Last night I had my first match (Rd 2) of the Richardson Wealth PSA in Vancouver.
I grew up in Victoria, BC, so throughout juniors I was often playing tournaments in Vancouver. It’s like a second (or third) home to me! Being surrounded and supported at the club by people you have known since your teenage years is very heart-warming. The squash culture here in Vancouver always reminds me how much I appreciate my west-coast roots.
Lead up to the tournament
Aside from Cleveland, this was my first PSA match since the end of October.
Eek- I know. Since my season began in early August with the Pan Am Championships, I decided I wanted to take a mid-season break from competition so I could work on my game, and also not burn myself out from competition, which I have done before.
For me, it’s imperative to enjoy all aspects of competition- being at the event, going to practice, and of course the competition itself- so I decided to opt out of some tournaments in November and January. It can be hard to say “no” to playing tournaments- especially ones which are conveniently located in your backyard. However, based on past experience, I knew it was the right decision for the long haul. Also, I wasn’t completely without competition. I had the world team championships in Hong Kong in December, which would provide me with the opportunity to put my November training block to the test. It’s not the same kind of pressure as PSA, but there is still pressure to win for your team, and it’s physically challenging because of all the matches you play in a week.
Since mid January, I have been working hard on a few elements of my game. Unfortunately, I was set back by now one, but two bouts of illnesses. Despite being on the sickness carousel, I think I managed them pretty well and recovered/trained to the best of my ability.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned more about how hard to push so that I can recover and come back the next day, and train smarter. This takes some trial and error, and also being hyper-aware of what’s actually going to move the needle, and what can be re-scheduled or erased from the calendar for the time being.
After watching my Cleveland match back, I realized I really needed to get clearer on my tactics, and improve my movement speed and efficiency. I also had a couple technical things I wanted to pay attention to.
I am pleased to say that I have improved upon these technical and movement areas. The week before the tournament, I felt like I was playing pretty well, and went down to train with Graeme for a couple days. We worked on some technical aspects, which were hugely helpful and insightful, although the small downside of this is that it pulled me out of the flow of the tactics I had been working on. I’m not upset about it, nor do I regret it. It was my own choice! I just wish I’d had the availability in my schedule to have gone down to work with him about 7-10 days before leaving for the tournament. Then I could have about a week to practice these elements and integrate them into the tactical framework.
Match vs Habiba Hani
From the beginning of my off-court pre match warmup, I felt good. My body warmed up and responded really quickly. All the movement work I’ve been doing and maintenance/rehab work has been paying off. I was moving well from the beginning. The first couple rallies I felt calm and proactive. Then things quickly turned on a dime, and I lost the first game in a flash.
I proceeded to lose the second game in a matter of a few minutes, too. Certainly not what I was hoping in for in front of a home crowd. I came off, and Melissa Alves (who awaited the winner of my match), sat down with me and gave me a few words of advice. She mentioned a couple of basic tactical things (like get the ball to the back wall!), and mentally to let those first 2 games go. It happens- what matters is how you bounce back.
As much as you don’t want to rely on a coach, I have to admit it was really helpful having her there. (I actually ended up coaching her for her next couple matches, where she not only got to the final but won the whole tournament, so I’ll take some credit for my returning the favor ;).
I managed to fight back to 2-2, but I didn’t have a good start in the 5th. I didn’t feel confident, and I let this mentality affect me physically. This was a big takeaway following the match: always portray confidence. You’ve heard the phrase “fake it til ya make it”, right? I needed to do this! Sometimes you have the squash within you, you just need to find a way to “activate” it. Body language can be a simple but powerful tool to do this.
Reflections
In my match, I felt like I was hitting it cleanly (just in the wrong spot, most of the time!!), and moving well, but wasn’t confident making decisions and being proactive. This can happen when you’re too stuck in “technical” mode, which has often happed to me. You end up thinking about how you’re doing something than what effect the shot needs to have.
I can’t lie- I was pretty disappointed. However, it really forced me to address my mental and tactical shortcomings. My next event in Australia was set to begin in a matter of days, and if I wanted to have a chance at performing my best, I couldn’t hide and simply hope for the best.
One of the things that helped me the most was re-reading The Inner Game of Tennis. I originally read it nearly 10 years ago, but the content didn’t resonate. It’s funny how you can read a book, listen to a podcast, or hear advice from someone, and depending your frame of mind at that moment, it may or may not stick. Reading the Inner Game of Tennis this time produced several light-bulb moments. It’s a book that is best read with a pencil in hand so you can underline and make notes.
I’ve read a lot of books, and while at the time, many of the ideas seem like the best thing since sliced bread, I find they often come in one ear and go out the other. I decided it was time to finally implement some of these ideas.
One of the best ways to do this is to write down your thoughts, and discuss them with someone. I guess that’s why book clubs exist?! I did exactly this. I wrote down some notable quotes and ideas, and sent them off to Graeme, alongside my self-analysis in light of these learnings.
Graeme was not only helpful in listening to me, but in sending deep thought provoking follow up questions. He also routinely sends me Facebook posts, LinkedIn articles, or podcast episodes that he thinks may be relevant to the issue I’m dealing with.
Something I’ve recently learned is that you don’t need to absorb EVERYTHING in a piece of content- whether that's a book or a podcast. You probably do need to listen to or read the the whole thing, but you might only get one major takeaway which will make all the difference. In my opinion, most of the time that’s what you’re searching for. It might be the way a coach conveys a message, or an analogy. Whatever it is, take that golden nugget and squeeze as much juice as you can from it. That little golden nugget can give you momentum to reach your next level.
Alright- this has turned into a beast of a recap. Up next- Brisbane for the Australian Open!
Big thank you to the title sponsor, Richardson Wealth for not only putting on this event, but supporting me in my journey as a professional squash player. Also, thank you to my coaching team (Graeme Williams, Amr Khalifa) and sponsors (Control the T Sports, and Harrow) for your support!
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