If You're A Heavy Sweater

By heavy sweater I don't mean clothing, I'm referring to your perspiration rate! Anyways, I was a pretty heavy sweater and because of this I'm going to share a few of the tips that has helped me over the years.

Obviously the first thing to focus on if you perspire a lot if being properly hydrated well before starting your match. This is something you learn how to do better with practice. This was tough as a kid as I would get stitches pretty easily if I drank too much liquid prior to a match. One time during a 5 setter in university I was so dehydrated that I couldn't stand up straight because of the cramping in my stomach. Somehow I won the 4th game by shooting without being able to move, but fell short in the 5th in an extremely painful occurrence. It was frustrating because it was a match I would have and should have won if it were not for this pretty intense case of dehydration.

Using electrolyte tabs and sports drinks can also be useful when you are sweating heavily. Although I don't quite understand why kids finish a bottle of gatorade before even stepping on court.

Another key for me was having 3 or more racquets with relatively new grips on them. Even with top of the line grips in good shape on my racquets they would get soaked as the match went on which affected my control. For this reason I would switch racquets after every game. This means you also want to have the same strings, type and thickness of grip and model of racquet to change to.

I would often wear a wristband on my racquet arm to help keep sweat from rolling down my arm and also to wipe sweat off of my face. For a couple of years I had longer hair and this caused me to sweat a little more and my goggles would fog up and get lots of sweat on them. For this reason I started wearing headbands or bandanas to help keep my eye guards clear. It's very tough to play well when your goggles are fogged up and have sweat droplets on them. Another key here is to make sure your shirt is cotton. If I wore a dry-fit shirt it would just smear the sweat on my eye guards. A cotton shirt with a bit of a dry spot is much better at cleaning off your goggles.

Switching shirts between some games was also something I did regularly. I never wanted to go back on court after a game with a shirt that was totally soaked.  A wet shirt is heavier and won't be any use cleaning my eye guards. I've even heard of people having a spare pair of shoes and socks because their feet sweat so profusely.

I also got into the habit of wiping my racquet hand on the sidewall or backless between every point. I tried every trick in the book to help keep my hands and gris dry and it was often still challenging. With all of these tips above I was able to minimize the impact of a slippery grip and bury goggles. It can make a big impact on the game if you can't hold your racquet properly or see clearly so remember hydration is not the only concern for us heavy sweaters.

Preparation is not just about the physical, technical, tactical and mental training, it's also about learning how to avoid and deal with issues such as hydration and excess sweating. Keeping some extra clothing and electrolyte pills can make a big difference along with spare racquets and new grips. Don't put in all of this hard work only to let something like a sweaty grip or eye guards derail you from your best performance.

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No Complaining, No Excuses, Just Play

Today I'm going to discuss something that sounds so simple, but as we look into it is isn't. Today I'm going to talk about not making up any excuses, ever. This isn't only done by kids, I hear a lot of people make excuses. It's as if they are sparing their ego from the outcome. It wasn't their fault they lost or may lose. And it wouldn't be the opponent that played better and won, no that couldn't be it. It's human nature to internalize winning and externalize losing.

I have to start off by saying that I am not a saint either. Especially when I was a kid, I would always make an excuse for a loss, real or imagined isn't the point here. Often our excuses are based on some relatively valid point. Maybe we didn't get enough sleep, or we had a hard draw, whatever it is, yes that may be the case. But I don't like hearing people say or think these things. This gives them an out a reason to accept defeat if things start going wrong. Not only that, but your focus is self-destructive and negative. Instead of preparing for you match and on your squash game you are spiralling further from where you need to be psychologically when you step out on court. If you start the match thinking how there is a conspiracy against you, you're in trouble.

Squash is an individual sport. This is normally what people love about it. What happens is directly influenced by how you play. When you play well you don't overthink things and you're generally positive. When you have a self-destructive thought in your head you don't have any hope of playing your best squash.

