Build Winning Habits

Just recently I ran a camp for some of the top kids in the province and we discussed routines and the importance of them in squash. I tried to emphasize the importance of prematch, post match and between rally routines. Similar to explaining the importance of warming up or stretching after a match, it's difficult to get across the value of such activities until they're required. When kids are starting out playing squash they simply play and a routine isn't really all that relevant. For those of us that have played a lot of squash we know how vital our routines are to our success.

Today we're going to take a look at why routines are important in different areas of your game and how you can use them to play more consistent squash and get the most out of each session. I believe that the mental game is the most important trait in becoming the best you can be. The moment you become satisfied with your level is when you become complacent. Using habits in a variety of ways is how the best athletes stay on track and perform at their best each and every day. Let's go through some of the ways that positive habits can help take your game to new heights.

Building Mental Muscle 
Building winning habits is both about about how you prepare for practice along with how you practice. When it's time to put in the maximum physical effort you do while equally crucial is your focus and attention to detail. I always think about the famous quote about how 'training starts when you want to stop.' This is how some people are better at pushing themselves further and closer to their actual physical threshold. I also like to use an analogy I read in a boo about walking on hot coals to explain this concept. At the beginning we jump off quickly because it's hot and painful, but with practice you're able to push further and further along the hot goals and withstand more pain. We not only need to be able to push ourselves along those hot coals further and further, but we also need to build a habit to do this. If we only push ourselves when we're having a good day and feeling up to it we will never build a true champion habit. I always look at how people do when things are going well. When you're tired, a bit sore or not playing your best do you still manage to give absolutely everything you have on the day? Very few of us actually are able to do this so if you want to start building a winning habit this is an excellent place to start and a great platform to build off of. You don't need talent to give your best effort every single time you practice or play.

Having a weekly or monthly plan is another method for building a winning habit. As humans we tend to gravitate towards routines and we adapt to them quickly. Although I'm not a big fan of a full year training plan (especially for kids) I believe that having that weekly routine is another critical way to steadily improve. If we just wait to see what the day brings or how we feel we will likely have days where we are less motivated to go out and train. I think a week or monthly routine keeps you in check, accountable and gives your body time to adapt to whatever it is you're doing. I suggest slightly altering the routine week after week and consider it a working/live document. This is a tough balance to have with the above paragraph where we want to have a hardhat and be mentally tough and alway give it our best. But when we're overtraining or a bit injured or stressed we need to listen to our bodies and know when to ease up a bit. This is something your coach or trainer can assist you with, but is really something you have the best perspective of. As a coach many of us would aide on the side of caution because of liability and worrying about the safety of our athletes so you can see if we are too soft here we will never toughen up and we'll always be looking to cut corners.

Prematch Routines
Do you have a prematch routine? Many people simply show up and get their shoes on and step on court and begin hitting the ball. Clearly if we want to play well from the start of our match this isn't a very successful method. If you ever get a chance to watch a professional athlete prepare for a training session or competition you will see that most have a very specific structure that they follow. This is something they have developed over a number of years and is what they have found works best to allow them to prepare for what is to follow both physically and mentally. To be a high level consistent performer the prematch routine is essential. We all feel different on a day to day basis and it's by going through our prematch or pre-training routines that help us get to a more similar starting point. Any athlete knows that being in the zone is the key to optimal performance and getting into this zone is completely psychological. Although any level of athlete can experience the zone, the consistency of getting into this is what top athletes have learned how to do repeatedly. Being able to play in the zone requires that our self talk is positive and simple. Negative self talk and over analysis are definitely 2 effective methods for playing poor squash.

Most people tend to think of a prematch routine simply to warm up the body and avoid injuries, which is indeed part of it, but it is also much much more. As already discussed the variations in performance from 1 day to the next is much more mental than any sudden drop in technical skill. If we're missing shots we normally make it's more than likely the mental side as to why we are making these mistakes and we either stop going for these shots or get tentative with them (which again are both mental issues). Meanwhile someone in the zone still makes mistakes they simply don't let these mistakes register and interfere with the flow of their game and thought process.

