MEET A PRO - 7

There aren’t too many bigger names in squash than this one. We are exceedingly privileged to be able to speak to a current legend of the game, with a record that only a select few humans can compare. Joining the world tour as a 15 year old in 2006, he won his first title just a year later, and then went on to win back to back world junior titles in 2008 and 2009. In 2013 he claimed his first World Series event in Qatar, and in 2015 he won the esteemed British Open beating Greg Gaultier in the final. From December 2015 to April 2016 he had a remarkable run of 6 consecutive World Series titles, and in 2017 he won his first World Open title beating Marwan El Shorbagy in the final. He also currently owns 4 British Open titles, 3 Hong Kong Open titles, 3 Tournament of Champions titles, 3 US Open titles, and 2 Windy City Open titles. He has been ranked inside the world’s top ten (unbroken) since December 2010, and inside the top 3 since Aril 2014. One of consistently hardest hitters of the squash ball, nicknamed “The Beast of Alexandria”, and the current world number 1…

 

MEET… MOHAMED EL SHORBAGY

The Squash Joint (TSJ): G’day Mohamed and welcome to The Squash Joint! At only 29 years old, you have already had an extraordinary career winning pretty much every major title there is. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement to date and are there still some goals that you are still striving to achieve?

MoES: I have to say my greatest achievement is not any match or any title but it is without a doubt how I have always came back to world number 1 every time I had it taken from me. Every time I came back was harder and I had do something very differently, whether moving or hitting and had to change it up a lot both in my style of training, technique and tactics. I am still not done and I know if it will be taken off me again and then I will again have to evolve and try to get it back. Obviously I am getting older and it will become harder and harder and one day I will not be able to reclaim my position at the top of the sport but until then I will keep pushing my limits and trying to do something new in this era of the sport that nobody has done before.

TSJ: That’s really interesting mate; what did you do different this time?

MoES: I had to improve my movement, it was the thing my generation were beating me at because Ali is quick and Gawad moves smoothly. The other times I have lost the world number one was never to my own age group but older generations like Nick, Greg and Ramy. I was by myself for a long time waiting for my generation to catch up and join me at the top of the sport. Gawad and Ali were the only two who I lost to in the season where Ali overtook me as world number one. For sure on his day Gawad is unplayable

but most of the times where he beat me I would have won if I had moved slightly better. I know I will never be able to move as well as them but this was the area they were so much better than me and while they will probably always move far better than I, my focus was to narrow this gap.

TSJ: There are not many players on the tour that you have a losing record against. In fact of the current players, I couldn’t find any! However, the recently retired Ramy Ashour seemed to be a little bit of an Achilles Heel for you. What made him so difficult to play against and do you wish he was still playing?

MoES: The thing is that me and Ramy only played 12 times, it’s not like me and nick who played 27 times and me and Greg played 25, me and Ali already played 25 times and all our meetings were in finals. I actually lost 13 straight matches with Greg before I beat him so to be honest I think I worked out Ramy much quicker. I do feel that with Ramy our matches together brought something special because I was the only one who went after him at his own game and fought fire with fire. All of the other top guys tried to minimize his strengths, tie him up, and slow him down. I had no interest in that and I just said OK, you want to play fast, let’s see how fast you can play when someone does this back to you! As it turned out, Ramy could play pretty darn fast and I feel like doing this raised the level of squash at the top of the sport. I really miss getting to play him, I wish our rivalry had lasted longer - and we had a huge rivalry - but maybe our story had to be this way, cut short by his injuries. Grasshopper Cup was a perfect end to his career against me and beating me in 3 games. He was so technically unique which made him so hard to read and to play but his mental strength was the scariest thing for me. He could be out for 6 months and not play one match and come back even stronger than when he left from that first match. Even if you are 2-0 up and 10-0 up he can still come back and beat you. He was never phased on court, even if in round 1 he is 2-0 down he never cared because he knew if he turned it on he would win emphatically. For me if I am 2-0 down in the first round you can see I get tense and nervous but that is something we never saw from him, he always backed himself to pull the cat out of the bag no matter how far his back is up against the wall and to me that is so special and I have tried to learn this from him.

TSJ: In every sport there is a lot of talk about the greatest player of all time and I know that you don’t like the comparisons across generations who didn’t play each other. Of the generation that proceeded the group you have played against there were three guys who stuck out above the rest; Nicol, Power and Palmer. Since it is a direct comparison I am wondering who you thought was the best of the three and why?