Some people don't even realize they are making excuses or complain, it's so ingrained. Here is a list of many of the complaints I've heard before even stepping on court.
- I'm so tired
- I don't feel well
-  ______ hurts
- I have a terrible draw
- I didn't have enough time to recover between matches
- this is too late
- I don't like these courts/ they don't suit my game
- I'm not fit enough
- I don't like this shirt
- I don't like wearing my eye guards
- This person is in the wrong division/ this person is too good for me
- This is too early/late to play squash
- This is too many matches in 1 day
- That person has been training really hard and playing well
- My opponent just beat this person, I can't beat them
- I have a test tomorrow/I have so much homework

Here's some I've heard between games
- I'm tired
- I don't feel well
- They hit so many lucky shots
- That's the worse I've ever played
- The ref is blind
- My opponent is blocking/I keep bumping into them
- My opponent isn't calling their shots down/out

After the match is over I've head
- I didn't play well
- They were lucky
- I didn't feel good tonight
- The reffing was brutal
- The courts were terrible
- I never play well against this person
- The floors were slippery
- The ball was bouncing weird
- Something was wrong with the ball
- I really don't like playing that person

You get the point. And regardless of what is true, suck it up and play on. If you can just accept that different challenging situations and look at them just as that, you will handle them better. Getting flustered and angry doesn't help. You still have to go out there and play the match. Go and compete. That is all that you can control. You go and give it your best and see what happens. Maybe you'll surprise yourself and handle a tough situation really well. The more positive you can interpret these the better you will do and the less they will rattle you.

Some of the things I listed above can be solved by preparing properly. Warming up, having back up racquets, new grips and the rest of your equipment is all stuff you can control. The stuff outside of your control, like being a little banged up, your draw, who you play, the ball, the facility and the ref are no under your control. Many of these also are the same for both players. Maybe the court isn't great, maybe its too cold or warm, or the ball is skidding; but this is the same for both of you. Normally whoever can accept this and focus on adjusting to the conditions will play better and win the match. Focusing on things outside of your control is a waste of time. So take notice when these thoughts do come up. Slap yourself out of it and have a positive attitude.

If you do end up losing. Congratulate your opponent, thank the ref and let any companies go. They only make things worse for you. Many people have difficulty accepting defeat. If you can't think of something nice to say, don't say anything.

Life is filled with things that are unpredictable, that we can't control. The same goes for squash. When you learn to accept this you'll be better off for it. Even if it's an extreme situation and your opponent serves out at match point and the ref doesn't call it. Just put your finger up and play the rally out. Many people in this situation just stop altogether and lose the point. Of if they do play the rally they are distracted and keep looking back at the ref. I know this is a tough spot as the ref and your opponent are responsible for calling this shot out, but it's outside of your control. How you handle the most difficult of situations like this one reveal the type of character you have and the person you are. I know this is incredibly tough to do in the heat of the moment, but it like everything else is a learned behaviour and skill. Learn to let these things go and you'll be happier, play better and focus on simply playing your best squash possible.

When you win,  be humble and gracious. We like to internalize victories, which is fine if you do the same for defeats. Sometimes it helps to have someone blunt in your corner so they can tell thing like they are.

The goal is to become the best you can be and become more consistent at your weekly matches and in tournaments. If you can stay eivenkeeled before, during and after your matches, win or lose, you are well on your way. If you learn to just play and never look to complain about a situation, it's just one step up you have on all of your opponents. It's also one less thing to distract you from your match. This is what it takes to become a top pro. Pros have to deal with so many variables at every event. If they give an inch mentally it will likely be the difference between winning and going home.

Enjoy the competition and the challenge of your matches. No Complaining, No Excuses, Just Play!