Between Rally Routines
What about routines during a match? Routines between rallies are also equally important to staying or getting into the zone. We are constantly analyzing our performance and there are swings in momentum for and against us we have to deal with. When things are going well we don't need to think much so we tend to have a shorter routine here. If things are going well we are generally trying to just keep doing what we're doing and avoid thinking too much and judging what we are doing. This is the whole self 1 and self 2 thing discussed in classic book, The Inner Game Of Tennis. If we lose our focus because  either we have won a number of points too easily or we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel we learn how to catch these lapses before they cause any real danger. This is all done with between rally routines which allow us to focus on right now (versus the past or future).

If things aren't going well in your match the between rally refocusing routine can help you get back on track. You can use this to slow down the onslaught and break up the momentum. Again because momentum is so psychological what we do and what we think during these between rally routines is so vital to their effectiveness. Sometimes it's about getting back to our game plan or letting mistakes go before playing the next point. What I like to do between rallies is use a cue (wiping my hand on the sidewall). Prior to this cue I allow myself to digest the previous rally and think about what I've learned from it. Once I've wiped my hand on the sidewall I've moved my focus back to the now and whatever happened from the previous rally is now out of my mind, digested and my focus is shifted back into this moment. After all, all we can control is what we are doing right now so don't over analyze what's happened up until now. If you find your focus is on the past or future try using a focused breath to recenter yourself. I always see pitchers doing this in their pre-pitch routines. Not only does a focused breath bring our attention into this moment, but the oxygen is also our fuel and this helps release some tension we may be holding onto. If you have read any sport psychology books you'll know that they all discuss the importance of conscious breathing.

Post Match Routines
Let's discuss post-match routines. If we lose maybe people like to dismiss any routine because they are too upset and don't care. We know that we can recover faster and improve our flexibility if we stretch after our matches, yet still some don't. I believe it's even more vital to stick to your post match routine after a loss so you have time to reflect and again don't carry that loss personally into the rest of your life. You may feel depressed after a tough loss and be upset, which is quite normal. I believe an effective post match routine gives you that time (say 30 minutes) to reflect on what you learned from the experience. After your routine is complete you have to let it all go.

Every single squash player ever has lost and will lose or else they aren't actually competing. This is why we love squash. We want to challenge ourselves and become the best we can be and this requires playing people that will be able to beat us. Losing to any caliber of player is simply a time to learn from it and make changes in your own game. Just don't take this loss to hard or personally. If you can let go of your ego and the fear of failure you'll have your best chance of playing to your potential. This is where I feel Fares Dessouky is struggling. He's no doubt the most technically and physically skilled player on the tour, but mentally is quite fragile. This is a shame because you want to root for him because he is so amazing with what he can do on court you just wish he would let his playing do the speaking for him. If he doesn't learn how to use his mind as an asset he will never reach his true potential which would be a real shame for all of us including Dessouky. Perhaps he is just preparing to be the villain and has something to prove to all of us. I'm guessing he grew up in an environment which fostered this trait, but this is also something that has to come from him and nobody else. This is the result oriented world we live in, but he has yet to figure out that playing his best squash is only possible when he stops trying to control the outcome and just focuses on the process of playing his best possible squash each and every rally. I really can't stand all of the discussions, blocking and reactions to the decisions.

Sport psychology is such an interesting topic to me and although all the top athletes in the world can vouch for the importance of their mental skills it's still an area under appreciated and under coached. It's tough to understand that you'll win more by not focusing on winning, but the process. You'll play better squash and enjoy it more if you can find your zone and play up to your potential. Take a serious look at your game and see how it measures up to what you would like it to be. It takes time to get to where you will want and need it to be so don't be too hard on yourself if you're not perfect. Try and use routines to improve how you self-regulate and respond to different situations. Also try setting up a weekly or monthly training routine and give your absolute best during each part of each session. I believe the championship attitude and behaviour has to come prior to becoming a champion. Focus on the process, on staying focused, on refocusing when you lose your way and you'll get into the zone more frequently and become more consistent with you performance. Don't wait to become a champion before you act like one. We may not know if the chicken came before the egg, but it's pretty clear that the winning habits must be in place before you can become a champion on the court.