MoES: The three had different achievements. Nicol stayed number one for 58 months, I have been world number one for 48 months and I can tell you this is the hardest thing to do and this is brutal. Obviously Palmer was my coach for a couple of years and he told me Power was extremely hard to play but quite easy to beat and that Peter Nicol was so easy to play but very difficult to beat. Palmer is so hard to look past though because his sheer determination meant that he won two world championships and four British Opens which is more than the other two guys. The thing was Palmer wasn’t as consistent in the smaller events so only spent a relatively short time at world number one, but on the biggest stages, when it came down to the one huge match you always knew that Palmer would show up ready to die on the court, and not only that, if Palmer got the opening he would never miss the big shot to close out a big match.

I tell you what it is though man, for a one off big match if I had to bet everything I owned on one of them to beat the others in a one off big match on a big stage my money would be on Palmer. If I had to put money on one of these guys to be world number one at the end of the year I take Nicol. If all three were to play the best level squash match they ever played at the same time against each other in a round robin event Power would win because on his day he was the one capable of playing the highest level of squash.

TSJ: Let’s lighten the mood for a minute. Tell us your favorite…

1. Relaxing activity… Going for a coffee

2. Non-squash sporting hero…Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan

3. Tournament venue…Cartagena (Colombia)

4. Unhealthy food…Burger

5. Movie…Anything with Denzel Washington

6. Country to visit (except Egypt and England)…Mexico or Colombia

TSJ: Who was your greatest squash idol growing up? Who was your most influential coach?

MoES: Squash idol as a kid was obviously Shabana, he pioneered the game. Most influential coach would be Gamal Awad. He provided me with the foundation and belief that I could be very good. He always believed I would be world number 1 and I proved him right. Jonah Barrington also had a huge impact on my career and taught me so many valuable things when I was still very young. All my coaches were great for different reasons.

TSJ: I just realized I don’t have any idea how you started playing squash?

MoES: My uncle played for fun, I used to be a swimmer and my uncle took me one day to play squash when I was 8 or 9 and I never looked back.  

TSJ: When did you know you wanted to play pro?

MoES: I wanted to be world number one from when I was 11 years old. But really my goal was never to be world number one, my goal was bigger than that. Even aged 11 or 12 my goal was to be number one and stay there for as long as possible, to win as many world championships as possible and to dominate the sport. 

TSJ: For the club player, it’s impossible to fathom the amount of training and fitness required to compete at a world class level year after year. What would a typical Mohamed El Shorbagy day look like when you are in full training mode?

MoES: 6am I wake and have breakfast, then around 730 I go for fitness training. After I do a session with a coach and then at night, I do condition games or match play. Sometimes I mix in some yoga or stretching, and I see the physio 4 times a week which is why I have never been injured because I invest so much in my body.

TSJ: Stu and I have recently been discussing the standard of referring at professional tournaments. Lately, we have been more and more baffled at the decision making. Since you have been in tour for 14 years now, what changes have you seen over this time in regards to the let rule and has it altered the way you approach your matches?

MoES: All the referees are trying to do is make people go and play the ball. It gets confusing sometimes because they try and make people play the ball when they actually can’t. The thing we must remember is they are doing it for the love of the sport. Back when I started the game was a lot more physical with Greg, Nick, Palmer, Darwish, El Hindi, Barker, etc, because we used to block each other a lot more but to the ref it didn’t matter if you played a good shot. Now we must give access to the player or there is a stroke against you. I think it’s a good thing, but it happened in the middle of my career, so it is something I had to adapt and evolve to learn what is now allowed. So long as the referring is consistent, I don’t mind if I agree or disagree with the decision, so long as we know the line the ref is taking in the match because then we know what to do.

TSJ: What areas of your game do you think need improving?

MoES: As I mentioned earlier my movement is the main area for improvement, but I also think that my short game needs improved because most of the other Egyptians are still better at this than me. Just like with my movement I feel that trying to be better than them at this is not achievable anytime soon and so my aim is just trying to narrow that gap as much as possible to allow me to at least compete in this space of the court with them. I think that mine and Ali’s basic game is too good compared to Gawad and Tarek and I think a solid basic game will always beat a good short game over time. They will always be good for a one-off win but having a good short game will not make you consistent enough to be world number one.

TSJ: Let’s think like a coach. Do you recommend players work more on their strengths or weaknesses?

MoES: Both, but I think work more on the weaknesses defiantly but don’t forget about your strength.

TSJ: What should the on-court v off-court training ratio ideally be for aspiring junior players?

