Condition Games With Options

I'm home for the holidays and I've been filming some practice sessions with my brother back at my old club. Follow Serious Squash on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube to check out some of these new drills and condition games. Here'a a little peak at some of the recent posts.

Covering The Boast

Spicing Up Your Rotating Drives

Straight Drive vs. Straight or Crosscourt Drive

More condition games and drills will be posted daily so follow along for some of my favourite drills. If you like these drills check out the 2 full length instructional films for sale in the SeriousSquashShop.com/collections/coaching-videos The Secrets Of Solo Hitting and Mastering Deception are both available to download and stream and they both come with a no questions asked money back guarantee. Below is a preview for the two films. All merch in the shop is also 50% off at the moment with the code 'iamserious' Happy holidays from my family to yours! 

2015 Penang Junior Open

I'm finally back and ready to write a bunch of new posts. I know it's been a long time since my last one. In fact while I was away Serious Squash surpassed 100,000 views! Cool, glad people are reading, even if they disagree with some of my remarks.

I was in Malaysia for the Penang Junior Open at the beginning of June and then took a 3 week vacation in Thailand. I figured my first post should be about my impression of the tournament and compare it to what I see back here in Canada. So let's get right into it..

Straight away I realized how difficult it would be for anyone from here to go to this event and do well. Not that we don't have some players here that are of a similar standard, but because of hot and humid the weather was and the courts were. I was sweating just walking around the city, even when sitting in the squash club. Yes, they had an air conditioner, but this thing (pictured below) did nothing to cool down the place. It must have been 30+ degrees in the club.

The hot weather and humidity made the ball super bouncy and it's certainly a major advantage for the kids from hot areas that are use to playing in these conditions. I talked to some people from Hong Kong and they said there court are kept extremely cold so although the climate is hot and humid, the playing conditions are not similar at all.

The other thing I noticed early was how difficult it would be for people from Canada to eat similar food that they do back home. Many people I know in Canada (some would include myself in this category) are quite picky eaters. Here the ingredients are clearly lined out. In Penang, not so much. There are also many people back here in Canada that are vegans, gluten free or have food allergies. If you are one of these people you will have great difficulty finding something to eat in Malaysia. I began my trip wondering what I could possibly eat, until I finally changed my mindset and just ate whatever they were selling. But again if you're body isn't use to digesting noodles for every meal you may not feel the same on the court.

And of course this doesn't mention the 30+ hours of travel it took me to reach Penang. I felt pretty jet legged; light headed and dizzy for a few days. It definitely made me appreciate how tough it must be being a professional athlete travelling the globe.















Alright, time to get to the squash side of things. The draws for all of the ages were much very big. The tournament ran over the course of 6 days! You can see from an example of the boys under 11 draw why a facility with 12 courts needed 6 days to finish their tournament.

I tried to watch all the top kids in each division. I felt that overall there were a couple of noticeable differences in style and ability. I thought that the kids at this event generally hit the ball much harder then the kids here do and the girls and a very deceptive attacking boast from the back of the court. I didn't see much volleying which the warm courts may have attributed to. But even with the bouncy ball I thought the top kids were extremely precise at finishing off loose balls at the front of the court. Basically I think that most of the kids I watched have just played more squash then our kids have. On top of that they get the benefit of more high quality opponents. Here in Canada we have some strong kids, but they live too far apart to benefit from one another. Even if 2 or 3 strong kids are at the same club or school, it's just not the same. In Penang there were lots of different styles of play and so many strong competitors.

So if there was one thing I would recommend for juniors here it would be to get some international exposure at a young age if possible. You need to get a consistent high level of competition to become the best you can be. As for the game itself, it's simply about repetition and hitting more balls. The more squash balls you hit the more grooved your swing becomes which means you will become more accurate and you will also learn to hit with more power.

Overall I thought my trip to Penang was an excellent learning experience. I filmed a bunch of games to show some of the kids I coach. It also gave me some ideas on preparing kids to play overseas. If I took a group to this event in the future I would crank the heat up in the courts while we practice here at home and use a bouncier ball. I would also have team dinners where we would eat something similar to what we expect to eat overseas. Generally I feel we baby and overprotect our children here (like animals in a zoo) and they would have great difficulty adapting to the wild. Still I think the more we do ahead of time to prepare our bodies for what's in store the better we'll perform. But I also believe that nothing will help prepare you better than experience. I don't expect many (or any) kids would do well in their first tournament overseas. For all of the reasons I've stated, plus you would likely have no ranking and a tough draw.

I remember when I was 12 I went to the British and Scottish Junior Open. At the time I was the defending national champion back here in Canada. But when I got there I was one of many great players. I wasn't prepared for having a tough match each and every round. Although I came 5th at the Scottish I didn't do well in the British. Since I'm on the topic of Malaysia I have to take this opportunity to mention that yes, when I was 12 I beat Iskandar in the cons finals! I still reminder trading shirts with him after. I gave him a Bellville Junior Open shirt while I got some cool Malaysian team shirt. Afterwards he went one way (to the top 10 in the world) and I went another. Makes me wonder how much of that has to do with ones environment.

