SquashSkills Blog - Page 20 of 20 -

How to choose a squash racket – PDHSports.com

Equipment

How to choose a squash racket – We advise customers every day on purchasing a squash racket. Here are some of the key factors to take into consideration:

Playing like you practice

Playing like you practice – Check out the blog for some tips to help overcome the frustrating mental block to perform smoothly and confidently.

Winning ugly

Psychology

I would recommend to pick up ‘Winning Ugly’ – one of the best books out there on implementing simple, effective mental strategies into your game.

Spinning for Squash

Fitness

Few exercise classes offer any real specificity for the squash player but one class that does potentially hold value for the squash player is Spinning.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere the dropping temperatures and shorter days marks the incoming heart of Winter, and for those so predisposed it’s unfortunately also the peak of what is often termed as ‘cold season’.

Take it slow…

This week’s blog is prompted by a session I ran recently, introducing a couple of good standard u17 junior players to a new speed/agility drill they hadn’t done before. It was quite a technical drill, where we were really looking to emphasise focus on the split step, elasticity, and efficiency of movement.

What really struck me, was how difficult it was for the players to actually go through it slowly. Every repetition was being done at high pace; even after they’d been told to slow it right down to get a proper feel of the movement before increasing the pace up to the full working sets.

The image of successful squash!

Psychology

Any small advantage gained can potentially provide that crucial edge that is the difference between winning and losing. One technique is Imagery.

11 Points on Fitness Q&A: Adrian Grant

Fitness

Adrian has recently returned from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he and Nick Matthew teamed up to win silver medals in the men’s doubles, narrowly missing out on adding a second gold to the one’s they won in Delhi in 2010. Adrian has also been a key member of several of England’s European and World Championship winning teams, while reaching a career high no. 9 in the PSA rankings and claiming a number of the tour’s most prestigious titles.

Training for gain, not just pain!

Depending on the actual goals of the session, the make-up of a training drill intended to improve an aspect of our physical conditioning can take many different forms. Our goal with every session has to be clearly realised however, and our aim should always be GAIN and not just PAIN.

Pre-Performance Routines

Performance

‘Pre-Performance Routine’ – a set routine of preparation that you go through in readiness for any competitive match that you play.

Coaching: Developing young athletes

Everyone’s approach to working with and developing young athletes is different, and there are numerous different views and methods as to the ‘right’ way to do it.