Flow - 10 Ways To Help You Get Into The Zone

Last night at practice we talked about the state of flow, also referred to as being in the zone. In this state is where we will play our best squash where our shots seem to be spot on and we seem to thoughtlessly make smart decisions. But sometimes no matter what we do we just don't find our best squash and this zone where we play our best squash in. I notice that a lot of players play below their standard when they perceive themselves to be in a big and meaningful match. Even at the pro level many of the top players preform below their standard level of play when it finally counts. I believe the cause of this is players getting out of their ideal state of play often because they try too hard and so badly want to perform well. So how exactly can you increase your chances of finding this flow state regardless of who and where you're playing? Here are some of the ideas we talked about last night plus a few others.

Prematch Routine - often when we walk on court we already have a mindset which will foster or inhibit the odds of playing within this zone. If we are having destructive poisonous thoughts like 'this person is too good' or 'this will be easy' or if we are simply not feeling like playing a tough match we are inbox trouble. Having a routine to prepare yourself mentally before you even step out on court can prepare your mind as much as your body for playing it's best possible game of squash. Our physical skills don't deteriorate from day to day, it's our mindset, our emotions, our motivation and our energy levels which fluctuate.

Between Rally Routines - what we do and say to ourselves to get back on track to help regulate our thoughts and emotions between rallies is so important. Often we will have thoughts about what we could have done better or how upset we are for a call or missing a shot. We can easily get caught in the past and play a poor next point. If we're doing this we will not be playing in the present or the zone. Saying something positive and simple like 'focus' or 'win this point' can help you play the next point at your highest standard.

Simple Tactics - either before a match, between rallies or between games we may need a reminder of a simple tactic that enables us to play our best, most effective style of squash. If we are playing 'mindless squash' and not how we want, a little reminder can go a long ways to bringing you back into your best squash which can also enable you to get into a state of flow. For some reason it's easier to get into a state of flow when we are winning more points than we are losing.

Play More Of The Shots That Are Working That Day (tactics part 2): I don't know why we constantly like to point out what we or others are doing wrong, but that doesn't normally help people play in the zone. Your opponent, the court, ball and various other conditions vary from day to day and some days certain shots are going to work better than others. On those special days everything is working and that's when squash is the most fun. But if something is off, instead of getting upset and continually making the same mistake perhaps abandoning that shot for awhile and playing more of the shots that are on that day will help you find this zone. Once you establish this zone there is a better chance that some of your other shots will begin to fall into place.

Our notes from discussing the zone at the start of practice

Focus on the Process - this is something I am a big believer of. There is theoretically no reason you cannot experience the zone if you are losing. That being said most people get so caught up in winning that they lose the zone as soon as they lose a few points in a row. This is where a routine between rallies, maybe a longer more pronounced one can help get you mentally back on track, or simply stay on track. You may be doing everything right, but this doesn't always mean instant short term gratification. When I'm playing I only give feedback to myself on shot selection and not execution because if I lose playing the right shots I simply need to improve my shots, but if I am losing playing the wrong shots I'm holding myself back. The acronym I refer to with the kids I coach is KISS, keep it simple stupid. 

Self Regulation - part of routines are being able to recognize when you're outside of your zone. Thinking of your zone as a range can be helpful. I also like to think of this as a plant. When destructive, poisonous thoughts enter our minds it is easiest to get rid of them when they are new, before they have rooted. Once we have focused on these for a longer period of time they will have take root and become too big to simply remove with a cue word/power phrase. 

The Bigger The Challenge the Greater The Opportunity - when are backs are up against the wall we often reveal our true character. When we are winning and everything is going according to plan it's easy to be a good sport and play well. When things aren't going our way we can either cave and not give our best effort or we can look at this as a chance to show what we are made of; a great challenge that we are up for. With this type of mindset we can still play the next point focused and with great effort regardless of what's happened previously. 

Superstitions - this is an odd one, but I really believe that superstitions can be helpful in sport. At the World Juniors this summer we had a boy on our team who would change his preserve routine every time he lost a ray, but if he won the point he would stick with it. Sometimes something so simple can help keep the mind out of the way from over thinking.

Pretend to Play Like A Top Player -  whenever I step out on court after watching one of my favourite pro players I always play better. Someone without knowing exactly what I'm mimicking, I normally play better, with more confidence when I pretend to hit the ball, move and play like a top player. I think a lot of this has to do with the confidence top players display with the way they play and strike the ball. If you play pretending to be Paul Coll it's amazing how much harder you try to get every single ball back! When I play and pretend to be like Greg Gaultier I start playing much more patient and my spacing between the ball always improves. 

Match Preparation/Confidence - If you are playing a tournament and you didn't train properly for it you're going to suffer physically at some point and this in of itself can keep you from being in the zone. If we go into an event prepared and feeling good about our game there is a far greater chance of playing our best squash and experiencing this state of flow. 

