Short High Intensity Interval Training (SHIIT) Sessions
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*** ONLY FOR Intermediate, Advanced and Elite Players ***
Intermediate — Matrix 150-200 / Sporty HQ 1,000-1,200 Advanced — Matrix 200-300 / Sporty HQ 1,200-1,800 Elite — Matrix 300+ / Sporty HQ 1,800+ 
Marc Dussault playing a forehand drive at the East Coast Squash Academy.
Ever wonder how some people improve their squash game ‘almost overnight’ while others struggle for years or even decades with little or no improvement?
The ‘secret’ is Deliberate Practice Principles, the foundational concept behind the Academy’s Coaching Success! You can spend countless hours on court hitting balls, but unless you have a proven system that works, you could be reinforcing a bad habit that makes things worse, is hard to change and in some cases impossible to get rid of.
Deliberate Practice is a methodology used by the best in the world including Olympians, World Champions and Commonwealth Games athletes. Now you can tap into this powerful approach to either kick start your squash and create a breakthrough or achieve the ‘quantum leap’ forward you need to get to your next performance level. |
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The power of Deliberate Practice Principles is that they apply to all age groups and standards of player skill, regardless of fitness or physical ability. It's a framework, a process that is scientifically designed to make the most of every single minute you spend on court.
Short High Intensity Interval Training (SHIIT) sessions are structured and designed according to Deliberate Practice Principles. Concentration of focus is an important element to identify sources of improvement and push through physical, technical and/or psychological limits and barriers.
Easier said than done, which is why you need to be guided, mentored by an experienced facilitator and coach. These sessions will be led by Dr Marc Dussault, the academy’s resident Peak Performance Strategist.
Each session will have a specific outcome with drills, routines and exercises designed to focus on specific skill/ability development. All sessions will combine movement and technical development.
Short High Intensity Interval Training (SHIIT) sessions are structured and designed according to Deliberate Practice Principles. Concentration of focus is an important element to identify sources of improvement and push through physical, technical and/or psychological limits and barriers.
Easier said than done, which is why you need to be guided, mentored by an experienced facilitator and coach. These sessions will be led by Dr Marc Dussault, the academy’s resident Peak Performance Strategist.
Each session will have a specific outcome with drills, routines and exercises designed to focus on specific skill/ability development. All sessions will combine movement and technical development.
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Short High Intensity Interval Training (SHIIT) Sessions:
PLAYING LENGTH WITH VARIATIONS
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"The SHIIT sessions with Marc have been a
great way to stay fit as well as work on specific skills I can’t develop through regular match play or even drills and routines. Marc does a great job at pushing me in these sessions just beyond my comfort zone - replicating game-like scenarios with the intensity required to better understand where and when my game breaks down so we can work on fixing the source of the problem(s)." — Matthew
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ALLEY GAME WITH VARIATIONS
SHORT VS. LONG / BOAST-CROSS COURT / VOLLEY GAMES
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CROSS COURT GAME WITH VARIATIONS
TWO AGAINST ONE
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Research shows that up to 75% of the time in social squash is taken up with friendly and fun banter.
These are high-intensity HITTING SESSIONS – not coaching or feedback focused sessions. You will be hitting with Marc with minimal breaks. You will be directed to focus on YOUR OWN effort rather than starting and stopping to discuss distinctions.
High intensity is synonymous with squad “pressure sessions” – but these sessions are sustained for extended periods, to develop fitness, perseverance and stamina and develop 'mental toughness'.
Often, what happens in training, there are too many breaks in-between each routine. High intensity sessions are designed to mimic long rallies where concentration and stamina come into play. Mental toughness principles will emerge as a factor depending on your level of fitness.
Benefits of Short High Intensity Interval Training (SHIIT) sessions:
Sessions will begin with structured hitting warm-ups and will NOT include any court sprints since you should be completely spent at the end of each session.
Concentration of focus – sessions will be focused on ONE SKILL, ONE ELEMENT of the game, length, cross courts, volleys, drop shots, straight hitting, taking the ball early. This attention to detail is a guiding principle of Deliberate Practice that echoes the Academy’s approach to advanced skill development.
Disciplined training principles will also be reinforced. You will learn to train like professional players so you make the MOST of every minute you spend on court.
