Think while practicing in order to Improve

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It's been close to a year since I've posted anything on my blog; so I've spent plenty of time ruminating. 

Now that my squash career is winding down, I’ve been thinking more about the influences that got me started with and have kept me in the game.  Besides my coach at Cal, Dick Crawford, who introduced me to the game, the other great influence was Jack Barnaby*, the esteemed coach at Harvard who passed away in 2002.  And curiously enough, an inspiration despite the fact that he and I never spent time on the court with one another.  His guidance came from me reading his classic book, Winning Squash Racquets, and from his articles in Squash News, the monthly squash periodical at the time.

In order to be a squash player, one has to THINK like one. The game is more involved than just "monkey see - monkey do."

I’m sharing the following Squash News article written by Jack himself and plan to publish subsequent articles for your benefit as his writings have proved to have made a lasting impression on me.  I hope that they do the same for you.

One pithy aphorism that Jack has been known to utter - "I always said 'Give me an athlete, and I'll teach him the game.' But give me a fat slob..."

The Cal Team Reunion at the 2015 Netsuite Open

How to Practice for Improvement

Most players think that if they play daily they will improve.  Actually they don’t improve: they sharpen up whatever skills they already possess, but do not acquire new ones.  Some recognize this, and to add to their games, they go into the court by themselves and play a great variety of shots from all over the court.  This will help some, but falls far short of doing an efficient job.  In sum, the vast majority of players, sad to say, have extremely ineffective practice habits.

It is easy to criticize, as above.  It is also unfair to knock one system unless the critic has a better one to offer in its place, with compelling reasons why it is better.  All right, here goes:

Adding a new skill means mastering the technique - the execution of the shot.  It also means relating the shot to a tactical situation: when I am here, my opponent there, and the ball pops out so - then I play this shot,  It also means relating the shot to deception: when an opponent catches on that this is what I do in that situation then I must know how from the same preparation, to make the shot that goes to the diagonally opposite corner.  In this way and opponent who anticipates on lays himself open to the other.  For example, if you start early for my reverse corner (a hardball shot not generally used in singles softball) and I hit hard and deep crosscourt, you are caught running away from the ball.  Therefor when I learn a reverse corner, I must also learn a good crosscourt, made from exactly the same preparatory stance and racquet motion so there is no give away as to which - the reverse corner or the deep crosscourt - I am about to play.

Adding a new skill means even more: you must learn when NOT to play the shot; when the rebound goes towards, rather than away from, your opponent.  This is negative, but important, because everyone, on acquiring a new shot, falls in love with it and wants to play it all the time.  Some of the time it is a stupid play, and this must be learned too.

Well, all the above is a pretty large order.  Can one practice ALL these things at once?  Yes, if you have a plan and use your imagination.  Let’s take a specific example.  I want to learn a forehand reverse corner shot.  This shot should be made when my opponent is deep on the backhand side and makes a poor shot that comes out and sets up for my forehand.  I crouch, imagine I am blocking my opponent while the ball comes out, be my racquet ready, wait as long as possible, snap the corner shot and skitter out of the way.  I repeat this fifty to one hundred times, thinking sometimes of my technique, sometimes of how well I am clearing, and about every fifth time I imagine my opponent has started for it and I whack a hard crosscourt instead of a corner.

A half hour a day honing this skill and only one skill, will improve not only your technique but will teach you to use it effectively also.  We often hear it said, “He has shots but he must learn how to put it together.”  Why not learn the shot and the tactics and the deception all at once?  Life is short and busy.  You can’t put endless hours on squash.  Why not use your limited time to greater effect?  It really pays off, and nothing increases your fun so much as to feel, “By golly, I’m getting good!”

*(Jack Barnaby is one of the best-known names in squash racquets. Head coach in squash at Harvard University for 28 years, he is the author of numerous pamphlets, articles, and books.  His teams have won twenty-two national and intercollegiate titles and his pupils have accumulated thirteen individual national championships and fifteen intercollegiate titles. His "batting average" in intercollegiate team competition was close to .950, and he became known as Harvard's ''winningest'' coach. Coach Barnaby was also awarded the President's Cup, the game's highest honor.)  He passed away in 2002.

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