Do you have any other ways that have helped you enter the zone when you weren't at first feeling it? I love this side of squash. It's really fascinating to me and when I play it isn't always the same thing that gets me into the zone. Sometimes it's about shaking off mistakes quickly, other times it's about playing a simple game, while others it's about just playing whatever shots feel right and another time it may be singing a tune in my head. There A routine can definitely assist you with this process as this is what most pro players have developed over the years. Many will include some imagery in their prematch routine to see themselves playing well and being successful prior to event stepping on court. 

Most of us will also play better squash when we are having fun as opposed to being too serious or hard on ourselves. Learning how to laugh off mistakes and not take the so personally can help you be more relaxed and enjoy your squash which can assist with the state of flow. Get your mind and ego out of the way and just play!

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Improve Your Focus, Improve Your Practice, Improve Your Game

Today I'm going to talk about the importance of focus and concentration while you practice. Being focused is generally about being present on the task at hand, in the current moment as opposed to thinking about the past or future. We all know how critical focus is during competition, but it's during practice where we influence the quality of our practices depending on the state of our mind. Two players could be doing the exact same practice routines with the same opponent, but one player could improve more from an identical session. Today I will give you some tips on how to enter this deeper focus level in practice more consistently so you make the most of every minute and every shot.

I've worked with a lot of kids and finding ways to get them all to be engaged for as much of practice as possible can prove to be challenging. As we get older and improve our ability to maintain our focus and also learn how to get into the zone quickly this becomes less of an issue. For some kids this can be quite a challenge. I find that this happens most when the kids are doing something quite simple or too difficult.

We need to be challenged to improve, but for a kid or someone new to the sport this can be a delicate balance. If we ask too much of someone or put them on court with someone much stronger or weaker there can easily be a loss of focus and effort is diminished.

On the other side of this issue is when the task is simple; let's say drop, drop or boast and drive. Many people even at a high level will just go through the motions and do the drill and are prone to lapses of focus. When someone is given a simple repetitive drill I find that the most coaching is usually required to reap the benefits of it. I will normally work on technique or use a goal and time them or give them a certain number of attempts to keep their concentration high. Again when you do this the number or reps allowed cannot be too high or the time too long or the player is prone to a lapse of focus; this is especially true f they get off to a slow start and know that they can't reach their goal.

It takes a lot of time to learn how to get certain players going and keep their practice quality high. I've designed many great practices designed specifically for what people need to work on, but if the kids aren't in the right mindset it ends up wasting everyone's time. When this happens it can be extremely frustrating as a coach, but I've learned that once in awhile you have to give the kids some leeway; they are just kids after all and don't always want to work on technique or something they struggle with. So being able to scrap a practice and do something fun is sometimes the best option. Even when I was playing competitively I would have the odd off day where you're just in a bad mood or not feeling it. When I had an off day I learned that I needed to do something different. Mixing it up might mean going to the gym, doing court sprints, playing 3 corner court, or even playing a nick game.

One method for making the most of each and every practice is by having a goal for each and every practice or for the week. Make a plan on what you want to do and work on before you even get to the squash club. You should even decide which drills or condition games you want to play before you get to the club. You should also keep your season and dream goals nearby in case you need that pick me up when you're a bit fatigued or a bit low on motivation. Keeping a journal or having some positive statements to remind yourself anytime you catch your focus drifting could be a big boost. You could also think back to that last match you lost in 5 or about those high ambitions you have for an upcoming tournament. Learning how to stay hungry will help with your work ethic and will keep you more focused during practice day in, day out.

Learning how to maintain focus at practice is an essential skill for excelling at squash. Not everyone enjoys just hitting straight drives or doing figure 8's; I always enjoyed this, but I have to realize that not everyone does. Being able to get into the zone for practice is for me the most important trait of an effective, high quality session. I feel that many kids now have difficulty focusing while training because they are always on their cellphones, watching television, surfing the web and often doing all 3 at once! Some off the court training methods for improving focus include yoga, floating or meditation. There is also a test I've seen where there are random numbers scattered throughout the page and you have to find out how many of a certain number are on the page. Puzzles like this one, crosswords or sudoku can all be beneficial for improving sustaining your concentration for a prolonged period of time.

There is also a maximum length of time that someone can stay focused for. Just like there is a set amount of physical work we can do at one time the same implies for our concentration. We all lose focus here or there and learning how to refocus is extremely critical, but if you're practicing mindlessly for any sustained period of time don't fight it, just take a break and grab a drink or snack or maybe it's time to change up the drill.

