Recently one of our East Coast Squash Academy team, Jake Cohen, was lucky enough to be able to visit some of the world's best squash facilities, scattered around England. The venues that Jake was lucky enough to visit were:-

• Vivo Gym and Sports Club, run by Elite Squash, Hadrian Stiff (current coach of the ElShorbagy brothers and Joelle King, amongst others)
• Hallamshire Squash Club, Neil Guirey (coach of Nick Matthew)
• Edgbaston Priory Club, Mike Harris (former Head of Education and Coaching in Finland and former England High Performance Coach)

Jake was lucky enough to be able to go over to England to see the squash environments, which was organised by Academy director, Aaron Frankcomb. Through Aaron's vast and detailed contacts through his playing experience, this allowed Jake inside KNOWLEDGE of what occurs in some of the top clubs in world squash. This is a rare occurrence, especially in the lead up to the World Championships. The Academy thanks all the venues for opening their doors for Jake. 

The experiences of each Club differed greatly from each other. The Elite Squash environment has a dual focus of the pro players and the club level player. When Jake visited, 6th December, the World Championship preparations were well underway for many of the pro's who use the club's services. Players who Jake was lucky enough to see at the club were:-

• Mohamed ElShorbagy (World number 1 for 28 months, 21 PSA titles, 2 time British Open winner and current world number 2, World Champion 2017)
• Cesar and Arturo Salazar (current world rankings of 20 and 45 respectively)
• Youssef Soliman (Current world ranking of 58, 2016 U19 British Open Champion, 5 PSA titles)
• Nada Abbas (Current world ranking of 38, 2 titles in 2016, 4th place in 2017 U19 British Open)
• Joshua Masters (Current world ranking of 55 and 2 PSA titles in 2016)

The focus for Elite Squash's professional players is to focus on players MOVEMENT as the key to improvement in the individual players game. Hadrian, a leading coach in world squash, believes "You can be the best shot player but if you can't move, you won't win. We focus on movement being the key asset and sprinkle things on top of that." The environment is one which is largely unmatched across the globe as his approach is very UNIQUE compared to many other top level coaches. This unique approach is appreciated by many of the up and coming juniors from around the globe, who frequent his training facilities to get any of his time to improve their game. The club also has many different options for club players, such as group lessons, individual coaching and junior programs.

The next facility which Jake was able to visit was Hallamshire Squash Club in Sheffield. This complex, a 9 court facility, is an up and coming squash club which is focusing largely on their junior contingent in the hope of creating some of England and world squash's best juniors in the coming years. Helping this approach is the Nick Matthew Academy now being located in the Hallamshire complex, as Nick was born and bred in Sheffield. This sees junior sessions being run on a weekday DAILY basis to be able to cater for all the various levels of players, from their mini squash program (6 year olds down) to the top level junior players. They also have adult programs in group sessions and individual coaching, delivered by their top level four person coaching team. 

Jake was lucky enough to see Nick Matthew train for the final time before he departed for his final World Champs push in Manchester. Nick had a great session with his coach, Neil Guirey, where they worked on fine tuning Nick's game to give him the BEST OPPORTUNITY TO WIN his fourth World Championships men's title, to go with his 3 British Open titles, 3 Commonwealth Games gold medals and 33 PSA tour titles. 

Lastly, Jake was able to visit the fantastic facility at Edgbaston Priory Club, a 32 tennis court and 10 squash court facility, in Birmingham. This was where squash legend Jonah Barrington won two of his six British Open titles, which saw court 6 at the facility named The Jonah Barrington Court. The current U17's boys British nationals champion is one of the players currently being coached at the Priory Club, which shows the high level of coaching being delivered by Mike Harris and his team, including Deon Saffery (former world ranking of 42). With an incredible 17 junior sessions being run a week at the Birmingham location, great coaching and facilities, their FUTURE can be nothing but very BRIGHT and see more top juniors coming out of Birmingham onto the world scene. 

Overall, Jake had a fantastic time. He said, "It was great to be able to go into all three clubs. They all were so open and willing to help me but all differed so much. To see squash doing so well is fantastic to see. The resemblance that East Coast Squash Academy has to all three clubs with their structure and programs shows that Aaron is definitely on the right path and doing great things for squash in Sydney and Australia."

