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.

QUARANTINE SQUASH - THURSDAY FITNESS 4

Yay! Another fitness Thursday is upon us! And as an added bonus, for the first time, the weather isn’t all that terrible. That should be the perfect motivator for this week’s session which will focus on the all important topic of power. 

For squash players, power is an integral part of the movement. It is vital that we are able to be explosive from a standing start in order to be able to move to the ball efficiently and get ourselves prepared to swing early. The other reason is direction change. All players - amateurs and pros  - will often initially move in the wrong direction when trying to read our opponents and being able to stop that early momentum and adjust is a valuable tool to possess.

Stu takes you through a session of plyometrics which involves power jumping, power push-ups and explosive bounding. Apart from not needing much (or any) equipment to perform, the advantages of building up this type of fitness are numerous. They burn a considerable amount of calories as it utilizes major muscle groups and that can also assist in weight loss. It increases muscle strength and explosive power, which in turn will improve your speed - especially off the ’T’. 

You do need to be careful, however. The nature of the exercises can cause considerable stress on the joints so it is crucial to slowly build up and start with lighter exercises and a lower volume in order to decrease the possibility of injury and it is very important that you warm up thoroughly before you start. You should have a decent foundation of fitness before jumping into plyometrics too rigorously. 

MEET A PRO - 5

If any of you ever watch the PSA videos for “shots of the month”, you will regularly see this veteran professional in contention. At the ripe young age of 37, he joined the PSA tour way, way back in 1999. He won the British National Championships in 2011 beating the then world number one and reigning world champion Nick Matthew in the final, and was a member of the English team that won the 2013 world championships. He reached a career high of 9 in the world in April of 2010, and was in the world’s top 20 continuously from November 2009 to September 2018 - except for one solitary month where he dropped to 21 in May 2016 - a remarkable 106 of 107 months. Currently ranked 26, he’s squash's version of poetry in motion, a one-man highlight reel…

MEET… DARYL SELBY

The Squash Joint (TSJ): G’day mate! Thank you for taking your time to answer these questions and welcome to Detroit (virtually) and the Squash Joint! You have been on the PSA tour for many years. How has your approach / methods to training changed over the years from when you were a teen to now in your later end of the 30’s? 

Daryl Selby (DS): Firstly thanks to The Squash Joint for asking me the questions and showing a bit of interest in Bobby the Dazzle. I’ve been on tour 17 years, was on for 2 months and then went to university, and then started again at 21. Training has definitely changed, the rise of the Egyptians has made the game faster and more dynamic. The days of me going and smashing out a load of 400’s has gone because I don’t need to stay on court for that hour and a half length based games. It’s led to me doing a lot more speed sessions and speed endurance. That isn’t to say the game is any less physical though – I would even say that the stress it puts on your body is higher now but it definitely hits you differently.

TSJ: In February this year while playing a tournament, you copped a squash ball in the eye. A freak accident in the pro squash world to be sure. You have now vowed to wear eye-guards for all your future matches. Was it a difficult thing to get used to playing with and do you think wearing eye-guards should be made mandatory for all amateurs and /or professionals world wide? 

DS: Yeah mate, got the ball in the eye at the nationals in February. Complete freak accident, Ive spent thousands and thousands of hours on court and never even come close to it. Obviously with kids and stuff I don’t want to take that risk anymore, eyesight is so important and not having it would restrict me in so many ways. I started looking around for eyewear to get the best pair I could and was so lucky to find a specialist company called “Ria”. Their eyewear is top, top class, the lenses are really good, far better than anything I’ve ever seen before. They aren’t paying me or anything and I’m not doing anything for them they genuinely are the ultimate glasses. They don’t mist or fog up and the lens quality is stunning, I think the fogging was always the problem in the past but these are brilliant I don’t even realize they are on. I never have to take them off and wipe them during the game. I’ve worn them for every PSA event after and it has had no impact on my events, I’ve beaten Joel Makin in them and almost got Momen wearing them so yeah, I really don’t see why everyone can’t wear them. It’s just hard to make something mandatory because people hate change but it protects people and saves eyesight so I think everyone should wear them.

TSJ: I saw on social media that you reached 100 on the frame challenge. Stu and I did this for our members and almost jumped in front of a truck with the frustration this caused us. Did you find this relatively easy and how much practice did you need to get to the triple digits?  

DS: Yeah the old frame challenge and trick shots in general I love because it is like a process. If you go on youtube and type in “dudeperfect” those guys do trick-shots in a lot of different sports and I've listened to them a lot. I love the trials and tribulations of a trick-shot, because you go from being so far away to being so close and eventually getting it. I love creating the trick-shot and then going through. It took me about 2 hours total to get to 100, I started it and went from getting 10 or 20 and eventually got to 50. Once I got there I managed to get to 80-90 once or twice and then broke 100 after that. Crazy you think I practiced 2 hours and went from nothing to being able to consistently get 100 after that. No wonder you guys found it difficult it is a really tough one.

TSJ: You reached a career high of 9 in the world and have beaten players in the top 5 - such as Nick Matthew, Mohamed El Shorbagy, Tarek Momen. Clearly you are capable of going toe-to-toe with the best. What do you think sets apart the players who are capable of reaching the top 10 to the ones who plateau just outside the top 20?

