Alberta Closed - Provincial Championships

It appears that I’ve neglected this blog for over a year, so what better way to start up again than by reporting on the Alberta Provincial Championships. I was lucky enough to get down to Edmonton for the weekend and watch some amazing squash matches as 16 men and 5 women competed for the Open Crowns.
Play started Friday night with 5 of the 8 mens matches going the distance. Royal Glenora Club Pro Jeff Williams was pummeling Calgarys Paul Adamiak, winning the first 2 games easily with Adamiak making flurries of mistakes. Adamiak battled back in the third and fourth by extending rallies and keeping the ball tight, making it difficult for Williams to attack and forcing him to hit the tin. The fifth game saw both players struggling to catch their breath as a composed Adamiak continued to extend rallies and Williams trying to finish them with amazing overhead shots from both wings. In the end Jeff  won 11-9 in just over an hour.
Tyler Parrington and Phattaya Dhitvara both of Edmonton battled it out, Phattaya sustained an injury sometime during the fourth game, but opted to play through it only to lose the fifth easily.
Ryan Jadusingh surprised everyone by dispatching the up and coming junior and number 4 seed Graham Kerford of the Calgary Winter Club.  Both players played a casual game waiting for the other to attack.  The squash itself was actually quite boring to watch, entertainment came from  Ryans constant commentary to himself and shouting after errant plays. This was made more apparent by the contrast in Kerfords quiet frustration, and negative body language. In the end Ryan allowed Graham to self destruct in the fifth.
Andrew Linklater of Edmonton took on another top junior from the Calgary winterclub, Neil Pohlman.  Linklaters classic style and quick feet extended the rallies, while Neils sharp shots and creative strategies had Linklater flying around the court. It was anyones match with the first 4 games being decided in extra points. The fifth game saw Linklater continue to be steady, while Pohlman kept going for too much losing every rally in the fifth, 11-0 to Andrew.
In the most heated match of the tournament, Calgarys Allan Maculay battled it out with Edmonton firefighter Ray Patricio. 6’8” Maculay got more than he bargained for as Ray fought for every point in this match, literally. This was the most physical match I’ve ever seen and if there was pushing and bumping there was yelling and arguing.  With both players refusing to give up any space on the T, and forcing their way into the other player, it made for an intense duel. It didn’t help that the referee was making terrible calls, allowing for this type of play to occur. On a side note – if you bump your opponent while going for the ball, you must stop and ask for a let at the time of contact. If you continue to move and attempt to hit the ball but suddenly stop and decide that it’s not gonna be a good shot, then sorry…the opportunity has passed, it’s a “NO LET”, why? cause you’re at the ball and you’re opponent is not in the way. People seem to interpret the rules to suit them and that’s total BS.  Anyhow Al lost in 11-9 in the fifth and it was terrible for everyone involved, probly the worst match in the history of squash… yeah that’s a little dramatic, but seriously it was bad.
In the other 3 matches,  3rd seed 52 year old veteran Dave Safton took on 21 year old Aleem Merali, who couldn’t keep pace with Safton. Although rallies were long and fast, Dave took the majority of points with consistent play and he just watched as Aleem deteriorated. Nothing went right for Aleem, as his glasses broke after going on a 5 point run in the 3^rd, only to lose the match in straight sets.
The oldest player in the tournament, Tom Bedore at almost 60 (I think? – sorry Tom), took on number 2 seed and top ranked Alberta junior Tyler Lee. Tyler played consistent, focusing on hitting clean shots, he dropped a game to Tom, but didn’t seem to mind as he came back to win the fourth game convincingly.
Top seed Grayson Witcher from Calgary took on newcomer Ibrahim Elshorafy. Grayson came out of the gates slow getting behind 3-8, only to win 11-8 and then take the next 2 with games effortlessly. Another side note – Grayson spent almost an hour warming up, stretching and getting ready for his match that lasted only 20 minutes and then spent another 30 minutes stretching and cooling down after his match.
2^nd Round –
Grayson breezed thru the second round dispatching Jeff 3-0.  Tyler beat Ray 3-0 as well in a swift and easy match for him.  Dave Safton and Andrew Linklater played yet another terribly referred match (seriously, where do they find these guys???), Andrew and Dave took the opportunity to showcase how bad referring could be, explaining many reasons to why the referees calls were wrong. Both players did however play awesome and it’s a shame that someone had to lose that, Andrew won 3-2 in an evenly contested match. Parrington beat Jadusingh 3-1, sorry I only watched a bit of it, but we probly didn’t miss that much, just kidding – but seriously.
Semi finals –
Grayson again was not challenged, showing Parrington off the court pretty quickly. Andrew however was able to take a game and made Tyler work pretty hard to claim the victory.
 FINALS –
One of the most exciting finals yet! Tyler Lee came out ready to run and it looked like Grayson was content to dictate play. The points were fast with Grayson taking the ball early and sending Tyler in every direction. Tyler had no problems playing retriever and waiting for the loose ball that rarely ever came. Game one to Grayson 11-8. More of the same in the second with Gray dictating play, but there was a shift in Lees game as he started to volley and push Grayson off of the T. Looser shots off Grays racket allowed Tyler to show off his incredible racket skill at the front of the court, hitting unreturnable drop shots and devastating cross court nicks. Game to Tyler 11-5. Tyler continued to blaze, putting pressure on Grayson who appeared he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the pace of Tylers game. Grays frustration surfaced a number of times in the third as he opted to argue with the ref rather than make the effort for the ball. Game three to Lee 11-6. Again in the fourth Tyler Lee showed us why he is the best junior in the province, making amazing gets and forcing Grayson into some poor shot choices and simple errors. At 3-8 down, Grayson added some pace to his ball. Tylers racket couldn’t handle the heat of the Witcher backhand drive. Gray picked it up a notch and found another gear, and started to pound the ball relentlessly into the backcourt and Tyler couldn’t keep up. The momentum had swung back around and Gray won the fourth  11-5. Gray stuck with what was working for him and continued to send Tyler into the back corners with blinding speed. At 9-2, Grayson served only to stop play, as it appeared that Tyler had cut his knee and was bleeding. Lee left court for close to 15 minutes, while Gray was forced to try and stay warm. When Lee returned, the points were short and Gray won 11-5.
Heather Yong demolished the competition winning the ladies side.
Congrats Heather and Gray!

