contract with Eye Rackets. Teaming up with Serious Squash we are going to bring you guys some cool new skill challenges and coaching tips this season. It's exciting to have such a cool company supporting me on this new journey. Below is a peak of me testing out some Eye Rackets and doing some freestyle skill challenges.

If you want to make sure you get to see all the new video releases follow my Youtube channel (cchsquashpro) Instagram (serioussquash) and Facebook.com/SeriousSquash I'm sure Eye Rackets will post them on their social media feeds as well so you can follow them as well!

Here's a peak into the most recent video I did mixing together a few different solo drills.

Don't forget to check out the new Serious Squash online gear store at SeriousSquashShop.com I've recently added some hoodies to the list of gear. Get yours today and use the code 'SSROCKS' to receive 15% off your order!

Serious Squash Is Now Accepting Sponsorship Applications

Serious Squash is all about growing squash and sharing my passion. It's still early in the stages of Serious Squash, but I am now offering sponsorships and officially accepting applications. Here are the different levels and the qualifications necessary for each level. 

Gold Package Qualifications: Professional player, top collegiate player, top 3 junior national ranking in your age group or family :) What you get (annually): 3 shirts or tank tops, 1 hat, 1 hoodie, 5 wristbands, 5 bandanas, plus any additional items I design over the current season. Includes free shipping and a Team Serious Squash backpack. Approximate retail value: $400+. Limited to 3 players per season. 

Silver Package Qualifications: Competitive collegiate player, top 8 junior national ranking in your age group or club pro. What you get: anything you want at a 50% discount from retail price. You are responsible to cover the cost of shipping. 

Bronze Package Qualifications: Competitive on the junior circuit with an outstanding work ethic, exhibits exemplary sportsmanship and who I deem has a lot of potential. What you get: 35% off retail price on anything you would like to order. Limited to 3 orders per year. You are responsible to cover the cost of shipping. 

If you would like to be one of the first Serious Squash ambassadors please feel free to send me an email at info@serioussquash.com and introduce yourself. Please tell me about your squash career and why you believe you would be a good spokesperson for Serious Squash. And yes, if you're wondering a skill challenge is a requirement of all sponsored athletes :)

Bring Serious Squash Skills To Your Home Club

Bring Serious Squash Skills to your country and to you local squash club! If you'd like to run or assist with a camp or exhibition (playing or skill challenge demonstrations) please contact me at info@serioussquash.com. 

My availability is limited between September and May, but after the school year I am more flexible. I would like to take my skills on the road next May or June. If you'd like me to come to your club contact me to discuss rates and availability. Please check out my Youtube channel (cchsquashpro) Instagram page (serioussquash) and Facebook page (Facebook.com/serioussquash).

24 Hour Serious Squash Tank Top Sale

Right now there is a 24 hour sale on ladies tank tops at SeriousSquashShop.com Enter the code 'tank25off' at checkout and receive 25% off your purchase. There are 3 styles to choose from! Retail is $29.99 but after the discount code they are just $22.49! Sale ends at on the 25th at midnight. See the video clip and pics before or visit the online store for a better look at the tanks!

Serious Squash Wristband: Pick The Winners Of The Hong Kong Open

I'm having a SeriousSquashShop.com contest for the 1st event of the year! Select the winners and finalists of the HKO for the men and women with game score and you could win your wristband of choice. Only 1 entry per person. You can email your selection to info@serioussquash.com or leave a note below. You must get your picks in before the start of the 2nd round in 24 hours from now (the 1st round is already half done).

Here's a link to the draws: http://www.squashsite.co.uk/hk/draws.htm

Good luck to all of you!

Serious Squash Shop Is Live

Serious Squash Shop is now officially launched. Check it out for cool custom squash gear. I'll be constantly working on the site and improving the pictures and adding stock so check back regularly. Please feel free to contact me at info@serioussquash.com if you have any questions! Thanks for your support!!!

Online Serious Squash Shop

Serious Squash has expanded (mostly because of my recent knee surgery and extra time away from coaching) into clothing and some other prodcuts. I designed the following shirts as my first and limited edition. Shortly I will be launching an official Serious Squash Shop page where you can purchase a variety of squash products. Let's take a peak at some of these products now. 

The shirts are made of 25% cotton, 25% rayon & 50% polyester and are ultra-soft, slim-fit high quality sport shirts. As you can see I'm getting 3 colours printed (and a 4th one shortly) and I have most available in sizes extra small to extra large. I have also printed a small number of women's fit of the same shirt. Let's take a closer look at each of the shirts, front and back. 

Above is the light blue shirt and my favourite! You can see the phrase I wrote on the back of the shirt, because really it's the truth in lots of sports especially squash, isn't it?

