The Next Chapter: Back To London

It's funny how life works. Eleven years ago I couldn't wait to graduate university and get on with my coaching career. I had a 4 fun years at Western University where I played on the squash team and completed a degree in kinesiology ('09). Most of my best friends from my school days were on the squash team and we did everything together. Still, after 4 years of not making any money and training and studying year round I was eager to move on to the next chapter.

Now eleven years later I'm back in London hired by the club I was a member of back in my Western days, The London Squash and Fitness Club. The club is vastly improved from when I was a member. They've had a major club renovation since that time and it looks amazing. They still have many of the same members so I already know a lot of the people at the club. I've probably already received over 50 messages and emails from the members congratulating and welcoming me into the club. My brother also plays here so that's a bonus. It will be nice to have someone to film some episodes of Squash Shots with and to have my doubles partner close-by. 

It wasn't an easy decision to leave Turks and Caicos. The weather and the beaches were terrific, but in the end it was not possible to make a living there as a squash coach. I did get the junior program up to over 20 kids, but without a base salary life just wasn't affordable. I was running an Airbnb for awhile, but Coronavirus foiled those plans. 

(The front view of the London Squash and Fitness Club)

So here I am back in London, in the snowy winter belt of Southwestern Ontario. The club is closed for now, so I'm still waiting for this pandemic to dissipate before I can get to work. I have started working on some ideas for the programming for next season. I'm hoping to make a big splash with the junior program. I'm also intending to run some group classes, which I don't think they've had many of in recent years.

London Squash is also home to the Nash Cup which I even played in back in my Western days! It was my only PSA I ever played and I made out of qualification to lose to the second seed in a relatively competitive match. The Nash Cup has had many top players and has both a men's and women's event. They always have a top Western player in the draw along with many of the top Canadian PSA players. They have live scoring and streaming. Here's the website so you can bookmark it for future reference: https://www.nashcup.com

What am I working on at the moment? My days have basically revolved around workouts, filming episodes for Squash Shots, writing blog posts and now brainstorming for programming once the club opens back up. Yesterday I recorded a welcome video for the club which included 6 basic home exercises that the members that require no equipment. Here's the video if you're interested and yes, there were some flurries during production!! 

Until Covid-19 disappears life will be pretty relaxed, but once things ramp up I'm going to get quite busy. Right now I can't help but wonder how squash will change next season. Will I be able to run tournaments? If I do will people participate in them like they did before? What about leagues and so on? How will clubs transition back to being open again? Only time will tell, but I do think it's going to take quite awhile for things to get back to how they were before.

If you want to know more about my new club you can do so here: www.lsrc.ca They have 4 singles courts, a hardball doubles court, a sauna in both change rooms, a pro shop and a bar/lounge. It's really a beautiful spot.  

On a different topic, I've been recording a lot of workout posts for Squash Shots. Recently I've posted kettlebell workouts and some core exercises. You don't need any equipment to get in a good workout from home. I not only demonstrate how to do the specific exercises, but I also explain how to design a home workout. You can find out more by checking out Serious Squash on Instagram @SeriousSquash and @SeriousSquashShots or at Facebook.com/SeriousSquash or Youtube.com/SeriousSquash or by subscribing to Squash Shots at Patreon.com/SeriousSquash

There's also an online shop if you want to purchase an instructional film, a video analysis or a signature Serious Squash Harrow racquet: SeriousSquashShop.com

Until next week stay safe, stay healthy and stay (or get) fit!

Kettlebell Training

It's been 2+ weeks of quarantine at my brothers place. Luckily for me he has 3 kettlebells so I've been able to continue to get in some good workouts. When I was living out west in Victoria and I was working with some personal trainers they taught me how to use kettlebells properly. This week in Squash Shots I filmed an episode demonstrating 35 kettlebell exercises. You can get in a full body workout with very little space and with just a kettlebell or 2 which means it's the perfect piece of equipment to have while in self isolation.

