The meta-game of squash

The tactic behind all the tactics - The meta-game.

When playing squash you definitely know how to move and play, also having a general knowledge of the tactics is important.
Yet there are some typically recurring situations that you have to be aware of.
What I'm referring to is not some sort of "content", the actual shots you play or the patterns you use, what I mean is that all squash matches go through some phases which I have identified as the following:

Begin: Study of the opponent.
Development:  Building the game/ Stamina challenge/ Asserting Dominance.
Closure: Keeping the nerves cool.

These are not defined by a specific moment, this are like big picture phases that occur during the game.

Beginning: Study of the opponent

At the early start you players don't know each other and have no idea what to expect. Even when you know a player, you should treat as if you had no idea how he plays, especially during a tournament match.

When studying the opponent you tend to play in a neutral style just to see where the boundaries are, to time your opponent's response time and generally his tactical style.

The two most important things you need to test against your opponent are his skills in being defensive and those at being offensive.
By understanding how he mixes those two facets of his squash you can categorize him as a:

• Solid player
• Sneaky player
• Aggressive player
• Defensive player

You will also be able to understand if he relies on running in order to keep himself in the game.

This is crucially important because against a great runner you can never take for granted that he is going to get tired, instead you should use the pressure to force some mistakes on him.

Development of the game:

During the development of the game both players will have a pretty accurate idea of how the opponent plays and what are the standard situation that results in a point been scored.

This middle part is where the game is actually played, because little by little one of the players is creating a gap that will inevitably result in him winning.

The gap I'm referring too is not based on the scores, it is a psychological gap.

In fact little by little one of the players is going to get the upper hand on the other not only by scoring more points or having more energy but also by having discovered more of the opponent's weak spots.
This process can be recognize when one of the players has a standard response to a certain situation, by understanding this mechanic you can use it to your advantage since you already know what your opponent is going to do.

At the same time as both players are building the game, another mechanic is taking place: The stamina challenge.

Except in rare occasions one of the players is going to have more stamina than the other. This forces the game into a particular dynamic: One of the players has to play quick points, whilst the other can go on at nauseam.

The fact that one player can last longer than the other will cause the least trained to be more aggressive and try to close more points.
At the same time, being more trained doesn't mean that you are going to be more accurate or smart in game, that's because even if you have more legs or breath you don't necessarily have more focus (even tho breathing properly cause you to have more oxygen in your brain, making you smarter and more accurate) this leaves the other player the chance of reverting the more trained player's advantage by forcing mistakes.

In fact the worst thing a highly trained player can do consists of forcing the rally to speed up.
If you have more stamina you can obviously maintain a high paced rally longer, yet by doing so you will give your opponent a chance to counter attack you and score quickly. Instead if you keep a normal pace and just wait for your opponent to make a mistake you'll have higher chances of winning and you won't risk anything.

On the other hand if you are the least trained player you should try to engage your opponent in quick rallies just to force him to make mistakes, allowing you to score quickly.

Obviously the more trained player will have the upper hand yet you can beat him at his own game by being smart and having great technical skills.

Sealing the deal: Keeping your nerves cool.

This bring us to the end of the match.
This is the time for the clutch comebacks and surprisingly long rallies with players that have no energy with the exception of the will to win.

For a deeply rooted psychological reason the last one or two points of a match have much greater importance than all of the others.

This has to do with our entitlement and our self-image, which determines what we think we should be able to do and what we think we can do.

Entitlement and self-image of course have a great importance throughout the match as they determine how are you going to perform in every moment of the rally.
That's because our mind tend to use concept as beliefs, self-fulfilling prophecies and habits to determine our behaviour.

Another factor is motivation, that is influenced by our skill, our likelihood of winning and our willingness to give it all (which is modulated by self-image and entitlement).

The last and more situational factor are the entitlement criterion: What we think we should have done (and have or haven't done) in order for us to deserve to win.

This are just some concepts that I'm surely going to expand in the future in order to apply them to squash and make sure you get the best out of them.

In the end keeping your nerves cool requires that you have the energy to play and the knowledge (whether it is proved by facts or sustained by belief) that you can do it. And, as always,  the only way to get result is to train and play hard.

-Enjoy,
Gallo.