Training Alone

Nobody to play?…No court…No racket…No ball...NO PROBLEM!

Go sit down. Okay, now visualize yourself on a squash court…but don’t see yourself thru your own eyes. See yourself as if you are watching from outside the court. Uh-oh, here comes your nemesis, that guy who always seems to make you work harder than anyone else. Time to warm up, so what the heck are you doing? Get that forehand side going, bounce the ball off the sidewall and strike the ball at a medium pace, remember you’re watching from outside the court. Straight length, take it off the volley, hitting is straight, a little harder now. Take a minute to visualize this in detail from outside the back glass…Stop reading and see yourself in your minds eye right now.

I said stop reading and visualize...
Ok, try it again, but wash off the back glass so you can see yourself with more clarity hitting way better shots.

Times up, so you’ve hogged warm up on the forehand side a bit, now hit a cross court. Okay, get your legs going, from the T to the front, back to the T and then back corner. Ok, he’s hit it back to you, time to warm up going for the short nick and few of these, now a nice high lob. Perfect….switch sides and do it all over again. Get that backhand side going, bounce the ball off the sidewall and strike the ball at a medium pace, remember you’re watching from outside the court. Straight length, take it off the volley, hitting is straight, a little harder now. Time to visualize so stop reading. STOP READING already and VISUALIZE!

Now clean off the glass and watch yourself again.

And once again you’ve hogged warm up on the backhand side, time to go cross court. Feetwork time, go from the T to the front, back to the T and then back corner. Cut off his crosscourt and go for the short nick and few more, now a nice high lob. Hopefully you won warmup.

If you need a break, that's okay, but the games about to start. This type of visualization is exhausting, but work your way thru warm up, to watching an entire match. It will prepare your mind for an actual match and you will find that you will have more energy during a real match. Your mind only knows what you tell it, so this type of training may even be better than actually playing. If you get good at it, you should win every point. I suggest you don't visualize losing...what's the point?

OK ready, time to play. Now watch yourself play a point out in your head. Write down a combination of shots that you will hit that set you up to continuously apply more pressure. Build yourself up, watch yourself play as many points as you can in a row, long points, short points and win every single one of them. Watch your feet, your racket, the ball, your head and push through each game and then each match all the way through a tournament.

So that's part 1. Here's part 2. Write it down.

Either between games or after your match (that you should have won) break out the pen and pencil. When did you feel strong? When did you feel frustrated? List all the positive and some negative aspects of your game. Write down at least twice as many positives. Draw a squash court on your notepad. Think back to where you felt the strongest and most confident on court and mark them on that drawing. What shots did you hit when you felt strong? What areas on the court were controlling points? Keep that drawing and recognize the areas of the court where you can attack and exploit that next time you are on court.
Another way to train alone is Self coaching – try using a mirror, it always sounds better coming from someone else.

This is your Brain on Squash...any Questions?

Even if you're only a semi-serious squash player, being an athlete and competing in squash will sooner or later help to define how you see yourself and dictate how you feel and think. It's what you do and who you are, it's how you've committed your blood, sweat and tears, it's the investment on court that has come to shape your sense of identity. At every level in squash, from novice to professional, players will eventually come to see themselves in terms of their squash. Squash brings a player the recognition they may be lacking in other areas of their life. Your mood is often dictated by how well you played last night or an upcoming match. At the novice levels, the huge gains and initial improvement builds the ego and provides a great source of self-esteem. For competitive players, mastering new skills, overcoming challenges, attaining victory and gaining strength provides the enjoyment and satisfaction that provides them with the motivation to keep playing.

But with all the positive aspects involved with playing squash, being competitive often leaves players feeling wiped, and losing may drain one's psyche dramatically. It's the all too common squash-sob story that everyone has experienced. Losing to players who are technically and physically inferior; playing a combination of brilliant shots only to finish lazy and uninspired; focusing on all the negatives while dictating a point. The intensity of squash can be extremely taxing on the brain, leaving even the most talented players feeling burnt out, and although often euphoric may lead some players to abandon the sport. So what's the solution?

Winning squash is about controlling time. Many players use time to apply and relieve pressure - playing the ball early, slowing the game with high tosses and moving with efficiency. But many players neglect those precious moments of time between points. It's these split seconds where players allow those negative thoughts to fester and turn into devasting losses. It's those extra ticks on the clock that can be used to turn the tide of a match. I don't know what you need to tell yourself during the time between points. But if you're thinking negative thoughts between points, when will you find the time to be positive and get yourself playing your absolute best squash?

I have no idea what goes thru my mind between points, but I'll bet that if I made the effort to focus on my strengths, I would find more success and my mind would feel less fried after a match. just saying...