DS: It’s a tricky one because there is such finite margins from being a top quality player in the 20’s to breaking in the top 10. At the top of the game it really is about bettering yourself in each area by 1%. As I touched on a bit earlier in the trick-shots, a lot of it is about belief. A lot of the guys out of the top 20 have never beaten a guy in the top 5 for example and therefore they can’t get to that next hurdle. Once you’ve beaten a guy in the top 5, you know you can do it and you know that they deserve their ranking and they belong there. That gives you so much self-belief and often it runs from there because next time you play a top 5 player you know that you are good enough to actually beat them. Always you need to beat the guys below you and then start looking to take some scalps above you. I’d say a lot of them are fit and need to develop their skillset or vice versa, everyone in the top 20 has one or the other so its about developing the individual game to make those inroads into top of the sport. The top 5 guys are so good at wearing people down so the lower guys need to make sure they have the gas tank to match them.

TSJ: The Egyptians are currently dominating squash and it looks like they will be for the foreseeable future. Do you think this is bad or good for squash? Which of the current top Egyptians do you find most difficult to play? 

DS: I don’t think its good for the game, I think a few of the Egyptians have even said that in interviews. We need a variety of nations and players at the top to make it interesting. That isn’t to take anything away from the Egyptians or their quality coaching system which is clearly working very well. For the enjoyment of the fans we need different cultures, different personalities etc, to get fans across the world more heavily involved. If you have Diego Elias or Paul Coll in a major final you’ll have people from Peru or New Zealand tuning it. Just because they are Egyptian doesn’t mean they are all the same - they have different swings and personalities - but you want people from different countries supporting their players.

2^nd part of that question: Do you know what? I don’t necessarily find the Egyptians hard to play. I find them hard to beat. Mohamed El Shorbagy, Ali Farag and Tarek Momen aren’t hard to play or are even in the same ball park as the guys like Amr Shabana, Greg Gaultier and Ramy Ashour and I was playing them when I was a better player. I say “better player” more when I was higher ranked. I’d say my all round game is the best its ever been now but I’m 38 so not as physically able. Obviously all of those guys have fantastic qualities but I would say the most difficult to play is Mazen Hesham just because of his strange technique and he is incredibly skillful. He doesn’t give you any rhythm which is something I really like. The guys like Mohammed or Ali still give you rhythm which means I don’t find them anywhere near as tough to play against. Another one I find very awkward is Fares Dessouky, I have only played him a couple times so haven’t had time to work him out yet.

TSJ: Tell us your favorite…

1. Squash hero when you were a junior? Peter Nicol or Amr Shabana
2. Non-squash sporting hero now? The Fed, Messi, Rory McIlroy
3. All-time movie? Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels
4. Vacation destination? Sunny beach, Maldives
5. Shot to play on a squash court? It’s got to be anything through the legs don’t it?
6. Couch snack? If you have a beer with it, crisps

TSJ: For any reason, which one:

1. Jahangir or Jansher? Jansher
2. Geoff Hunt or Jonah Barrington? Jonah
3. Karim Gawad or Ali Farag? Farag
4. Sarah Fitzgerald or Nicol David? Sarah
5. Nick Matthew or James Willstrop? Nick
6. Peter Nicol or Jon Power? Nicol
7. Nour El Sherbini or Raneem El Welily? Raneem
8. Thierry Lincou or Greg Gaultier? Greg
9. Ramy Ashour or Mohamed El Shorbagy? Ramy
10. Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal? Federer

TSJ: What does life after the PSA tour look like for Daryl Selby? 

DS: Hopefully still be involved in sports. I have a sports management company going - “Dynamic 7” - where we manage athletes in other sports. A bit of coaching would be good, I like guiding and directing younger athletes and helping them enjoy the sport so that they can get the most out of themselves.

TSJ: Complete these sentences. Feel free to elaborate!

1. The worst movie I ever paid to watch in the cinema was… Hot Fuzz, Nightmare before Christmas
2. The one song I can’t help but to sing along with is… Bohemian Rhapsody
3. The one thing in life I haven’t yet done but would like to is… Skiing or snowboarding
4. My greatest pet peeve is… People with no manners, lack of consideration – parking
5. The one famous person I would love to have dinner with is… Tiger Woods, Maradona, Obama – Yeah actually I’m going Barak
6. The fastest speed I have been in a car is… 323kph on the autobahn (200 mph), Audi RS6+ one of 150 made and it was a rocket…

TSJ: During your career, have there been any unexpected obstacles that you have had to overcome? 

DS: Not really to be honest. Not having a coach and logistically living a bit out of the way meant I trained a lot by myself but nothing major I would say.

TSJ (Stu): Daryl, over the years I've followed your career very closely as you played for my team at St. Georges Hill. I was very influenced by Tom Richards as a junior and copied his style. One thing in particular that he said to me was "pace is everything". When I watched you play I noticed you didn't volley as much and played in a slower, more methodical rhythm. In the early days you also didn't take the ball short as much compared to a lot of the other guys. What did you like about this play style and what do you think made it so effective?