These sessions are NOT for everyone:
These high intensity hitting sessions are for you if you:
Special Considerations:
You must show up 10 minutes before the session starts. Full changing room and shower facilities are available on site. If you are late, you forego the entire session with no credit or refund. This is part of the Deliberate Practice Principle framework – discipline to plan ahead and BE ON TIME. All sessions finish on time.
Sessions are only held in the city at World Square, Hordern Towers (corner or Pitt and Liverpool streets).
* The acronym SHIIT was chosen ON PURPOSE - because let's face it, if we can't have fun and laugh at ourselves, what's the point? We will have fun in the SHIIT sessions, but we will also take it VERY, VERY seriously.
High intensity is synonymous with squad “pressure sessions” – but these sessions are sustained for extended periods, to develop fitness, perseverance and stamina and develop 'mental toughness'.
Often, what happens in training, there are too many breaks in-between each routine. High intensity sessions are designed to mimic long rallies where concentration and stamina come into play. Mental toughness principles will emerge as a factor depending on your level of fitness.
Benefits of Short High Intensity Interval Training (SHIIT) sessions:
- Increased pace removes time to think, forcing muscle memory to take over. The brain operates in one of two modes – EXPLICIT when learning and IMPLICIT when playing. These sessions uniquely APPLY learnings in real time, in IMPLICIT mode.
- Higher intensity reveals when and why technical breakdowns occur (e.g. poor racket preparation, wrong approach path to the shot, bad shot selection, etc.)
- Squash 'match' fitness can only be developed on court. Without high intensity sessions, you can’t re-create 4th and 5th game conditions when fatigue and fitness come into play.
- Stamina, developing long(er) rallies is a difficult skill to develop, impossible to do in regular game play conditions. Only routines with high intensity can create the conditions to learn how to do this. You’ll appreciate this the next time you go into a 5th game – knowing you can stay the course and force your opponent into capitulating, mentally, physically or both!
- Mental toughness can only be practiced when under “pressure”. These sessions create both physical and mental stresses you can play around with to develop the skills to handle them in pennant and tournament play.
- Getting through high intensity sessions builds confidence. This will help boost your quality of shot selection, opting for the better shot in higher pressure situations rather than “just getting the ball back”.
- You’ll identify your primary weaknesses in each variation of the game so you can then tailor your coaching accordingly.
Sessions will begin with structured hitting warm-ups and will NOT include any court sprints since you should be completely spent at the end of each session.
Concentration of focus – sessions will be focused on ONE SKILL, ONE ELEMENT of the game, length, cross courts, volleys, drop shots, straight hitting, taking the ball early. This attention to detail is a guiding principle of Deliberate Practice that echoes the Academy’s approach to advanced skill development.
Disciplined training principles will also be reinforced. You will learn to train like professional players so you make the MOST of every minute you spend on court.
These sessions are NOT for everyone:
These high intensity hitting sessions are for you if you:
- Want to make QUICK progress on specific aspects of your game.
- Get squash fit, improve your quickness, speed and agility.
- Build stamina and endurance for longer matches.
- Focus on mental toughness.
- Develop a more disciplined approach to your squash training.
- Want to start beating opponents at the same level as you are.
- Create a breakthrough skill or ability that might be frustrating you.
- Push yourself and see what you’re capable of.
- Try something new.
- Have fun, but at higher level of commitment.
- Put your coaching to the test.
- Replace game play with equivalent (more) effort on court.
Special Considerations:
You must show up 10 minutes before the session starts. Full changing room and shower facilities are available on site. If you are late, you forego the entire session with no credit or refund. This is part of the Deliberate Practice Principle framework – discipline to plan ahead and BE ON TIME. All sessions finish on time.
Sessions are only held in the city at World Square, Hordern Towers (corner or Pitt and Liverpool streets).
* The acronym SHIIT was chosen ON PURPOSE - because let's face it, if we can't have fun and laugh at ourselves, what's the point? We will have fun in the SHIIT sessions, but we will also take it VERY, VERY seriously.
Are you game to give it a go?
Don't hesitate, do it now.
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Sessions are strictly limited to LESS than 4 sessions per week!
If you are unsure of your squash level or which class to sign up to, please refer to our Squash Skill Self Assessment table to determine where you’ll best fit into our programs.
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