MoES: It is important to train the fitness on track and the gym, but it is equally important to play a lot on the court and do a lot of solo. Go for any shots they want and then when they are mature enough you can structure the game but don’t structure a junior game when they are young. This is what makes the Egyptian juniors so good they have no structure until pros - when they need it. It is easier to hit a straight length than a straight drop.

TSJ: What do you think the recommended balance is between taking a lesson and match play with your peers?

MoES: No matches for juniors in the off season at all and then 3 weeks before the season start playing matches. In the off season they should train hard and routines and conditions only.

 

We can’t thank Mohamed enough for his time and candor. It’s not often we get the unique perspective of a current world number 1. The PSA squash tour has just started back up again, albeit with a very limited schedule, and Mohamed won the Manchester Open final on Tuesday this week beating Karim Gawad 3-1 in the final. Clearly the 6 month break hasn’t stopped his domination. This victory has put Mohamed 5^th on the all-time PSA tournament win list with 42 titles. He has 7 more winner trophies to raise to catch the current 4^th best Peter Nicol, and a staggering 57 titles to match Jahangir Khan’s 99. He is unlikely to reach that milestone, but even if he retired tomorrow, Mohamed El Shorbagy has cemented himself as a true legend of the sport. As mentally exceptional as he is, it will be very interesting to see how long he can hold onto the top spot over the next few years.

 

QUARANTINE SQUASH - FITNESS 8

Yesterday, the DAC welcomed back members for the first time in about 10 weeks. Yes, it was under very restrictive conditions and currently only a couple areas of the club are accessible, but it’s finally an encouraging start as we move slowly towards expanded reopening. The squash courts are not yet available considering it’s an indoor activity, however you should probably begin to dust off your racquet and shoes and contemplate getting at least a little bit physically ready for the rigors of the sport. It may only be 3 weeks or so away!

One of the easiest ways to get the blood flowing is an activity I am sure we have all done as kids and many pro athletes use as a warm-up as well as an actual work-out: Jump Rope.

There are multiple benefits to jump roping. Certainly, the equipment needed is very basic and not expensive. That being said, I do suggest if you buy one, don’t go too cheap - you tend to get what you pay for with these. A jump rope is also very light and easy to take with you in your squash bag, and very little space is required to do it.

Here are some added advantages:

1. Great for weight loss. Obviously how many calories per hour you burn will differ between person to person, but it can be up to 1000. Sounds like squash… but try jump roping for 60 minutes straight!
2. Full body workout. You use your legs for jumping, abdominal muscles to stabilize the core and your arms and shoulders to turn the rope.
3. Improved coordination. While jumping rope, you’re moving your feet up and down with a fast tapping motion so it’s great for sports where you’re constantly changing direction and requiring a lot of full body coordination like squash. It takes practice to find rhythm, but it’s all about timing, right?
4. Decrease ankle and foot injuries. When you are jumping rope, you’re strengthening the muscles, ligaments, and tendons around your foot and ankles making you less prone to injury.
5. Helps injury recovery. Jump rope is one of most baseline exercises for recovering from injuries. This is because, performing the exercise while your body is properly aligned, you’re engaging your entire body. Also, being low impact, you are minimizing your chances of re-inuring yourself. 
6. Increases agility, quickness and balance. It’s as simple as being in better shape, having stronger leg muscles and better endurance. Your speed increases as your coordination and reaction time improves. Your balance is also enhanced because you jump rope on the balls of your feet which automatically forces you to balance every time you land.

There are endless amounts of jump rope techniques you can use to mix it up and keep the exercise interesting and motivating. In the video below, Maya demonstrates a hand full of moves you can use. Switch it up, go at your own pace, and have fun!

QUARANTINE SQUASH - PODCAST 8

It's a historic day, as the DAC slowly reopens it's doors to members after such an agonizing lockdown period. Yes, it's restrictive, but it's a start and something to celebrate. The squash courts aren't yet accessible, but the light is at the end of the tunnel, just a little more patience - we will be there soon.

Please enjoy the 8th episode of the Bogan and the Brit. Stu and I answer some questions that members sent in as well as our usual office talk! Cheers!

Mick · The Bogan and the Brit - 8

QUARANTINE SQUASH - FITNESS 7

On to part II of our agility fitness theme. Today we will take you through a ladder session. The ladder is a tremendous fitness tool and is one of the best ways to increase your foot speed and direction change - two things that are critically important when it comes to your footwork on the squash court.