​Following Aaron’s most recent win at the Next Generation Open, the team sat down and asked Aaron a few questions.

​What did you think of the Next Generation Club?
The Next Generation Club is a great facility, especially to play tournaments at.   The more squash centers like Next Generation, the more APPEALING it is for people to want to play squash.  The reason being it includes a VARIETY of facilities (a pool, spa, gym and café) that COMPLIMENT each others business.

What did the courts play like at Next Generation? 
The courts play with a true bounce meaning that the ball is relatively neutral in its bounce i.e not over bouncy but not dead. The conditions over the weekend were warm as there were a lot of players around. Typically, the more bodies in a centre, the warmer it is, regardless of the outside temperature.  Even though the courts play true, in warm conditions it causes the ball to be more bouncy. This makes it harder to CONTROL, even on a true playing court because the ball shoots around more and bounces up higher. 
 
Do you play differently on each court or does it depend on the opponent?
The court and ball all play a part in the conditions, though it doesn't change my strategy of playing the opponent.  Regardless of conditions, I am always LOOKING for my opponents WEAKNESSES and then playing into these areas as often and as ACCURATE as I can. 

When is the best time to figure out how the ball plays? 
The first thing I look at before I have even started is whether the ball is new (just came out of the box) or whether it is old. The reason for this is that a new ball is more likely to shoot around the court quite fast at the start. An old ball that has been hit around for hours is usually going to be hit in, meaning it is a tad softer and less lively. Sometimes you have variables where balls stay fast throughout a match, but this is very rare. Another variable is that a new ball is dead from the beginning (not very bouncy), again this is also very rare. 

The best time to figure out how the ball is bouncing is in the warm-up. Bear in mind that it is difficult to guage the natural bounce of a cold ball in the first 30-60 seconds It is best to wait until the ball is warm to determine the bounce and play of the ball more accurately. 

​Do you do anything specifically to get an advantage?
YES.
If the ball is shiny, I will make the ball go coarse again. I do this by rubbing the ball on my strings to get rid of the shine on the ball.

I do not see an old ball as a bad ball, as I would actually prefer to play with an older ball vs. a brand new ball. The reason being is that an older ball typically does not shoot around the court and is therefore easier to CONTROL and more REWARDING of good shots. 

You played Joshua Larkin in the final. A player known for his speed and counter-attacking style. Do you change your game plan completely when someone is quite quick around the court comparative to someone who does not move as well?
Yes, I will VARY my STRATEGY when playing a counter attacking player vs. a player who doesn’t move so well. 

How do you adapt your game style to players that are quick and look to counter attack?
I don’t change my game plan completely, but I do pull back my attacking shots to the front of the court from across the middle.  When playing a counter attacking player, you have to be careful when taking the ball short to the front. If you don’t go short particularly well, you will be placed straight on the back foot, meaning you will have to defend. Therefore, I make sure to CHOOSE my OPPORTUNITIES to attack at the RIGHT times, as I don’t attack the ball to be put on the defensive. This enables me to put the counter-attack player under pressure and not be placed back under pressure from my initial ATTACKING opportunity.  This is easier said than done and requires a great amount of discipline, which I have been fortunate enough to develop over the years.   

If I were to be playing someone who doesn’t move so well, taking the ball to the front of the court would be more EFFECTIVE, as movement will reveal their weakness which means far greater reward.  This enables you to attack and sustain the attack.  

Thanks for your time, Aaron, and congratulations on your win.

Did you know that the game of Squash has more significance throughout history than meets the eye?

Here are some fun Squash facts to test your knowledge about the game.

 Squash was invented in 1830, by students at Harrow School near London. Prisoners in London Debtors Prison also played a similar sport using rackets, According to the World Squash Federation, prisoners would hit a ball against walls with their rackets for exercise.

The game of squash was once called squash racquets because the soft rubber balls used to play the game “squashed” against the walls when they were hit.

One hour of squash can burn 600 to 1000 calories. In fact, Forbes Magazine voted squash as the healthiest sports based on muscular strength, endurance, calories burnt, cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility and risk of injury.