One of the great benefits of kettlebells is that all of the exercises you do with them engage your core. Because of how often I use kettlebells I have a much stronger core than I ever have and I've done far fewer sit-ups and crunches.

Here's this weeks episode of Squash Shots if you'd like to see some of the various exercises you an do with a kettlebell.

If you don't own a kettlebell I suggest you picking some up so you can do some of these exercises from home. Even now I'm doing most of my workouts on my brothers deck. Kettlebell are also very easy to store and for many exercises they are mush easier to hold and use than dumbbells. They aren't cheap, but they are well worth the price if you put them to use. Here's a link of a group of training equipment I've created on a Serious Squash Amazon if you're thinking about making an investment  www.amazon.ca/shop/serioussquash

I'll walk you through a few of my training sessions over the past 2 weeks. Yesterday was pretty simple. I did 5 goblet squats with a kettlebell followed by 10 pushups. I did this on the minute, every minute for 20 minutes (sets). So by the end of this workout I had done 100 squats and 200 pushups. 

Last week I did a similar workout where I did 5 squats, 5 swings and then 5 pushups on the minute, every minute for 20 sets. Using a timing method like this keeps you moving even when you get winded and want that little extra rest. It also shows you how efficient you can be with your time and back in a great workout in just 20 minutes. This and the previous training session would equate to about 25-30 seconds of training and 30-35 seconds of rest. As you get further into your sets the rest sure seems to run out quicker.

Another excellent way to set up a workout is by doing a circuit. A circuit is what I do most often at the gym. Normally I'll go do an exercise, move on to the next, maybe 1 more and then go back to the first one. This gives the muscles you used for each exercise a little bit of rest. So generally I don't do back to back exercises focusing on the same muscle group unless I want to really target that area for that session. 

Today I did a circuit that included kettlebell carries (briefcase carry, shoulder carry and a high overhead carry) and mixed in between were planks, side planks with a kettlebell, snatches, presses and cleans. So it was a core and upper body focused workout after all of the squats yesterday. 

Another effective way to set up a training sessions is by setting a goal for how many of a certain exercise you want to do in total. Let's say you want to do 100 deadlifts. You can break anytime you want, but every time you break you have to do a 1 minute plank and 10 pushups or say 10 burpees. So your goal will be to try and get the 100 deadlifts in with as few breaks as possible, but you will inevitably need at least 3 or 4. The longer you go the more difficult the planks and pushups or burpees will be. On the other hand the fewer reps you do the more sets of planks and pushups or burpees you will have to do. 

For a future episode I filmed a bunch of complexes with kettlebells. A complex is a combination of 2 or more exercises which makes the workout more of a full body workout. A complex of exercises also increases the aerobic training component of the workout. When you combine exercises that add up to more than 30 seconds it means that you can still get in some of that important cardio that we need for squash. 

I've listed a number of ways for designing your own workouts from home. If you haven't tried kettlebells before use light ones. The 3 I have here are 25, 35 and 40lbs. If I was at the gym I would generally use 40+ ones, but it depends on the exercise and number of reps In intend to do. You can also use 2 of the same weighted kettlebells to do a number of other exercises. 

Five years ago I had never touched a kettlebell and now it's the piece of equipment I work out with the most. In this time of gym closures and home workouts it's the perfect piece of equipment. Until next week stay safe, stay healthy and keep active. 

If you enjoy Squash Shots you can subscribe for the weekly episodes for as little as $3/month at Patreon.com/SeriousSquash

Serious Squash is also on Instagram @SeriousSquash and Facebook.com/SeriousSquash and Yotube.com/SeriousSquash plus there's an online store SeriousSquashShop.com where you can purchase instructional films, video analysis and the custom Serious Squash racquet (for when clubs reopen!). 

Don't Drop The Nachos

It's a fact that most club level squash players are not gym rats. Most club players play squash because they hate going to the gym. For this very reason most players have terrible hitting posture which results in poor technique. Right now most of us have a LOT of extra time. How can you make the most of this time? Get into some good habits which will improve your hitting posture and make you a better squash player. Let's start off by quickly discussing what is the correct hitting posture and why most people are unable to get into it.