One misconception regarding the squash movement is that a player needs to be able to get from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’ and back again (i.e. from the ’t’ to the ball and back) as fast as they possibly can. There are times when that is indeed the case although in reality it shouldn’t be that often. More importantly is the timing behind your movement: stepping into your shot and swinging with the correct momentum, balance, weight transference, and - don’t forget - spacing. Continuously sprinting in at blinding speed in order to hit the ball as soon as physically possible will only make you rush, be less accurate, be off balance, waste precious energy and time, be more susceptible to injuries, and probably cause more interference than necessary since your recovery is compromised and you need extra time to get out of the way.

Ladder exercise will help you get quick on your feet. Smaller steps - or as I often refer to them in a lesson - adjustment steps - is an imperative asset when addressing any shot. Unless you have zero time and simply need to get there, taking an extra hop, skip or stutter step into your shot can help enormously with your timing and spacing and actually give you more time to think about what shot you wish to play as well - which in turn can make you more deceptive. 

This pretty much comes down to coordination. The connection between your brain and your feet. Building up the ladder exercises with more complex patterns and increasing your speed will help you understand exactly where to plant your feet, with the force required, for how long and in what direction you need to move next. As you improve the smoothness and efficiency, you will improve your court speed. 

The video below demonstrates some simple ladder movement exercises as performed by our newest young athlete to the video series - Maya! As many of you know, Maya plays tennis, but the ladder translates perfectly to other sports as well. 

QUARATINE SQUASH - PODACST 7

A little mixture this week of just some "office talk" and the more specific theme of refereeing at the pro level. We give our Bogan and the Brit take on what we think of the current level of reffing and what could be done to fix it. Plus some completely going-off-on-a-tangent discussions to add some spice! Cheers!

Mick · The Bogan and the Brit - 7

QUARANTINE SQUASH - THURSDAY FITNESS 6

What a beautiful day for a change! Sun is shining, light breeze… it’s almost as if things are looking up! When we will be able to actually get back on court is still up in the air but there is light at the end of this rocky tunnel as we are inching closer to reopening. 

So, keeping that in mind, before you get overly excited about whipping out the squash shoes and racquet, strap on the headband and squeeze into your shorts that has probably shrunk over the past 2 months (!), playing squash is a very intense activity and you will be doing your body a favor if you prepare yourself for the shock. We have gone over multiple short videos that you can do at home or in your driveway in the last number of weeks, and today we will cover another important squash skill: Agility.

Agility is defined as the ability to move quickly and easily. In squash terms, we are taking about quick footwork. Speed. Direction change. Squash movement is not about straight line running, in fact I would venture to guess that most of the time you spend on the court is filled with small lateral steps, long lunges, adjustment steps, split steps, sudden stops and direction changes. The quicker your feet move, the better your balance is during the movement, the faster and more efficient you will be.

Benefits are plentiful: Agility training increases stability, body control and flexibility which in turn can improve your posture and alignment and help you minimize injuries. It can certainly enhance the smoothness and coordination of your movements, help you transition from one part of the court to another which automatically will allow you to move more efficiently and, basically, be faster. You are not wasting time and energy trying to regain balance after a shot. 

Regular agility training will help you build muscular strength and just like any other fitness activity, your recovery time will improve. Because you are using a greater range of muscles that what you would do if you were just running in a straight line, it can lead to greater results in a shorter period of time. And as an added bonus, you do not need much space to do this. Just a small piece of floor in your own home is more than sufficient and there are countless number of exercises you can do keeping the workout varied and interesting.

See Stu in the video below as he takes you through some basic agility exercises that you can start with. Go at your own pace, and you will be surprised at how quickly you can build up the workload. Have fun!

MEET A PRO - 6

Currently the highest ranked Australian on the world ranking- men’s and women’s - this professional squash player reached a career high of 13 in the world before an injury halted her rise. She is now fighting back to the top echelon once again and was a threat last November at the DAC to win our Pro Classic tournament where she reached the semi final. An amazing junior career where she won 5 junior national titles and in 2003 she was a finalist at the junior British Open. She won her first career pro title in 2007 and broke into the top 20 just 3 years later. In 2018 she won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in the squash doubles event with partner - and cousin - Cameron Pilley. Currently ranked 22 in the world, one of the smoothest movers and cleanest techniques on the women’s circuit…

MEET… DONNA LOBBAN

The Squash Joint (TSJ): G’day Donna! We are very grateful that you have agreed to talking with us! Tell us how you have been keeping yourself occupied during the lockdown and how do you keep yourself motived not knowing when the next tournament will be played?

