The sun was shining in Sydney as an array of players took to the courts at The Academy Junior Bronze event. Sanctioned by Squash Australia there were vital points to be earned for junior rankings, matchplay practise for upcoming Gold events and also a chance for newcomers to dip their toe into a beginner level of competition.
 
The day started off at the Sydney University Arena Sports Centre with our novice grades, where players from St Andrew’s Cathedral School competed, for many in their first round robin format. Players from Yr 7 to Yr 12 enjoyed the fun competition at The Arena courts that have recently had upgrades to its flooring making the court very playable with great viewing from the balcony.
 
Yr 11 student Justin New was the eventual winner.
 
Across Sydney the City Tattersalls Club hosted division 1 and 2. This was littered with Australian and State champions and there were a number of 5 set battles throughout the day.

​Division 1 was taken by Will who got the upper hand in a lengthy, topsy turvy match against his brother. No love was lost when James hit a back wall nick after a 60 shot rally!

Division 2 again had State and Australian champions competing. Ethan Middleton ran out the winner after a tough first round 3-2 win against Oliver Dickens he came through a tough final 3-1 against Australian U11 Champion Thomas Wang.
 
Division 1
Winner                          Will Slade
Runner Up                    James Slade
3rd Place                      Marcus Wang
 
Division 2
Winner                          Ethan Middleton
Runner Up                    Thomas Wang
3rd Place                       Oliver Dickens

​Our 3rd venue, Sydney University Sports and Aquatic Centre, hosted division 3 and division 4.
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These divisions had a number of beginner players who have started the journey in the fun competitions and some budding players for the future, mainly under the age of 11.

The division 3 final between Nathanial Middleton and Elizabeth Wang saw both players progress comfortably through the draw, setting up a deciding match between the two with Nathanial taking the win 3-1. The last match of the day was a tough battle between twins Jim and George, with Jim coming out on top in a closely contested 5 games!

Division 4 saw several juniors playing in their first tournament. Hailey took the title 3-1 in a competitive match against her younger sister Hannah, whilst Jamie, one of the youngest players in the draw, impressed with his fierce determination to run after every single ball regardless of the score line.
 
Division 3
Winner                          Nathaniel Middleton
Runner Up                    Elizabeth Wang
3rd Place                       Jim Wilson
 
Division 4
Winner                          Hailey Frankcomb
Runner Up                    Hannah Frankcomb
3rd Place                       Isaac Taylor

 ​A fantastic day of squash, excellent competitive and fair spirit throughout.
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The Academy also runs a number of Junior Training Squads throughout the week and Timed Tournaments for juniors to participate in.

​Sebastien Bonmalais is a young, up and coming PSA player based out of Aix-en-Provence, France. He is an explosive, dynamic and humble player on a fast trajectory for success.
 
This is a super long video, over an hour and a half in length filled with high quality content you can apply to your training and game immediately. You might want to start now and digest it in a few sittings because you don’t want to miss the ONE KEY distinction that might help you win your next match or tournament!
 
In this video, Sebastien and Ahad discuss everything from Sebastien’s “beginner’s mind” – how Sebastien reached out to Ahad to get Ahad’s perspective on his game – to learning to let go of outcomes.
 
The video also covers advanced technical aspects like energy transfer in your shots, the tactical context that affects shot selection. The best part of this video is it’s all done in a unique, coaching style video review that Sebastien graciously agreed to share (without any idea of what Ahad was going to point out).
 
If you love playing squash and want to understand the psyche of a top 50 player, this is a must-watch video to fully understand and appreciate the attention to detail and the many technical subtleties of the game when you’re playing at the top of the game.

​About Ahad Raza
 
Ahad Raza is a former Professional Squash Association (PSA) touring athlete and top 10 Canadian player. He is a published author on mindset and peak performance. Ahad mentors athletes, business executives and business owners on mindset, peak performance, and squash. Ahad presents unique content on his AR Proformance YouTube channel where he (1) analyses the subtleties of professional squash in depth, and (2) interviews top players to inspire, empower, and help guide the transformation of squash players around the world. Ahad is extremely passion about squash, and he is grateful to be able to share his experiences with you virtually and via his website.