Alright, my legs are just starting to regain the ability to support me moving anywhere around the house, so I dragged myself to the keyboard and dug in for an entry.
The weekend was good - we had another cup/team tournament this weekend, and I don't think I've ever played in one of those and not had a good time. Although I played absolutely horribly this weekend, it didn't deter from the good times of hanging out with friends and enjoying the awesome weather at a BBQ at Stu's.
I've been playing really well up until this Thursday - I was happy with my fitness, and the things I've been training were working for me. Bevan and I had a good game in league on Wednesday that went to 10-9 in the fifth, and I was stoked to play more over the weekend.
WHAT WENT WRONG??
(cue the music for the old videos you had to watch when you took foodsafe). Here's a list of what I think I did wrong, and the steps that I'm going to take to fix them.
- Predictable squash
- One dimensional squash
Oh my god. This was the worst one, because I was aware that I was doing it, but just couldn't seem to break myself out of the habit. The first game I played was against John Foxall. I'd beaten him before, and was hoping that I'd be able to take him this time too, but he did me the favour of handing me my ass on a platter (and rightfully so, given how I was playing). I started to realize how predictable I must be playing after the third time he covered my predictable backhand cross court drop to the front right corner and pounded it to the back of the court. Even aware of this, I just couldn't shake it. Predictability in squash sucks. The game is called "the thinking man's game" (or at least, so I saw somewhere on a website) for a reason, and if you're letting your opponent easily anticipate most of the shots you make, you're going to lose that mental game.
Training to avoid this is just a matter of practicing all of the shots that I like to make, and focusing on switching up what I do when I start to notice this. The next few games I play I'm going to go back to focusing on the fundamentals, and try to let my natural instincts dictate the next shot I make, rather than over-thinking things. I find sticking to the fundamentals very helpful when I get caught up in a rut. If there's nothing else you can do well, at least hit consistent straight drives to good length.
This is very similar to the above problem - I felt like I had two, maybe three shots that I was using this weekend - low, hard, drives to the back, and a backhand crosscourt drop. These shots are good, but squash is a game about deception, and maneuvering your opponent around the court. If all I ever do is one of these two shots, I'm limiting the tools with which to accomplish that.
Changing this is going to come from the same as above - focus on the fundamentals and let my self subconciously choose the shot - go with what feels right. The other thing I'm going to do is put on some of the squash videos I have and watch some of the pros play. This always motivates me, and reminds me of what a really good clean game of squash looks like. Seeing people play like that makes me want to get out on the court and really focus those bread and butter shots.
Those are really the two main things I want to work on right now. Once I've gotten my head back in the right place, I'll start to spend more time actually improving specific shots, but until I've got strategy back together, that's going to be my focus.
As I mentioned, I'm going to the popping and locking workshop this Wednesday. One of the main things I'm hoping to learn from the guy is how he goes about teaching people and gauging there ability. I really love the styles of dance that I'm into, and would really like to see them become more than an obscurity in Victoria - Vancouver has a very active popping scene, but I only know about three to four people on the island that are really into popping. Being able to teach it better is something I'd love to know so that I can pass on the same sort of fever that I have for it.
I'll write about the experience when I get back from the show, and hopefully find some time to make some basic videos showing the things that were focused on. Last chance if anyone is still interested in checking it out, let me know at deathsushi@hotmail.com.
Leave a comment