Focus On The Positive

Today I'm finally getting around to focusing on the positive. I think this is one of the areas that all of us can improve. This holds true for athletes, parents and coaches. All of us would benefit from being more positive and optimistic. As an athlete we normally vividly remember the bad mistake that we can't believe we made or the poor loss lingers on. I feel that most of us are too fixated on the areas we need to improve or a bad loss compared to the good things. If we focused more on our strengths and good performances we would be more confident, play better and enjoy competing more. We wouldn't worry about repeating a mistake or having a bad loss. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? Let's find out how we can change our thought patterns and become more positive.

For The Athlete
Positive Self-Talk: it starts with yourself. It doesn't matter what anybody else says or does if you are too hard on yourself. I like to ask people to pretend they are a coach. What would you say if you were coaching yourself? If you can take a step back and listen to the critical things you're saying about yourself no wonder you're not playing better. It's difficult to step back and not judge yourself while you're competing. If you make a mistake don't beat yourself up over it. You need to look at the positive about how well you set up the rally and that next time you will make that shot. This is a challenging perspective to have when you play, but it will positively influence your future performance by having this type of outlook and response. The more challenging of situation you are in the more important it is to stay positive. That's how I look at it. If things are looking bleak think like a champion and remain calm and confident. Always expect things are going to turn around and continue saying positive statements to yourself like 'I can do this,' or 'I will do this.' If I find myself losing confidence when I'm not on court I remember all of the hours I've dedicated to my craft. 'This is my destiny, I'm prepared, I'm ready for this, I can do this.'

Positive Body Language: watching juniors play you can normally tell how they are doing just by a quick glimpse at them. When things are going well we have our shoulders back, our head up and exude confidence. We are saying positive things in our head and we believe it because things are going well. However, when things aren't going well most of us slump our shoulders and you can tell by looking at our face we are not happy. In this mindset we are judging ourselves and living in the past. It is up to us to turn this around and become more positive. To turn things around I like to get up on my toes and bounce on them before the serve. Get your head up and shoulders back and repeat a positive statement to yourself. Take a deep breath and you are now refocused. The more challenging the situation the tougher this can be to do. This game is very mental and being confident and maintaining confident and positive body language will help you stay more upbeat. Some people feel they don't deserve to be positive and confident. They accept that they are not that good and that they actually enjoy this low self-esteem. This way they are prepared for failure and can handle it better mentally. This is not an effective method for becoming a top competitive squash player. What you think about yourself and choose to believe is up to you.

Focus On The Present: this is how we can get into the 'zone' and stay in it. That doesn't mean we can't interpret the past, we learn from it and move on and don't dwell or relish in it. If you spend your time thinking about the last point or game or about what may or may not happen you are not in the zone. We have a tendency here to remember the bad things that have happened and the potentially bad things that may happen in the future. If you can stay focused on the now you will play better squash.

Visualize: this is something many top players do before each match they play. The amount of time they spend varies from person to person, but the reasons for visualizing are similar. This is an effective method for getting into an ideal mindset for competing. Some people visualize a previous excellent performance while others visualize the upcoming match. They use their minds eye to see what they are about to do in the match and the more vivid the imagery the better. Imagery is a powerful tool and can help build your confidence. You can envision your strategy and building rallies and winning points. Visualize how fluidly you move around the court, how you are hitting perfect length and taking the ball in short with great precision. This isn't a skill that will always show benefits the first time you try it. Like any skill the more you do it the better you get at it and the more beneficial it will be to your performance. You don't need to be on the professional tour to begin using imagery.

Prepare: to be confident going into a match or a tournament we will feel more confident and positive if we have prepared properly. If we've done all that we can to prepare for a tournament there is nothing we should worry about. Even if we don't have the results we want, we did everything we could to get ready for it. This we can be proud of. If you want to feel more confident, train and prepare properly for your tournaments. If you were sick or coming off an injury you should still feel confident that you did all that you could to prepare. You may not be 100%, but you can give it your best shot and go in without any expectations. When we aren't playing our best or feeling our best how we think we are playing is not actually that far off from our normal performance. This means we are prone to poor body language, negative thoughts, and our focus drifts into the past or future. Don't use these as excuses. Stay positive and compete; that's within your control.