The week after at the BJO I lost first round, won a few matches and then lost another. But when you normally win every tournament here (and you're a kid), you're not exactly pumped up to play the consolation matches. It's something all top young juniors should experience. How they handle it will help prepare them for future tournaments and is crucial for their long term success.

It's a big world out there. There are lots of strong juniors all over the world. Don't measure yourself on a small scale within your province or even your country. If you really want to be great you need to experience squash on a  global scale.

That's it for today, but I've made lots of notes and have plenty of ideas for future posts. Glad to be back and hope you enjoyed today's post!

If I Coached Nicol David

Today I am going to discuss what I would work on if I coached Nicol David. It seems like a fitting topic since I'm heading to Malaysia soon. Obviously she is doing almost everything at the absolute highest quality, but even for one of the greatest players there are things that can be improved. I'm sure this is what keeps her motivated year after year. Many people want to find out just how good they can be? Not very many of us actually achieve our true potential. It takes not just many years of hard work, but a dedication to your craft for a major potion of your life.

I could go on and on about what Nicol David does so well. Her consistency, focus, mental toughness, work ethic, determination, her length and fitness are the major qualities that I really admire. Not to mention that she is a brilliant role model not just for young girls, but any squash player. She also appears to be extremely humble and has a great smile :-) It makes you wonder where her will and determination come from. David is proof that you can be small and succeed in squash. But this post is heading in a different direction. It's time to talk about how David can become an even better squash player.

David has been on the tour for a long time and is getting near the twilight of her career, but has yet to shows signs of slowing down. I believe that David can continue improving her game for years to come. When you get to an elite level as David has, what she can improve is much less obvious than any amateur, but after watching most of her matches at the recent British Open you could see some of her opponents were able to really work her around the court. I don't remember her opponents looking so comfortable against her a few years ago. I guess this is naturally what happens when you're on the top. Everyone has a team strategizing on how to take you down.

Although David is extremely fit and fast, she is still relatively small in stature. So when someone holds the ball or attacks well with a boast she has trouble covering. I thought Laura Massaro had a lot of success with her forehand attacking boast on David. I think David is well aware of this fact and is why she really concentrates on keeping her opponent behind her until she has a golden opening. If her opponents are stuck in the back they won't be hitting many winners from there. David has such great length on the glass court that this almost always works, but if her opponents equal her great length she's normally in trouble (yes, as we all are!). I think that David will never be easy to beat because she has such a solid base to her game. She makes very few mistakes and hits good width and length. But I do feel that she could be more aggressive and clinical on her volleys.

During the British Open I thought David let her opponents off the hook numerous occasions on the volley. There were plenty of times where her opponent was stuck behind her and she just hit it deep again. David appeared to be set up and in position to bring the ball in short. Of course if she goes short and the shot isn't high quality she puts herself in trouble as she again is not that big and many of the top women are deceptive when given time from the front. Obviously this isn't her style, but I'd like to see her play more aggressive on the volley. Not be afraid of making a couple of errors. This brings me to my next point.

Watching David play I feel that her opponents can read her very well. It's just a matter of wether David's shot execution is precise enough or not. If your opponent always knows where the ball is going you're looking at very long rallies. She does have a deceptive backhand trickle boast and I would like to see her work on one on the forehand side. I'd also like to see her try some more drives down the middle of the court. She hits such immaculate length that this is definitely something that would make her even tougher to play.

I think David could also improve her attacking boast. Some of the top women shape up and look like they are going to drive and then play a 2-wall boast. Some of these women have excellent delay on their swings. Since David has such great length and hits deep almost every time she's in the back if this shot was at all deceptive she would set herself up for a lot of easy points. But of course this leaves her exposed at the front and is a bit more risky than the style she normally plays.

The last area I think Nicol David could improve is her serve from the right service box. She does get the ball nice and high with her lob serve, but rarely hits the sidewall. If she hit the sidewall consistently on the 4-wall glad court this would set her up for a lot more quick points. Again, this may appear like a minor-adjustment, but I do think it would make a pretty significant impact to her game.

Nicole David is one of the greatest of all time. I almost feel unworthy to write an article about how she could improve. But I thought it would be a fascinating topic. I know one could ask, 'why fix what isn't broke?' And yes I get it and agree. But I believe this is how the greatest athletes think. Elite athletes are never satisfied with where they are and are constantly looking for ways to improve and add new dimensions to their craft. Nicol David isn't going to transform her game into an Egyptian stye. But if we look at Nick Matthew the past few years he has become much more attacking and clinical with his short game. As the competition get stronger I think you need to get them off court sooner so you can be fresher for the later rounds.