Here's the gray shirt. I thought it looked good with the logo.

Above is the aqua blue colour. I've always liked this shade of blue so I just recently added this to the line.

Above is the white version because there are still so many white clothing clubs around and I still enjoy a good white T. The 4th colour I'm adding is an aqua blue which will be a bit different than the blue I posted above. 

Other Serious Squash products coming soon: I've ordered silicone personalized sport psychology wristbands. There will be a nice selection of colours and sizes here. The idea behind these is to help remind you when you're training or competing of what is important. On the first wristband I'm order are the phrases, '100% is the only way I play' and on the other side of it says 'Right now is all that matters.' The 2nd wristband says 'I can and I will' on 1 side and on the other it says 'I can and I will.' The Serious Squash logo will also be printed on these wristbands. You can see how these short phrases contain powerful messages that can help keep you thinking upbeat and positive and can provide you with important reminders when things are bleak. You are what you think and if you can stay positive in the most challenging situation you are going to get the most out of it! 

I'm trying to make these very affordable. I haven't worked out the shipping costs for these yet, but I will once they arrive. They will cost $10 for 1, 2 for $16, 3 for $21, 4 for $26 and 5 for $30. I'll post some pics as soon as I can.

Another extremely limited edition item I've purchased is 15 Serious Squash trucker mesh hats (pictured above). These will have white fronts and blacks backs and are adjustable. The Serious Squash logo will be on the front. I haven't worked out a price for these and they will go quickly so if you want 1 contact me to reserve one! I'll probably keep 1 or 2 for me, so they'll be extinct quicker than the dinosaurs ;)

Below are 2 various bright, Hawaiian inspired hats I've also designed. I'm only getting 25 printed in total and they will be gone super quick. If you want to reserve let me know asap. 

That's all for now. I hope you guys enjoy the merchandise I've created. It's been fun to explore some new ideas and work on some products. I'm not expecting to sell lots of stuff, just cool and unique high quality stuff to a small group of people that really appreciate it. I will update this page with pictures of the wristbands and hats when I can. 

If you have any questions or if you'd like to preorder anything please email me at info@serioussquash.com otherwise keep an eye out for the new online store coming soon!

A Milestone For Serious Squash

Today I reached a quarter of a million views on Serious Squash. I started this blog about 2 years ago just to give my students an additional resource for their learning. A couple of hundred posts later I've chatted with people from all around the globe, began a video analysis service and have started up a video addition to my online social media presence. I have so many ideas for both my blog and for my videos so I envision Serious Squash continuing to expand. I'd even like to get into a signature racquet one day. Wherever it goes I will enjoy this journey.

Writing this blog has made me a better coach. I've spent a lot more time thinking about the game and coaching. As much as I've helped other people I know I've helped myself just as much or even more. Although this doesn't pay my bills it has been a lot of fun and I hope one day that I can add some international coaching clinics, skill challenging exhibitions and professional writing to my current career of coaching some terrific kids. It's nice to have a voice out there and people who relate to it. I've always been a person that has thought outside the box and enjoyed being creative and was passionate about health, fitness and squash in particular. I have always loved hitting a squash ball, regardless if it was solo practice or a tournament match. It's nice to know that I've found another avenue that I truly enjoy on top of playing and coaching squash.

In 2 weeks I'm having surgery on my meniscus so I will have more free time to write soon new material. I have some great post ideas on the horizon and have been talking to some other companies about my videos and another about doing some writing for them. I'm looking forward to these next chapters and will update you as soon as things are finalized. Some of my upcoming topics that I'm most excited about are routines. The more I think about them the more critical I feel they are to elite performance. I'm also working on a post about keeping squash fun and I am also working on another professional athlete profile.

When I started coaching I thought I had to take the route of other coaches. Do your levels, work with professional players and work your way up the coaching ranks until you can coach a national team. And although working with a national team is something I'd still like to do, I'm not worried about what other coaches or people involved in squash think of my coaching skills. There may be more certified coaches, but I have some unique skills and I am creating a new and unique career path. I love coaching kids, working on skill challenges and writing. I just want to add in some world tours and then I'd be set. I'm confident that one day I will work with a national team. It probably won't be in Canada as they focus too much on what your coaching level and experience is, but you never know. If it doesn't happen I'd be fine with that as long as I get to keep coaching some competitive juniors.

Thanks again to those of you that have reached out to me and given me feedback on my blog (both positive and constructive). If you want to see some of the cool squash videos I've worked on check out my Instagram account at serioussquash or at Youtube at cchsquashpro. Keep an eye out for news and updates on Serious Squash.