How serious are you?

HOW SERIOUS ARE YOU?

by Jack Barnaby

April 1992

It is my observation that almost all articles about racquet games start with and proceed on the assumption that each reader wants and intends to be like the world champions who populate the tour rankings. I often wonder if this is a valid or justifiable assumption. Personally I don't think so, and moreover I think it is a good thing that it is not so.

 

In the first place, games are supposed to be played for fun, for diversion, for relaxation, or perhaps just to get some exercise. Second, to excel to any great degree requires a combination of physical and mental talents far in excess of what the good Lord chose to give to most of us. By “most of us” I mean 99 percent. Perhaps it would be nearer the truth to say 99.9 percent. That is one in a thousand. Question does one in a thousand tennis or squash players rank on the com puter list? I believe it is a good bit less than one in a thousand since millions play and only hundreds get ranked. But one in a thousand is a nice easy round figure, so let's take that. 

This means that for 999 of any thousand readers, the idea of being as good as the champs is not in the picture. These readers play for fun. They know they'll never be champions, but they also know they could be a good bit better than they are right now. They are not really serious about the game, yet it has seized their interest and they'd like to improve. Also, as I like often to point out, you have more fun if you are getting better. So let's revise that initial assumption to be, "I'd like to come a bit closer to realizing my intrinsic potential.” Every player has potential, and very few have developed or come close to realizing all of it. This is a realistic objective involving no delusions of grandeur. It is a legitimate attitude for any player to adopt. How does this affect what is written by so called "experts” like me? 

The effect is quite drastic! All of a sudden I am dealing not with a potential national champion but with a much more ordinary human being who has reasonably obvious limitations. Many women cannot hit hard enough to get the ball past you unless they play rather high. The champion hits hard and low and still gets depth. What does the expert advise? Many players do not have much "touch.” They have difficulty perfecting little short shots. The champion has natural feel and touch and quickly develops a varied arsenal of soft shots. What does the expert advise? And so it goes: what is good for the champion is often beyond the ability of the average club hacker. Then to all this we must add that the champion is usually quite independent. He doesn't bother much with articles by me or anyone else. He does his own thinking and makes his own plans. So the writer must realize that the most talented may not even read what is written, never mind be influenced by it. All this is not so good for the expert's vanity, but it is nonetheless true. 

So the writer should add some more assumptions to the initial one. He is writing for less, rather than more, accomplished players, since they are the only ones who may read what he says. He is writing for people whose potential is somewhat limited. Therefore he must be selective in what he advises. It is not enough for him to ask, “Is this (what the champ does) the best?" He must then ask, “Is this within the probable potential of my readers?" 

I would personally add one more assumption: my reader is probably a reasonably busy person. He is NOT going to organize his life around squash. He IS going to think about and spend time on a lot of things other than squash: spouse, children, job, etc. As a writer, what have I to say to THIS person? And, writers should remember, there are 999 of these for each champion. 

So when I read an article about technique that is long, involved and exhaustively covers every detail I often think, “This is very expert stuff, but will anybody read it?" Then when I read one of these articles about nutrition, how to eat before a match, how to maintain moisture levels during a match, how to eat after a match - I cannot argue the science of it because I am too ignorant, but I can confidently assert, "Few or nobody will pay any attention to all this." 

Now that hurts. As a writer I do not welcome the thought that even those who read what I write will in all probability ignore it. But these are the facts, staring me in the face; the world is as it is, and no complaining by me that "It ain't right” is going to make the slightest difference. So we come up against the old rule of survival: adapt or perish. What does this mean? It means I must try to give advice that is simple, short (not time consuming if followed), within the potential of everyone (female as well as male), and conducive to enhanced enjoyment (we play for fun). 

If you, the reader, are the one in a thousand, you probably will ignore what I write or go in search of these meticulous and more exhaustive treatises I mentioned above. If you are, as is more probable, one of the 999, then I hope and believe what I write is for you and is practical in its application to your personal situation. 

How serious are you about the game? Don't you have other things that come first? For years I coached at Harvard. We had many championship teams. But even there, advanced players put other things ahead of squash: their academic obligations, their plans for a career, their girl friends. I did not succeed as a coach because I motivated these people to discard other commitments and concentrate on squash. I got along because I recognized and adapted to the fact that my little squash world was not the whole universe and couldn't be made to be the whole thing. 

It's a matter of values, and I have always felt and still feel that most people should not be too serious about squash. If this be heresy, then make the most of it, as somebody or other once said. The Ivy League approach to extracurricular activities (by no means restricted to the Ivy schools) is based on careful thinking and important values. It is a position that can be defended better than any other I have encountered. So if you have felt at all guilty about not putting ALL your time on the game, forget it: your inclination to make other commitments is natural, healthy and wise. Don't let anyone talk you out of it. AND, if you read 'Squash Tips' dutifully each month, I'll guarantee to give you little SHORT drills and practice methods that will bring you that enhanced enjoyment we all want. 

So, I've stuck my neck out: don't let me down! The short drills will start next month, and they will be applicable to BOTH hard and soft ball (I write for everybody!). Have fun! 

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