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Staying Positive After Errors

Today I'm going to back up what I discussed yesterday. My last post was about believing in yourself. I had a section in this post about how this is even more important for an attacking player as this style of squash is prone to having a few more unforced errors to go along with it. I notice that unless people have to play an attacking style of squash, for example if they are unfit, injured or elderly, most people don't. This has a lot to do with how we respond and interpret to risky or low percentage shots and unforced errors; we're just limiting ourselves because of a few short term blunders. Today I'm going to discuss how to stay positive and what I think after I make a mistake. Regardless if you are an attacking player or not being able to stay confident after making a mistake is an important trait for playing consistent squash.

At most levels of squash whoever hits less mistakes generally wins. But at least for me this isn't an enjoyable way to play squash. I know I always praise Ramy, but this is what makes hims so special. Not only does Ramy attack better than those that can't or don't want to run, but he has proven that you can play this style successfully at the highest level. For Ramy or anyone else that wants to play a successful attacking brand of squash they need to know how to quickly forget mistakes, accept them, stay positive, keep firing and stay confident. Ramy would't have become who he is today if he got cautious and defensive after making a couple of mistakes.

I enjoy playing an attacking style of squash and came up with my own system for responding to my mistakes. This is how it goes. If I hit a forced error I say or think 'good shot.' Sometimes there is nothing you can do about it. This doesn't bother me at all. Sometimes I know my shot previously had to be better, that's all. It gets trickier when you hit an unforced error. When I do I think, 'was this the right shot?' If my answer is 'yes,' I tell myself good. I may reinforce how I constructed the rally correctly, to stay attacking, aggressive and to keep going for it. Basically I can let this type of unforced error slide and I am able to stay positive when I make this type of mistake. This reminds me of a baseball scenario. When a fielder makes an error on a play, some don't want the ball hit to them again. But the good ones do, they have confidence that they can make that same play next time. They stay positive, shrug off the mistake and believe they can do it next time. This is the same when I miss a shot that was on.

If I hit an unforced error and I forced it a little and it wasn't on, this is when the learning takes place. Any attacking player has a fine line between attacking too much and being a tad reluctant. There are so many shots played within a rally, game and match that we are bound to make a few poor decisions. When I force the ball a bit and make an unforced error I'm not too hard on myself, because to become a top good attacking player you have to err on the side of being a little too aggressive versus being a little too passive. At least this is my perspective. I've played in matches where I made a few errors and stopped going short. Then I get away from the style I enjoy playing and over the long term would be more successful. So even though I force a shot and make a mistake, I'll just tell myself it wasn't on and I'll ideally this means I won't try that same shot again. Of course when someone hits a very risky shot but it works out for them, they should count their blessings and be thankful that they got away with it.

I've found that reflecting on my errors in a systematic formation helps me refocus faster. As I began doing this more frequently I would be able to shrug off an error almost instantly and stay confident and positive. I've also found that this helps me focus on the process as opposed to the outcome. I'm trying to play the way I want to play. I won't sacrifice this at possibly the expense of losing a rally, game or match. I didn't always think this way though. I wish I had as I think this is a great method for continually improving your tactics and your shot selection. If you do this you will find there are less times where you show indecision and frustration after making an error. Learn from it, stay positive and move on.

This philosophy sounds simple and easy, but at times it can be quite challenging. We all have a day where we are not quite squaring up the ball or make a few poor decisions in a row or hit a couple of bad unforced errors one after another. This is when it is a true test of your confidence. Normally this is a lack of confidence but it also happens randomly simply because of chance and statistics. If you realize it's a lack of focus you need to have a good between rally routine to get you regrouped. It's like hitting a reset button. What has happened in the past doesn't matter. Move on and start from right now. If you want to become more consistent learn how to refocus. Everyone loses their focus from time to time, but experienced players will catch this and will be able to get their mind back on track quicker than most amateurs.

So how does this approach apply to you if you're not an attacking player. The main thing is to just make good decisions. If you make a mistake but it was the right decisions, don't get upset about it. Everyone misses shots. Getting angry about it only makes it worse and can negatively impact the next time you're in a similar position. This is when you get indecision, some funky swings and some tightly held grips. You have to committed and confident before you play a short ball. When we concentrate on such short term products and let them bother us, such as a 1 or 2 tins we are limiting our potential to grow.