Donna Lobban (DL): I’ve still been keeping myself very active with off court training which takes up a good part of my day. Other than that though I enjoy cooking so with this extra time at home it’s been nice to experiment with lots of new recipes. In terms of keeping myself motivated I’m lucky that my husband is also a professional squash player so that’s a massive bonus to have a training partner everyday to keep each other going. 

TSJ: You grew up in Yamba, New South Wales. For those who don’t know where that is (which would be most of us!) it’s about a 3 hour drive south from the closest capital city, Brisbane. Not exactly a squash hot-spot. How did you manage to get so good so young being so isolated? I imagine you had to spend a lot of time traveling?

DL: Yamba is a tiny town of about 5000 people but I was lucky that squash was in the family. My mum played and my cousin's family owned the local squash centre across the road from my house. My mum and my uncle were my first coaches and I guess I got good at it because we were able to play whenever we wanted. The hard part being from Yamba was that most of the competitions happened in the biggest cities like Sydney (over 10 hour drive away). 

TSJ: You play a style of game which could be described as a shot-maker, hitting numerous clean winners and wrong-footing your opponent. How did you learn this and what is your favorite way to set up and finish a point?

DL: My style has certainly evolved during my career but it’s still funny for me to hear myself described as a shot maker as I’ve never thought of myself as having the best technique or racket skills. I guess I learned this from enjoying playing this way and practicing until I got good at it. I’ve learned to use my strengths of my height and reach by setting myself up for winners on the volley.

TSJ: I have no doubt you would have reached the top 10 ranking had you not been sidelined with injury. How mentally difficult was it to come back from these injuries and to keep motivated? I believe you have the game to still get there, can you tell us how (or if) your training methods have changed with these experiences.

DL: Any injury is difficult to mentally overcome and during my career I’ve had my fair share including 4 surgeries which sidelined me for extended periods. As disappointing as it was every time I always knew I had the strength to come back from it as I could use my experience of having done it before. Because of these injury layoffs I feel like I haven't reached my potential yet and that is what keeps me motivated. You learn from any experience and over my career I’ve adapted my training in lots of different ways to try and prevent injuries as much as possible. 

TSJ: Back when I was growing up, Australia was the power-house in the world of squash. Looking at the world ranking now, you are highest ranked woman at 22 and the highest ranked player on the men’s side is an unbelievable 160. What happened to Australian squash and what do you think needs to happen in order for them to start to look even half-respectable again?

DL: Squash in Australia was booming in the 80s and 90s, we had World Champions in both the men's and women's rankings and as a kid I was fortunate to grow up idolizing these players. Things are very different now and no matter how you look at it there’s going to be a big gap, but things are looking up with lots of new initiatives including a new National Training Centre on the Gold Coast. I would love to see Squash become as popular as it used to be in Australia.

TSJ: Let’s lighten the mood. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say…:

1. Vegemite and Cheese sandwich… Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!
2. Twilight movie series… Liked it at the time, haven't seen it since!
3. Skateboarding in the Olympics… Face palm.
4. Alaskan boat cruise… responsible for most of the Covid cases in Australia?
5. Nick Kyrgios… Amazing tennis player, bit of an idiot!
6. 45 minute interval session… Good warm up.

TSJ: Who was your biggest influence in your squash career as a junior? Who is the biggest influence now?

DL: When I first started playing squash it was as a 5 or 6 year old kid running around the court in between my mum’s ladies daytime matches. She used to get on court and play with me a lot. I had a double handed backhand and she used to challenge me to put one hand behind my back to help me learn how to play with a one handed backhand. After that my uncle Steve Pilley and my cousin Cameron Pilley were big influences throughout my junior career.

My biggest influence now is my husband Greg Lobban, he's often the one there in my corner at tournaments and we spend a lot of time talking through each others games and ways to improve.

TSJ: What would you consider to so far be your greatest achievement in squash? Would you mind sharing with us what goals you have for the future? 

DL: Winning a Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 (squash’s equivalent to the Olympics) was a dream come true for me.

I would love to win Gold at the next Commonwealth Games in 2022 and also improve on my highest world ranking of 13. 

TSJ: Who is the toughest player who have ever come across and what made them so difficult to beat?

DL: Nicol David, I played against her in that period where she was basically untouchable. On a good day, I felt I could match it with all the top girls at the time but with Nicol I could barely come close. I remember her playing at an incredible pace but what stood out more than anything was that there was nowhere in the court that you could put the ball that she wouldn’t be able to get it back. Even if you got to game ball she would go into this incredible retrieval mode where she just wouldn't let you win one more point.