DS: Haha! That’s a classic Tom Richards comment that - "pace is everything" - haha!. Yeah, I play slower for sure. I think you need accuracy, Tom to be fair, plays fast and he is able to combine that with accuracy. But for me, changing the pace of the game and the subtleties of slow to fast and high to low helps having that bit of delay on your swing. Chucking up a lob sometimes stops your opponent from knowing what is happening and slows them down, making them quite uncomfortable, so in my opinion it’s a more effective way to play.

I didn’t take the ball short as much in the early days, that’s the way I was taught by Neil Harvey between the ages of 14-19 to have a fantastic base length game with a little bit of variety. It did make me very hard to beat but not necessarily hard to play. I think the way the games has changed has meant I always had that in my locker and was able to build stuff on top of it. I don’t think I have the worlds softest touch but I can do a lot with my hands, a lot of spin or changing the direction of the ball at the last minute with my wrist. As I’ve got older I’ve had to use that to still be able to compete.

TSJ (Stu): People always talk about Mohamed El Shorbagy or Nick Matthew as being the toughest players out there mentally, but there is a solid case to be made for you to be right in  there with them.  I remember in 2010 you had just gone on a run of events in Canada that would propel you into the top 10 for the first time where I believe, you came runner up to Thierry Lincou then beat LJ Anjema and maybe Hisham Ashour in the other tournaments. You then flew back to England and the same day miraculously beat current world champion Tarek Momen, looking like a jet-lagged zombie in an epic 5 gamer. The next year you beat Tom Richards in round one, 11-9 in the fifth after he saved 14 match balls and you are one of only two players to ever beat Nick Matthew on PSA from 2-0 down. On top of all that, I have never seen you do anything outside of the rules to win which I can't say for most of these guys with reputations of being ferocious competitors. Can you speak a bit to your toughness but fair playing style and how you have consistently won matches in difficult circumstances over the years?

DS: That’s a good effort, Stu! Blimey, haha, you have a better memory than I do! Think you’re spot on there, though, I remember that run of tournaments in Canada that took me into the top 10 and I think you’ve nailed those results. Oh yeah, that’s true that I beat Momen that day. I mean I've come back from 8-0  and 10-5 down in the fifth a few times, against Nikki Mueller and Greg Marche. But yeah, I will always teach kids and I will always expect from my kids to never give up on anything and to fight right until the end. I always believe on giving it all because it is never over until the handshake. It’s nice of you to notice the mental toughness mate. I do make sure I always play within  the rules but I definitely push the limits of it with gamesmanship and talk to my opponents to put them of, but I always make sure that I do it in the right way and just within the rules!

TSJ (Stu): You beat Nick Matthew in the final of the British nationals in 2011 and in your post match interview, you mentioned your work rate that day was a fair bit above his that day. Given he was one of the most physical players of the modern era I am wondering what was your game-plan that day and how on earth you managed to not only keep sight of it, but keep your discipline and execute it so well under such extreme physical duress?

DS: I always try to remember that British nationals final. I’m very disappointed England Squash lost the recording of that British final so I can’t watch it back to know what happened. I only have a few memories of the fifth and winning which I am trying to cling on to. Physically I was in great shape and I don’t remember much of it other than the last few points. Not having the tape is one of the saddest things of my career but I guess a lot of guys in the old days had to just remember their best matches from their own memories. I really just wish that I had the tape because like I said I don’t remember too much of it.

TSJ (Stu): You were well known in your prime for hitting a great length and absorbing pressure like a sponge thus being extremely difficult to break down.  I feel as your career wore on you became much more unorthodox and more of a shot player. For example, we regularly see you winning PSA “Shot of the Month”! Why did you evolve your game like that and do you ever wish that you had done it a little bit sooner? 

DS: I wish I had expanded my game earlier, but when you’re in your 20’s, you are fit and strong and just want to play a tough physical game. To an extent though, what got me in the top 10 was playing a hard physical game. I wasn’t playing all the flashy shots back then, I was just playing a brutal length game. As you get older the skillset and knowledge improves, it is about finding that peak where your physicality and skillset both peak at the same time.

 TSJ: I am sure you have had some memorable night outs with the lads during tournaments over the years. Care to indulge us a little on one of the more noteworthy - or dare I say ‘infamous’ - evenings?

DS: Haha! YESSSS! Nights out with the lads, Stu you’ve been on tour, you know how it is. The tour is a much busier schedule now, though back in the day going out after you lost was always part of it but I don’t always have the time for it now. Most of my craziest nights out were with the English or the Aussie guys. Peter Barker, Cam Pilley, Nick Matthew and Adrian Grant were always good for it but to be honest I can’t think of any stories that are suitable for a nice family podcast haha!

Fantastic stuff from a world class athlete and world class personality. Hopefully Daryl has heavy involvement in the world of squash after his playing career, maybe he should also try to get a some commentating gig? His insights would certainly be tremendously valuable and no doubt entertaining. We look forward to when the PSA tour resumes and can start to again watch one of the most enjoyable players to grace the squash court.