It would be interesting to know exactly what Nicol David thought of her own game at the moment and what she is currently working on. If she keeps on doing the same thing she should continue to do it slightly better and better. There is no doubt about her work ethic. But with everyone nipping at her heels I'm sure she is thinking of subtle adjustments she needs to continue to make so she can continue to stay at the top. As we saw at the British Open there are a number of women that are capable of beating Nicol on any given day. If feels like the tides are slowing changing. How much longer will David be able to be world #1? I think the one thing she has going for her is that there isn't another dominant person on tour. I think there are a few that are very strong, but the don't get the consistent results that David does. Until one of them do David should be safe at the top of the heap.

If I was coaching Nicol David it's safe to say that I would learn a lot more from her than she would from me.

Getting The Ball Out Of The Back Corners

Today I'm going to talk about one of the more challenging skills for most squash players, digging the ball out of the back corner. For quite awhile when you start playing, any shot that makes it to the back wall wins the point. On top of the mechanics being an issue, the ball also doesn't get warm and bouncy enough to come off the back wall. Getting shots after they hit the back wall is a slow progression, but a skill that is very satisfying.

As you get to a higher standard, (for example, watch the pros this week at the Tournament Of Champions) you will rarely see a player have to boast. They will boast when they want to. At a high standard if you are limited to 1 option your opponent will be all over your shot. How do top players manage to get any shot out of the back corner and back down the wall? It's a long list, which is where I'm going to start.

Today I'm going to talk about how to hit a drive when the back corner is interfering with your normal swing. If you have difficulty timing the ball off the back wall when you have space you aren't quite ready for the following list. For those people I recommend working on your basic mechanics of your swing and your footwork into and out of the back corners. Many amateurs have swings that are rotational, which means they don't go directly to the ball, they go backwards and will end up hitting the back wall. I feel for the back wall with my racquet and know if my racquet is set I have room to swing. If I can't get into a regular racquet preparation then I shorten it accordingly.

You can also practice with a blue or single yellow dot, or even allow 2 bounces to learn how to time the ball off the back wall. When you start getting better at rotating drives you are now ready for the next step. What can you do to get a good drive out of the corner. Let's take a look.

Keys To Digging The Ball Out Of The Back Corners
1) Anticipation of the receiving shot- hitting the ball before or after it hits the back wall. Good players can tell when the ball isn't going to come off the back wall and get there early and play it before it is too late.

2) Footwork - is crucial under pressure. Average club players cheat and hang far back on the T because they don't have a proper split step or court movement from the T to the back corners. Top players can move from a high T position into the back corner and play drives under pressure on their back foot (open stance).

3) Shortening your backswing - when someone hits a near perfect length we can't take a full swing and contact the ball. Elite players can shorten up their backswing and use a flick of the wrist to get the ball back down the wall. The shorter the swing the more height the player will look to use on the front wall to get the ball all the way to tieback of the court.

4) Choke up on the racquet - same as shortening your backswing, players will also choke up their grip. Sometimes even slightly higher than the top of their grip. If you watch good players closely you will see them doing this from time to time.

5) Get low - again when limited for space you need to get low so you can get your racquet under the ball.

6) Open the racquet face - when your backswing is impeded you have to open up your racquet face to get the ball high enough on the front wall. This goes together with getting low, choking up on the grip and shortening the backswing. To dig out a near dead drive you will need to do all of these to get the ball back down the wall.

It was tricky to photograph my own hand, but you will see how I have my racquet head back by using my wrist, not my arm.  Most people will find this easier to do on the forehand than backhand. But remember, the warmer the ball the easier it will be to get this flick drive back down the wall.

Forehand setup (above) for digging out a dying length. Notice just my racquet head going back as I extend my wrist. I am also choked right up on the grip to reduce the circumference of my swing.

Backhand setup (above) for digging out a dying length. Notice the very open racquet face. As I won't be able to get as much power on the backhand side with the shorter swing I need to hit the ball higher to get it all the way to the back wall.

When you first start trying to implement some of the techniques, just try them on every drive, even if you don't need to. You can start with your grip choked up, your racquet face open and waiting in the back corner. You can slowly work your way up to starting at the T with you standard grip. 

The best method for not having to boast is to get the ball before it reaches the back wall. But we can't always do this, so to be a top level player you have to be able to hit a good shot under pressure. You can see forearm and wrist strength play important factors in this skill set. Also getting low and playing a drive open stance take a lot of lower body strength and balance. 

There's a reason why a well weighted drive is such a valuable shot. It's struck nowhere near the tin and most players can't get it back, let alone hit it back down the wall. 

Final tip to implement these skills: a good way to practice these skills during match play is by not hitting any boasts. 

That's all for today. Remember to boast because you want to, not because you have to!