Blindspots and the importance of being coached

Why you must be coached

This game is really fast.
Holding on to a single paradigm can give us a great perspective to start, yet if we are not open to changing our minds and our tactics we can easily held back our progress due to blindspots.

For example I've learned that is always best to make a drive to put your opponent behind and then close the deal only when he makes a bad shot.
Yet many of my opponent never make a clear mistake, they instead tend to make cross-courts which is a way to "escape" from a loosing drive battle.
If (and this is what I'm working on right now) I make a step toward the front and forestall the shot, instead of letting the cross-court pass by and then make a drive, it doesn't matter if I make a really accurate shot or just a decent shot. If I place the ball in the front of the court by forestalling the cross-court I score all the time.

Therefore, yes I'm using the drive to cause my opponent to make a cross-court (which by adopting this new perspective can be considered a mistake) and then score by forestalling it.

This is really cool. Yet only by adopting an open paradigm can I learn this skill.
In fact a friend is helping me, yelling me every time I let a ball slip.

What is a blindspot?

That's a really interesting thing: since for me it's automatic to let the ball pass by and retrieve it in the back wall, I don't even see the ball pass.
I really don't see it. It's like the ball disappear for my brain and the only way I can hit it is by going in the back of the court.

This is an example of a blindspot.
It means my brain is so used to waiting that it doesn't even bother to check if I can hit the ball by forestalling it.

A blindspot is a piece of knowledge my brain is taking for granted even tho I actually have no conscious knowledge of it.

Systematic Blindspot Elimination - I.E. Why you need a coach

The only way to keep improving in this game is by doing the hardest thing, swallow my pride and ask for others what are my weaknesses.
Now, generally some people are conscious of this or they understand it unconsciously.
If you talk to someone that can beat you, it doesn't necessarily mean that his hints will be useful.

You should listen to all advices and use only those that are really actionable.

For example in my case if somebody tell me: You should watch me and realize I make a cross-court.
This advice is useless, i know he makes the cross-court, I have to work on the response to that Stimuli.

A good advice is one like: When I make a cross-court I do it because I'm loosing the exchange and every time you wait for the ball to bounce off the back wall I feel like you are giving me a hand, you should always make a step toward the ball and forestall it. This way you will score.

This is a great hint, because it implies what is not working, the whole paradigm of the situation and what to do to fix it.

If you have a coach you should train at least once a week with him and he should watch you play also.
I believe 90% of the progress in this game can be achieved alone.
Yet is the final 10%, the difference that makes the difference, that matters when we talk about high level players.

-Train hard!
-Gallo

If you are starting out and need to grasp the basics , movement patterns you can check out my free e-book full with actionable tactics and exercise to work on your squash

Squash Tips - Habits to mantain a high concistency during a squash rally

The drive means PAR

Once you got a grasp on the fundamentals of squash : Moving efficiently, Controlling the center, Throwing the ball in the corners. You have to implement this three concepts in every aspect of your game.

The drive will be the foundation of all your exchanges in squash.

The habit you have to develop is that unless your opponent makes it really easy on you with his shots, you have to make drive.
This single habit will change your game drastically.

Whenever you're near the back wall and your opponent is in the T, make a drive.
When you don't know what to do make a drive.
That's because and exchange of drives in squash is like the PAR in golf, you need to make at least a drive as good as the one of your opponent, otherwise he is leading the rally.

All the other shots are less proficient than the drive, because if your ''reacting'' (he is leading) to your opponent and you make whatever shot, it will backfire on you. Instead the drive will always help you at least take control of the T.

Always Push, Never Close

The only thing you don't need is to throw the ball under the tin. You should always playing the best shot you can. But never force it, it's better to consume some more energy than to waste a point.

This is a particular thing because when you'll begin to do this you'll end up loosing your matches because your depriving your squash of your aggressiveness. This is not what i mean.

You have to always make the best shot you can, just never exaggerate.

When you're thinking of anticipating your opponent's serve to make a Shabana style nick closure, think again and make a drive!
Also you should never think that your shot will lead to a point because if proven wrong you'll loose the rally.

Focus and breathing are a part of you

There is an underlying concept in these habits: You have to be fit. Being fit is a prerequisite, otherwise everything in this article will be impossible for you, so focus on being fit first.