One key technical pointer is when the ball is low you are supposed to get low too. Most people do 1 of 2 things, they either break their wrist and drop the racquet head down to get the ball or they 'teapot.' Teapotting is a term for when people get low without using their lower body and their head, if it were a teapot would pour out. When someone teapots they are basically just collapsing their core and are not in a strong or stable position to hit the ball. I've also had students try and imagine that they are wearing a nacho hat and if they teapot the nachos go all over the floor.

(Even though he was able to hold up his nachos at the football game if he played squash he would definitely be a teapotter)

People drop their racquet to the ball and teapot because of 2 key factors. It is mainly because they don't have the proper mobility or strength. You need a sufficient amount of mobility in your entire lower body. You also need a sufficient amount of strength in your lower body and core. A lot of people have very tight hamstrings and are unable to even touch their toes. Most people cannot do a proper lunge, squat or a plank for a significant length of time. You can probably tell what exercises I'll be recommending today. That's right you don't even need and in fact you should not be using any weights when you're starting off doing these types of exercises. If you can set aside 20-30 minutes per day to do some prolonged stretching and body weight strength exercises you'll be a better player when you get back on the court.

How much stretching and how much strength work should you be doing. You should stretch everyday for 10-20 minutes (or try some yoga) and eventually you will start to feel better and notice improvements in your mobility. This week in Squash Shots I demonstrated some of my favourite mobility stretching exercises. Too much sitting and lying around is not good for us. Here's the episode if you'd like to see my favourite hamstring and hip stretches.

Squash Shots Episode 46: Mobility + Core Challenge

At the end of episode 46 I do a 5 minute plank with a variety of variations. All of our sitting is not good for our core and our back health and planks are an effective way to improve both. You could do a short plank and some stretches at least every second day. For the strength portion I would recommend every 3rd or 4th day depending on how much you do and what you're used to doing. Start slow and focus on the proper technique for squats and lunges. I also recommend 1 leg deadlifts. Here's a YouTube video I've found which demonstrates and explains the basics behind it and for the record you don't need the kettlebell or any weight when you're just learning this exercise. it's excellent for improving your balance as well as strengthening your glutes and hamstrings. 

Demonstrating the 2 legged deadlift

Next week for Squash Shots I'm going to be looking at 35 of my favourite kettlebell exercise. If you happen to have a kettlebell lying around at home you can get in some amazing workouts with very little space and no other equipment. For now start off with some lunges, squats, 1 leg deadlifts, planks and of course don't forget your stretching. This may not be the most enjoyable part of squash, but if you want to play competitively consider these essential things that must be done on a consistent basis.

Right now most of us have a lot of free time and are spending it playing online poker, video games or watching hours upon hours of Netflix. Try and make sure you come out of this healthier and fitter by setting aside as little as 20 minutes per day for some mobility work and a few strength exercises.

I hope all of you are staying safe and are healthy. I have 1 more week in quarantine at my brothers place. In Canada for that that were overseas you have to spend 2 weeks in quarantine so I'm half way there. I've been doing lots of stretching, rolling and exercising with a few kettlebells my brother has lying around. We also did a 1 minute pushup challenge the other day and got 39 and 41. Not too bad for a couple of middle aged guys.

That's all for this week. Please do not underestimate how vital this topic is. You don't need to turn into a gym rat, but you do need to take care of your body if you want to play your best squash and continue playing and moving well for the decades to come.

Where else can you find Serious Squash?
Squash Shots is a weekly exclusive coaching video which I release every Monday. Next week is episode 47. You can subscribe for as little as $3/month at Patreon.com/SeriousSquash

Serious Squash is also on YouTube at Youtube.com/SeriousSquash and at Facebook.com/SeriousSquash and on Instagram @SeriousSquash

Lastly there is an online store where you can purchase instructional films, video analysis and the Serious Squash custom racquet. Check it out SeriousSquashShop.com