TSJ: This may be a tad controversial. Recently, I have become more and more confused at many decisions at the pro tournaments. It looks to me as if PSA is trying to minimize awarding a ‘let’ as much as possible and it is causing plenty of uncertainty amongst the players. What do you think of the current quality of the refereeing in professional squash and do you have any ideas to improve it?

DL: I would love to see the quality of the refereeing in professional squash improved. In my opinion the best solution would be an initiative to get ex professional players refereeing the World Tour as they have the best understanding of the game and the subtleties of whats going on on the court. They would also have the respect of the players for this reason.

TSJ: Complete these sentences…

1. The one house chore I refuse to do is… touching Greg’s sweaty kit!
2. The one dessert I can never resist is… chocolate lave cake.
3. My favorite shot to play on the court is… backhand drop off the back wall.
4. My favorite major tournament to play in is… Tournament of Champions in New York's Grand Central.
5. If I didn’t play squash, I would be playing… Field Hockey or Surfing.
6. My favorite Star Wars character is… Yoda.

TSJ: Let’s tackle the Olympics. I am sure you have been asked countless times about this! Have we missed the opportunity? Do you think squash should continue to try to get in? If so, what ingredient are they missing? 

DL: I have become disillusioned with the Olympics and how unfair the IOC process is of choosing new sports for inclusion. That being said I would still love to see squash in the Olympics one day. My opinion is that squash as a sport should stop trying to 'change to please', but instead concentrate its focus - funding/time/resources on just getting better and better, until the Olympics comes to us.

TSJ: You are married to another squash professional - Greg - and now live in Sheffield, England. How does living there compare to Australia and do you have any plans to return back Down Under after your playing career? 

DL: The obvious difference is the climate and the weather, the other main difference for me is that I grew up living a 10 minute walk from the beaches and now in Sheffield I’m in the middle of the middle of the UK, about as far from any coastline as I could be - so I miss the beach! I’ve spent a number of years now living away from my family and I would love nothing more than to live in Australia again one day. Hopefully in the future life circumstances will make that possible. Luckily Greg loves Australia too! 

TSJ: If Hollywood were to make a movie of your life, which actress would you like to portray you, and which actor would play Greg?

DL: I’m going to say Rachel McAdams to play me (I don't even know why?), and Ryan Reynolds to play Greg because he’s just hilarious.

Thank you so much to Donna for taking the time to answer these questions. Her perseverance and determination through multiple injuries to bounce back and once again compete at a world class level is something to be respected and admired. I love her pick for Ryan Reynolds to play Greg in their Hollywood movie… Deadpool is a classic! And Rachel McAdams… can’t complain there either! We very much hope to see her again at our next Pro Squash Classic this November challenging for the title. 

QUARANTINE SQUASH - PODCAST 6

This week Stu and I discuss a book written by the winningest coach in college squash history: Paul Assiante. Trinity College own the college sports record of 252 consecutive victories, including 12 straight titles. The book - "Run To The Roar" - is a story about the day they won their 11th national title versus Princeton. There are also backgrounds to each of the players on the team and how they came to play for Trinity, plus some very personal details about Paul and his family. Certainly recommend this to any squash fan.

QUARANTINE SQUASH - THURSDAY FITNESS 5

It’s Thursday and who would have thunk it… it’s raining! Last weeks decent weather obviously was a mistake, and we all forced to make up for that anomaly and remain indoors all day today. 

Thursday also means it is time to take you through another at-home fitness session and today, we will be concentrating on a one of the more essential parts of any training routine, regardless of the sport - stretching.

We all know there are several benefits to stretching, but strangely many of us just don’t do it properly, regularly, or at all. Before you start any stretching session, make sure you do not do it cold. It is not a warm-up activity, and in fact stretching if the muscles are cold can cause injury. If you need to stretch before vigorous activity, make sure you warm up and get the blood flowing and get a light sweat up first. Stretching post work-out is where you will receive the most benefits. Apart from helping you recover faster and reduce soreness, here are some further advantages:

Increased Flexibility. The more you stretch, the greater range of movements you will be able to achieve. This is especially important on a squash court where lunging and stretching under stressful circumstances is an integral part of the movement. 

Improved Posture. Stretching increases muscle strength and encourages proper alignment, your body will be less slouched and more vertical. 

Injury Prevention.  Having a proper warm-up and stretching routine, your movement becomes easier and more fluid with a greater range of motion. This will decrease your chances of getting an injury. 