Be Fit, then implement a good respiration pattern

Then implement a good respiration pattern, make it a habit to consciously manipolate your breathing when needed.
Breathe deeply ,slowly and constantly when playing and make hard fast breaths between rallies.
Check the article for a in depth explanation on how to implement this habit in your squash

Every rally is a world of itself

Considering that you have no reason to make mistakes and you must be an efficient moving machine on court you have to keep calm, and after every rally make a habit to reset your mind.

Squash is so fast paced it is easy to become angry or loose focus, do the exact opposite, find a personal ritual that renews your focus and use it every time between rallies.

Watch your opponent especially if your leading the game

Anticipating your opponents shot can be a powerful skill to have, but an even more powerful ability in squash is to know where your opponent is when you are making the shot and possibly tweaking your swing so that you trick him.

Knowing where your opponent is will make you understand which shot to do

When you'll have your Open and have your on court movements together you  can start thinking of watching your opponent while your going toward the ball, this skill is incredibly powerful for if you know where your opponent is you can always make the right shot.

Think game, don't think points

A squash game is a combination of worlds (the rallies) but there are two constants: You and your opponent,  proving that you're fit, calm and focused you should always be the one who is in better shape.

This will be the determining factor when playing and you'll need to work on this one a lot.

When it ends, it is ended.

Psychological studies have proven that player that keeps themselves focused on the court tend to perform worse than player that when the game is finished just go away and focus on something else.

I reccomend you to NOT be talking about what to do in the next game in your 90 second pause, instead do something you like, go talk to your girl, listen to empowering music or motivational speakers.

Just think of something else!

This way your brain will be more focused on the next game!

Squash Tips - EGO DEFENSE AND THE TRAINING IN SQUASH

Practice is key

Practice is key. key key. The only way you can improve in squash is by training. But that's not enough.

You have to practice on your weakness in order to improve in the best way possible. The funny thing is that We prefer doing what's easy to us

We like to keep on moving, to say that we like to focus on activity but we tend to prefer those in which we are already specialized, both because the law of investment (the more you do something the more you'll like it) and also because if we can do something with a good result, it's a nice boost of self love for our self image. Even in little things like training the self image can slow your improvement, that's because you'll tend to do the things in which you are already good just to avoid making mistakes (which are the true foundation for improving)


So The best approach would be to do the things you need and surround them with the things you like, for example let's say you need to improve your drop-shot and decide to train alone, the best exercise that would force you to move would be to make a boast and then run to the front wall to make the drop-shot. Of course after 5 minutes the ball will become cold and you'll be annoyed. But what if everytime you make the drop-shot you try to recover the ball and start making increasingly longer volley so that you can go to the back wall, keeping the ball warm, exercising on another maybe for you funnier skill (i love to volley), and being able to train for a straight half hour without any pause. WHAT ABOUT THAT?

The 80-20 rule tells us that the 20 most important percentage of things we do does the 80% of the work for us. So instead of playing for two hours without thinking, just train yourself for 20 minutes and focus on your weakest skill, you'll get amazing results.

Squash Tips - THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING Part 1 (Training alone)

There's a huge number of skills involved in playing squash. Movement, balance, strenght, coordination, speed, power and raquet skill.

You cannot improve in all of them in the same time (even if playing a lot of matches will make you understand what to work on).
The best thing in order to get good in this game is to (obviously) play a lot, having a coach that gives you ''homework'' and doing them, and if you improve that greatly not only making the homeworks but creating a new series of exercises all by yourself that gives you the chance to improve.

So how do you get the ability to make your own exercises?

first you have to understand the game at a deep level. Here are the basics:

1)throw the ball at the side (preferably in the corners);

2)you  must stay in the center.


Just by knowing these 2 simple concept you can create a lot of exercise in order to improve your game.

You can focus on moving in the best way (not how you think)
or you can think about improving your shot maybe starting by increasing the angle of your plate and by preparing the shot (opening as i say) before.


In order to get a deeper comprehension of the game you need to develop 3 kind of knowledge:

-Intellectual  -Visual  -Physical

So the 3 activities should be:
1) learning about the game, rules, know-how, tactics and info

2)watching squash matches both online and live so that you get to understand movements, tactics, emotions(they play a huge role in the decision making processes) and techinique.

3) Doing exercise/training/ matches so that you internalize (slowly and constanly) all the concept that you need to understand.

It Takes years to become good at something, same is for squash. if you accept this the fun will start soon!