Also worthy to note here is your margin for error on your attacking shots above the tin. Some people give so much margin and don't technically make any unforced errors, but if you leave a lollipop at the front for your opponent you are asking for trouble. Though my coaching courses I was always told that drop shots are 'pressure shots' not 'winners.' Sometimes a pressure shot may result in a winner, but the main goal is to work your opponent, get your drop tight and maybe you can force a stroke a a loose crosscourt and cut it off. But when I watch Ramy play I see that he tries to hit winners. He has a small margin of error but is always very close to his target. He has such good touch and feel that his racquet is an extension of his arm. If your technique is good and your timing is spot on you can have a smaller margin. If you're a mid amateur player and your technically not very strong on your drop shot you will probably avoid it or play them with a large margin for error. If you're making to many unforced errors is your margin too small for your ability and the pressure you're under? This is an important point when interpreting your unforced errors. If you make 3+ unforced errors per game on the same shot it needs some extra practice.

How do you play the big points in a match? Do you play more defensive? Stay aggressive? Do you simply give more margin of error when you go short? Most people play a bit more conservative which is fine. I like to continue playing my game. Again though, this is where you may need to do a nerve check. If you can stay relaxed in this moment you'll be fine. If you're in the zone just keep doing what you're doing. But if you are a bit nervous and you can feel some tension in your body, namely your arm, you should probably be more cautious. This is why it was awesome to see Ramy in extra points in the 5th game of the World Championships. Ramy was down a match point and hit some amazing shots. You could tell he was still relaxed somehow. He was able to stay positive and not think what most of us would be, 'I can't believe I just blew 5 match balls and now I may lose this.' And then when Ramy got another chance to close it out he hit a great backhand volley drop that was too good for Shorbagy. Being so relaxed on the biggest stage in a pressure situation was cool to watch. Ramy showed us once again (through vicarious learning) that staying calm, relaxed, aggressive and focused during the biggest points on the biggest stage is possible.

For Ramy to play best he needs to keep his mind out of the way. We all play better when we play instinctively. When we are playing our best it is our mind that is at peace; when this is happening we are in what has been phrased the zone. When an athlete is in the zone time appears to slow down. We see the squash ball earlier, it looks bigger and we make good decisions and consistently square up the ball. Why can't we always play in this mental zone? We can't force our mind into this state and often it is our overthinking and judgement that gets in the way. We all judge and are very critical about our performance as we're playing. We also think too often about what has just happened and what may next. Shut up brain! This is destructive to your next point and will not allow you to be in the optimal mindset for playing your best squash, in the present and in the zone.

As I mentioned above, I thought it was amazing that Ramy could stay in the zone in such a pressure situation. How can he play like he doesn't know what's at stake if he clips the tin one more time? If he started thinking about this it would show on his body language. It rarely happens to Ramy though. I do think he looked a little shaky out of the gate though. At the start of the match is one area where I think it's important to settle your nerves before you start firing it in short. Ramy is notorious for being a slow starter. Even if we're focused at the start of our match, we can't be in the zone until we begin playing. If you're mind is wandering about and you feel some tension in your body you should flush this out of your system first.

This is why a prematch and between point routine is so effective at getting our mind into a consistent state to perform at our best. Take a deep breath between points and try and slow things down. I find most people rush when they are nervous or edgy. If you can try and slow things down and keep it simple at the start of the match you can slowly find your range and eventually your attacking shots. As I've heard before, the most important drop you play is the first one. Hit a poor one and you start thinking about it and doubting yourself; hit a good one and you fuel your confidence.

There is less margin for error attacking short and if you haven't found your range at the start of the match you are at risk of handing your opponent some free points. Even worse is that you allow them to relax and settle down while your anxiety increases with your poor start. As I discussed above, the same thing goes for playing the big points. If you feel a little uneasy play more conservative. So yes, this is how I would coach Ramy to improve his first game performances. But he is human after all! I would also advise him to do some imagery before his matches to try and get him not just focused but as close to being in his zone as possible from the first point of the match.

How do you react to your mistakes? How long does it take you to forget and move on after making an unforced error? What if you hit 2 or 3 in a row? Remember that squash is a game. Squash has a major psychological component to it. Is how you're handling errors helping or hindering your performance? Improve this area of your game and focus on the process and you'll make better decisions and play more consistent squash.