Although squash is perceived as an upper-class sport in the United States, there are now programs such as Street Squash, which promote the game for youth-enrichment in low-income communities of New York, Harlem, New Jersey and Newark.

The J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions has been running since 1932 and is considered by many as squash’s equivalent of Wimbledon. It provides fans an opportunity to watch some of the most competitive international squash players in action.

The game of squash is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and supporters are lobbying for squash to be included in the 2024 Olympic games.

In the United States, there are only two outdoor squash courts. One of these is in Burlington, VT and another is in Minnesota.

Prince Phillip of the U.K. was playing squash while his wife Queen Elizabeth II went through 30 hours of labour before giving birth to Prince Charles.

Another royal family member who enjoyed the game so much that he trained hard and played every day for several years, was the prince of Monaco, the late Rainer III.

The doomed ship Titanic had a squash court and it cost 50 cents to play a game. A squash professional Fred Wright unfortunately lost his life on the ill-fated voyage. One of the survivors, Colonel Archibald Grace wrote in his book that shortly after the collision he told Mr. Wright they ought to cancel their match for the morning. It is believed they had played a game previously. 

In 1942, Enrico Fermi and some of his colleagues secretly engineered the world’s first nuclear reactor. The venue for this nuclear chain reaction was the University of Chicago’s squash court. The reactor was part of a project to build the first atomic weapons.

For more fun facts about the game of squash, see our infographic.

In the first instalment of the “Watch the Ball” series, some signs were identified when players typically do not watch the ball. Pointing out when these errors in judgement occur are necessary for both a coach and player to evoke change.  In this second instalment, we identify some reasons WHY this occurs. Identifying the WHY is as crucial as the WHAT in error detection and correction. This allows for ANCHORS and TRIGGERS to be implemented. ANCHORS and TRIGGERS provoke a specific thought or mental process that cues changes.

Below are some general reasons as to why people do not watch the ball.

Fear 
This will mostly affect those that are new to the sport. If the new player notices their opponent going to hit the ball hard, the new player will typically look away. This is a natural reaction that the body does to protect itself. Only when the ball strikes the front wall and a loud noise is made, will the player’s attention be drawn to the ball. By then, it is too late. This is known as an enduring disposition. As stated earlier, this is a trait of a new player. With anything, this resolves in time, as the player will get used to the stimulus. To put this into context it is similar to having your first ever coffee. Initially, it will have a large effect on your body, though as you get used to drinking coffee you will need a larger stimulus albeit more coffee to get a effect. The same can be said for someone who fears getting hit by the ball or when someone hits the ball hard. 

Oblivious
This is by far the most common. As mentioned earlier in the piece, most people are simply unaware that they do not watch the ball. For those that are oblivious check out Part 1 of the series to see if any the points made are relatable. If so, you should consult a coach.

​Perceptual Errors
A perceptual error is an error that occurs when people select the wrong information to go off, rather than failing to pick up the information at all. In squash, a person may know that the ball was hit to length, but may lose where the ball was hit exactly as they were focusing too much on the other persons body and swing mechanics.  It is true that the body position/swing mechanics can tell a player a great deal on what is going on, but focusing on that for too long will make you miss critical information. This is known as perceptual narrowing. The opposite could be said, where having such a broad focus i.e. trying to take in too much, could also have a negative effect.  The best way to improve on this is to work with a coach so they can assist to direct your attention to the important information. This can be done through cues that act as TRIGGERS.

Guessing
This one is pretty straightforward… THE PERSON DID NOT HAVE ANY INTENT TO WATCH THE BALL. Generally, this occurs when someone is tired, totally out of position or has given up mentally.

The WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championships is currently underway in Marseille, France.  All the action can be caught live on SQUASHTV. 

The English team are the reigning champions and are looking to defend their 2013 title. If they do, they will be sending the retiring Nick Matthew off with another Gold! 

Australia, the most medalled nation has sent a young team over to put a stop to the current champions and add another medal to the trophy cabinet. 

​The last Australian team to win the championship was David Palmer, Anthony Ricketts and Paul Price back in 2003. Since then, they’ve placed second in 2007 and third in 2009 and 2011. In the most recent event Australia finished in 4th place, losing out to home nation France. See below for the 2013 play-off between Australia and France.