Tips to train alone

Practice alone is very important also because you get to have the control over everything you do.
The hardest thing is to accept that it has to be done.
It can be boring or even feel awkward (i honestly was ashamed of running in public) you just have to practice the thing on ''your level'' and keep on trying to take them over the edge.
Dont waste your time trying the impossible shot if you can't even make a straight shot.

Just do what you can and try to improve both in a quantitative way (i.e. number and speed of shots) and in a qualitative way (i.e. quality/precision).

Time for practice is the most valuble thing. Even a afternoon of just having the raquest in your hands is better than none!

Squash Tips - FLOW AND THE POWER OF LITTLE THINGS

It's not about what happens, but what you do with the facts.

Squash it's all about consistency. The game itself is structured so that the average of your shot must be the best one in order to win. You can win by being clutch. But you cannot rely on it. What you gotta rely on are the basics which should be at such a high level that you  can be consistent.


So the way you have to think about every rally in a game is that every point is a world of itself.

You can make mistakes or be lucky but every time the serve comes your head must  be cleared and you have to focus only in the now.

Squash is such an adrenalin rush that it becomes really hard to keep your focus.
How many time have you found yourself screaming or even worse swearing without a logical reason to do so?
That's because when you are playing and consuming energy your body choose to save energy and the first thing it cuts off is the multilevel logical reasoning.
Try to ask yourself something quite complicated when you're playing squash, the answer will be something close to : << ............>> you wont be able to have an answer.

So you cannot rely on hugely intricate tactical plans.


Also if your logical reasoning goes down, your emotional reasoning gets enhanced. This means that you will find yourself feeling , instead of thinking (therefore logically knowing what you're doing) ,
so the problem is that emotion are not logical. How can you trust them?



We can use the principle of flow for this one. Flow is a psychological concept introduced by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book (1990, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience). What he says in his book is that when you perform a task which difficulty is hard but your skill level lets you achieve it with a good amount of effort, you enter into the flow state in which you find yourself not thinking too much but acting as if you already knew what to do in order to achieve the best outcome possible.

So how do we reach the Flow state in squash? 

The easiest way is to give yourself small objective that you can perform in a match instead of big complicated battle plan with counter moves and variations of all sort, you should sintetize it in just a catch phrase, for example: 
-Always aim for the angles or,
-go for the volley or, 
give more pressure. 

If you just choose one catchphrase and think only about of that, whenever you'll achieve your goal you'll find that all the motions are flowing easily. 

In conclusion,  Always focus on just one simple thing and nothing else. 
Live every point like a different universe, so that everytime someone serve you are restarting and possibly with a positive attitude.

The other great tool for focus is respiration.

Squash Tips - HOW TO LEARN THE GAME OF SQUASH (AND MANY MORE THINGS)

Real learning is behavioural change.

Never get angry because everything is a new experience and you should find positive things to learn from it.
You're not the teacher so you should not think you know everything. also teacher shouldn't.

Listen to all but focus on what resonates with yourself.
You can change 3 habits at a time.
But in the game of squash it's always better to micromanage one at a time so that it progress in a more fluent way and then you can focus on something else.

Baby stepping in the game of squash. 
Every skill-set in the game has a infinite quantity of sub-skill that of course you can improve in.
You just have to be very deeply honest with yourself and train for a long period of time.
Don't think it's all about running. 
If you are a runner and you master the movement in this game (you can train for 30/45min in ghosting every time to greatly improve quickly) you should train on your racket skill full time. 
Of course you'll have to improve in every aspect of the game otherwise it will stale and you'll fail but you also have to focus on the most important things. 
follow these three steps:

1. Set goals
2. Try to achieve them
3. Use the feedback to set harder goals.

For example you might couldn't even be able to play a straight shot. 
To babystep this so that you improve fast you just have to:
1)start playing against a wall and just hit the ball randomly and try to control it. 
2) start taking you wrist up
3) start being on the side while hitting the ball (remember the front straight it's just matter of shoulder movement and extending your arm)
4)take the left feet in the front.

in order to get to step 4 you should be hitting something like one thousand shots. This will give you reference experience to improve the exercise so that you'll go along in your skill set. this will surely provide a lot of training for many many session.

In the end the key concept is : try to understand what you can and practice as much as possible, the rest will shortly follow!