Beneficial for the Mind.  Stretching allows you to refresh the blood flow. It is a great way to release tension and stress through your muscles and in turn give you more energy, resulting in a calmer a more peaceful mindset.

Like any other physical activity, correct technique is crucial. Stretches should be held for at least 15-20 seconds and repeated 3-4 times and you should not bounce. How much you stretch a muscle depends on the tightness and which muscles you wish to target. For example, if I have had a very tough match, I am more likely to stretch my lower back, hamstrings, groins, and glutes more than other areas. Another important point that I am asked often - if you have an injured muscle, avoid stretching that muscle to prevent further damage. Let it heal first. 

Watch Stu’s video here for a great way to get a full body stretch to prepare yourself for your next squash match.

QUARANTINE SQUASH - PODCAST 5

A continuation of our "office talk', we once again get together and let the conversation take us where it wants. This week, we do touch on a slightly controversial topic (amongst other things of course!)... Olympics! You may be surprised what we think!

We hope you enjoy the 5th episode of The Bogan and the Brit...

TRYING TO KEEP REFEREEING SIMPLE

By Stu Hadden

(and Mick’s 2¢)

Refereeing in my opinion is one of the major problems which faces squash, particularly in relation to its exclusion from the Olympics. It seems that even seasoned pro refs barely have a basic grasp on the rules at times and so where on earth does that leave the average spectator? In part I think this is due to the PSA trying to minimize interference to make the sport more watchable but it has left a lot of confusion and almost a different rule set for pro and amateur players.

I’ll jump in early here. Refereeing at the pro level is emphatically difficult. Made even more so because as far as I know, none of the official world referees have ever played squash at the elite level. Understanding the pace and nuances of the game is virtually impossible if one has never personally experienced it. Olympic exclusion is because of many reasons (money being one them!), and undeniably refereeing is up there. But, I also think that many of the players’ negative reactions to the referring has a significant bearing on it too. That’s a story for another day, however.

I feel that the rules need to be simplified somewhat as it has all gotten a little bit confusing at the pro level and that going back to the normal rules would help tidy up the sport. A let is usually called by an incoming player looking to play a ball if the opponent has obstructed the path to it. A basic perspective on this is that a let should be awarded if the opponent is in the way of you moving to the ball. This is contingent on the opponent trying to clear the shot, however if one makes no effort to clear the ball and you would have reached it, then that is a stroke. Obviously as pro athletes, top players are expected to do a better job of clearing the ball and so the margins for clearing at pro level are finer than what is expected of an amateur player, and therefore lets would be given in a more lenient fashion. A basic ‘no let’ is given if the incoming player has looked for the man and has no intention of playing the ball, should have played the ball, or could not have reached it because the shot was too good. 

The expectation of the striker to make every effort to hit the ball and the non-striker every effort to clear the shot is simple enough to comprehend. Interpreting an on court situation in real time in a split second is not. What is considered “every effort”? What is the right path to the ball? How much does the non-striker have to clear? It’s probably impossible to define. No two scenarios are identical, and the conundrum that the referee has to contend with is that they are asked to predict what would have happened if there wasn’t any interference to begin with. 

There are times, more so in pro squash than amateur, where a basic let can become a stroke because the outgoing player has deliberately blocked the opponent. This can be very confusing to referees and spectators who have not played at the pro level because blocking is, sadly, as close to an art as rolling a cross court nick from a backhand overhead. The better a player is at blocking, the harder it is to tell. The most subtle of movements onto an opponent’s hip as they are coming round is just enough to put them off balance, but they are still allowing them to get through to the ball, thus hugely interfering with their shot but making most referees take the opinion of, “Mr Hadden, you needed to play that ball.” This can lead to situations where players are gaining an upper hand by purposefully creating interference as a tactic. The more experienced the referee, the more subtle and minimal one must make the interference in order to get away with such behavior. This is considered bad etiquette at best and outright cheating at worst depending on your perspective on such matters.

The “minimal interference” rule was introduced a few years ago, which I believe has made the application of the let even more inconsistent. The premise behind it was to stop asking for “soft lets” and force players to accept “minimal” contact and not continuously stop rallies to ask for a let. But what may appear to be minimum or innocuous contact between players is often significant enough to completely affect a player’s movement or stroke. As Stu just mentioned, some players have turned this tactic into a finely tuned skill: blocking. So is this still a let? Or even a stroke? Very often, a no let is awarded, which just encourages the blocker to continue the practice. 

