Ideas for training for the new year

At the end of another year of coaching at Blackheath, I want to thank everyone from beginners to the team players for your continued willingness to learn. This year I embarked on a learning journey myself. I started studying classical singing. Hitting a squash ball and producing a noise that on a good day, in my case, sounds a lot like opera singing requires surprisingly similar technical/physical processes.

All of the action starts with the feet, goes up through the body to the core muscles and the back muscles where it finds a solid base for the good stuff to happen. Everything I keep saying in coaching sessions about getting into position, being balanced, engaging the core, breathing, being relaxed, letting the energy flow through open spaces etc. I hear coming back at me from the tutors at school. It’s amazing how the two disciplines rely on the same physical mechanics.

Learning a new technical skill is difficult at any age, but as a mature student, I’ve discovered that it takes extra effort to acquire new skills, let alone change bad habits. Personally, the payoff of hearing a high note resonate is well worth the effort it took to get the physical basics in place to be able to produce the sound.

In response to my love of murdering the big, famous tenor arias, my singing teacher made a helpful point: there are pieces we practice on our own, pieces we sing in front of colleagues and pieces we perform in public.

In squash terms, the love of attempting to hit the top B at the end of Nessun Dorma is similar to playing with a double yellow dot ball in a cold January mid week friendly, trying to hit a winning nick. You might hit one and it will feel great, but you could also be doing more to build the basics required to become a better player.

If you can be persuaded to try new things, here are some ideas for the year ahead.

Play with a single yellow dot if you’re a mid box league player or above. Play with a red dot if you’re still making your way up the leagues. Play with a blue dot if you’re new to the game. The ball will bounce more, which gives you more time to organise. The rallies will extend, which gives you more opportunities to hit more balls (repetition). Longer rallies also make you fitter, which, in turn, helps you be more organised.

Play conditioned games. As in, every shot must be above the service line. Or every shot straight. Deep shots only. It slows down the game and/or makes it more predictable, which has the same benefits of organisation/time/repetition/fitness as playing with a more appropriate ball does. Conditions make you think about what you need to do.

We do this every Sunday in group training. Join in to find out more and take the ideas into your friendlies and from there into your matches. It will make a difference.

This may be the first time anyone has said it - and I say it slightly in jest - the double yellow dot ball is the top B in Nessun Dorma. It ought to be left to the pros!!! ;-)

Happy new year. Hope to see you on court soon.

Ville Leppanen
Head Coach
Blackheath Squash Club
07939 007224
www.blackheathsquashclub.com
Weekly training sessions at Blackheath
https://calendly.com/blackheathsquashcoach/sunday-intermediate-session
https://calendly.com/blackheathsquashcoach/sunday-advanced-session