I always tell my athletes that the warmup is as much or more for your mental preparation as it is for your physical preparation. Most people skip warmups when they are practicing because they know they can ease their way into it. If you are taking a long time to find our zone in practice I recommend doing a warmup before your practice sessions. This is also why I like scoring in practice to keep it competitive and keep an edge to it.

If you find yourself losing focus, simply design a refocusing routine to get back on track. I prefer wiping my hand on the side wall and taking a deep mindful breath. If you focus on your breath you are automatically brought back to the present moment and I find it an effective method for getting my mind back on the right track. Find what works for you and be sure to use it, especially in your practices.

If you want to improve faster and make the most out of your practice sessions, learning how to become and stay focused is an essential skill. We all have heard about deliberate practice, so many of us are simply counting our hours until we get to 10,000 yet there are some people that improve faster with equal or less practice time. Practicing more if unfocused in my opinion will make you worse because you get mentally sloppy and lazy and this will influence your ability to stay focused in future practice and competitions.

Squash can be an incredibly physically and mentally draining game. Knowing when to take a day or week off, or even just when to mix up your training can ensure you are challenged and ultimately focused. Also understanding that practice doesn't have to always be maximum physical effort for you to benefit from it. Solo hitting is one of my favourite methods of training and I also find the most effective for improving.

If you want to improve faster, train smarter and learn how to stay completely engaged for the duration of your practices. If you have to practice less, alter practices, add goals, or just play some fun games you will enjoy practice more and in the end get more out of it. If you still struggle with focus try yoga, floating, meditation, or some puzzles to learn how to quiet your mind and improve your concentration. If you made it through this entire post in one read I'm betting that your focus is already pretty good. Maybe I should write a condensed post for those that need it most!

Being able to maintain your focus in practice is a great start, but knowing what to focus on is where your coach can really help you with your game. Just having any focus will improve your concentration. A good bet is you could improve your racquet preparation or spacing so try thinking about either of those the next time you're doing drills and I bet you're focus will improve and you will be practicing smarter! Don't just whack the ball to an area, us a goal, target or focus on your technique to get the most out of your time on court. Improve your focus, improve your practice, improve your game.

Don't Think, Do!

The title today may be a bit misleading. 'Don't think, do' can imply the subconscious mindset you need to play your best squash. This is the zone that we all want to play squash in. You don't want to overthink things and think about technique while you're playing a match. But today I'm going to talk about how after playing squash for a number of years you don't want to think about you think about technique at all. Most people never get to a stage where their technique is efficient enough that they don't need any technical work.

Practice after practice, for many years I always thought about how I was hitting the ball. Especially in  drills or when I was solo hitting I always worked on my swing. Even when I had playing at a men's open level for a number of years I was still working on my technique. I would film myself and tinker with it continuously. A few years ago after talking with another coach he told me that after how many balls I've hit and how long I've play that I shouldn't be thinking about my technique at all. I don't know if that was what I was waiting to hear, but since I was told that I really haven't thought about my technique at all. Sure, if I wanted to learn a new shot I would need to learn how to play it and this would involve some technical attention, but besides this I just hit the ball. This may not have seen like a bit thing, but this short discussion really changed my mindset for when I play.

Now when I play squash I focus more on feel. I also focus more on if the shot was on or not. I like to play pretty aggressive so if I tend to force a few shots now and again. But it really does free your mind not thinking about your swing. If I do a drill it's more just timing and refining a shot to become more and more consistent.

So how do you know if you get to this stage of development? Some people may never get here while other amateurs have a wild swing and don't think about their technique at all. If you're an elite player or on your way to being one, you will eventually have a moment like the one I did. Where your swing is what it is and you shouldn't tinker with it anymore. Although Nick Matthew was a top junior, he spent 2 years reworking his backhand swing. He knew it would limit him down the road and he probably wouldn't have had the success he did if he didn't spend the time refining it. So even a very elite player can benefit from some technical work.

So still the question remains, how do you know if you should continue working on your technique? Does your swing break down under a bit of pressure? Is your swing compact and consistent? Are you confident in all your shots? A swing doesn't always have to look pretty to get the job done. Even on the pro tour there are a number of variations of swings. Because there isn't 1 ideal swing, many people will have different ideas about what their swing should look like. We'll get feedback from different people, our friends or coaches about what we should work on. But at some point you're swing is set and you shouldn't focus on it anymore.

Getting some encouragement from a coach like I did can be really helpful. How else do you know your swing isn't the problem and you can begin to trust it completely? I don't have any real answers for you today. I just found that this instance really changed my game and made me a better player. We are so set on our technique for so many years that it's tough to change that mindset completely. When it happens to you you'll know and you'll understand how vital this is to playing at a high level. When this does happen squash becomes more psychological and tactical. Like I've already said, the shots I hit now are all about feel and shot selection. You'll be able to play unconsciously; you'll be able to just play and keep your head out of the way.