Generally speaking, a stroke is different from a let in that the opponent is interfering with you striking the ball so long as it is going directly to the front wall as opposed to you moving to it. Again, the striker may be penalized with a ‘no let’ if they made no effort to play the ball and instead wrapped their racquet around the opponent looking to create the interference. In essence, the rules generally look to penalize a player for creating any type of interference, whether it be a failure to clear, a failure to attempt to play a ball, or a deliberate ploy to try and manufacture interference in order to get a cheap point. A referee must be experienced at the level they are officiating in order to make quick game-time judgment calls on overlapping and grey areas.

Blocking is the main situation in the pro game where a let is not a let. There are, however, common situations more so at amateur levels where a stroke is not a stroke. The  primary ones which spring to mind are examples of what is termed as “dangerous play”.  If a player turns on a ball and then hits the opponent with it, even if the ball is going directly to the front wall, this is a stroke against the striker for dangerous play. Should the same situation occur again, at any level, it is common practice for the referee to continue using the code of conduct and give a stroke as well as a penalty point. If it happens again it would be conduct game. This is because when you turn on a ball you completely lose perception of where your opponent is on the court and so hitting it directly to the front wall is considered dangerous. In this situation amateurs should absolutely not play this ball. There will be times when top pros will turn and play this shot, although just like the margins for clearing being finer, the margins for dangerous play are also finer. I have watched Daryl Selby thread a squash ball through a toilet roll live on Instagram on his first attempt from 20 feet. These guys have awareness and ball control far beyond our comprehension and I have never seen it happen where they have turned and hit a ball anywhere near the opponent.

Turning also puts the non-striker immediately and directly in the way. They simply have nowhere to hide. Although turning is part of the rules, I strongly believe it should be banned at the amateur level. All too often I have seen members turn unnecessarily. I would venture to guess 95% of all turns are unwarranted and are done because the player is either too lazy to back up and hit it on their backhand, or simply don’t like the fact that the ball is too deep in the back wall / corner to return effectively and the easiest way to get out of it is to turn. The other 5% is when a turn would be the absolute only option to return a shot and if that ever happens, then one should never hit the ball. Ask for a let. One more point - turning should also never happen on a return of serve. 

Dangerous play in amateurs is not only limited to turning on a ball though and the same line should be taken for any situation in which one player consistently hits another with a ball. Even if the opponent is heavily encroaching, you should not hit them with the ball more than once. One thing which we commonly see is when a player hits a decent straight drive, stands on the T and then the opponent from the back wall tries to hit an extreme angle and hits the opponent with the ball. This is not a stroke, and not only is it not a stroke but it is terrible etiquette, bad sportsmanship and dangerous play. If you find yourself consistently hitting different opponents with a shot, particularly going cross court off the back wall when they have not taken up an extreme T position, then you need to select a different shot. Chances are it is you creating a dangerous situation for your opponent and you creating the interference to try to gain the upper hand from a deservedly bad position while buried in the back of the court. To put perspective on it I have hit one person with the ball in a match since college (I framed it into Mick Joint’s back).

I am questioning Stu’s “frame” shot…! 

This goes both ways. As discussed before, the non-striker has the obligation to clear their shot. We often see a player hit a ball down the wall into the back corner and in the attempt and belief that they are returning to the ’T’, frequently plant themselves close to the service box instead. This is cutting off the angle for the striker to be able to hit a normal (non-extreme angle as Stu put it) crosscourt and have voluntarily, albeit unaware, put themselves in harms way. One major reason players do this is because they are not watching the ball, but are staring at the front wall instead and have no idea what is happening behind them. If a player is struck with the ball in these situations, they have no one else to blame but themselves. It’s also a clear stroke. It not only hurts, but you lose the point as well. As the striker, Stu said you shouldn’t hit your opponent more than once… I’d rather you didn’t hit your opponent at all to be honest! 

Overall I think it is fair to say that the interference rules are there in order to create a fun, safe, and free flowing game, and when people view it like that and observe them properly we will create a more enjoyable sport with less arguments and a fairer outcome than we often see. Clear your shots, play the ball when possible, and do not hit the opponent with the ball or racquet, it really is bad form.

I can’t argue with that. Apply common sense. At the club level, it is best when you look at the let rule as straightforwardly as possible without the ‘fluff’. 99% of the time, you will be playing without a referee and adjudicating yourselves. You should know if you are making every effort to get to the ball, making every effort to clear the ball, whether you could or couldn’t reach the ball. Last consideration: If your opponent is asking for a let it is because they think it is one. Arguing ‘no-let’ is rather pointless. And unless it’s an obvious stroke… play a let. Safety and sportsmanship first.