Have Fun: this sounds too simple to be true, but it is a common problem. When we don't enjoy playing squash it can feel like a chore and isn't fun anymore. When we feel relief to get a victory this is a sign that we didn't have fun. Can you really have fun playing in a big competition? I enjoy the feeling of being focused and the process of hitting good shots and retrieving their best shots. If you don't enjoy competing it's because you are focused on the wrong things. Squash is a game and odds are if you're reading this you aren't making a living based on a single result. We put pressure on ourselves to live up to our own or someone else expectations. This is debilitating and unnecessary. If you can stay more relaxed and enjoy the game you will play better and do better.

For The Coach/Parent
Encouragement: we all have a tendency to tell people what they can do better. That's why they pay us  coaches. I've learned how important and sometimes challenging it can be to give an athlete positive feedback. All I ever want from an athlete is that they go out and compete and give it their all. If they are overmatched on the court I can at least give them encouragement about their effort and try and be positive and encouraging. This is great experience for you. Keep fighting for every shot and point. Regardless of the situation it is essential to give positive feedback. I feel that I tell it like it is so if I give someone positive feedback they know that I mean it. Telling someone how poorly they executed something just makes it worse. They probably already know this and are focused on it.

Put A Positive Spin On Things: this is a skill that great coaches make look easy, but it is not always so. We don't want to say to an athlete don't do this or that. Instead we have to put a spin on it to make it more positive. For example, if someone is hitting too much tin you don't need to tell them to stop hitting it, they already know that! If they are going short at the right time you can reinforce that they have a great drop and when it's on to go for it. This is what they likely want and need to hear and will give them the best chance of turning things around and hitting higher quality drop shots. Athletes are often emotional after they lose a game or when they feel they are not playing well. Our job is to lift them up and get them back in a positive mindset. We can only do this by putting a positive spin on whatever we feedback we give. Even if our feedback has nothing to do with tactics or the game, we should try and get their mind in a better place for competition. Sometimes this means as a coach we need to avoid getting caught up in the emotion as well. We are invested in our athletes and can easily get swept up in the heat of the game. Sometimes talking about something other than the match can help the athlete refocus and lighten the mood.

Process Based Feedback: again we all have a tendency to praise someone for a win and saying tough luck when they lose. Even though the person may have played better squash in the loss.. to me this doesn't make sense. The outcome is only moderately under our control. Nobody can will all of the time. Give your feedback based on the process of the match. How did the individual conduct themselves in challenging situations? This is what I commend people for, win or lose. Of course I want people to be successful, but sometimes winning does not define success. This is important to remember for kids as they grow and develop. Otherwise they will learn to feel bad and unhappy when they lose a match and that can lead to avoiding competition or making up excuses so they feel better about themselves after they lose. How kids handle the outcome is a learned response. For the longevity and development of their sporting career it's important to focus on the process of the game as opposed to the outcome. I believe that even professional athletes would play better and in turn would be more successful if they could do this. If winning is the goal, how do you not focus on the outcome? Focus on how you are going to give yourself the best change to be successful, the process and you'll improve your chances of winning.

The last thing I want to discuss is the use of video. When we watch video of ourselves play we always want to pick up things we can improve and watch for errors in performance. I believe we should all have clips of our best rallies and make a montage of us at our best. We can watch this before matches or just a replay of one of our best performances. This will improve the vividness of your imagery and improve your self-confidence. It's up to you to believe in yourself. Find a routine that works for you and stick with it. This is why almost every professional athlete prepares the same for game. They eat, drink, warmup and visualize all the same. It isn't necessarily a superstition per say, it's about getting into the same mindset on a consistent basis to perform at their best. We are all capable of this. It just takes time to find what works best for you. Positive self-talk and body language are good places to start. Your brain can be your greatest ally or enemy, it's up to you!