Boasting!
Your Subtitle text
Stories to Get Squashed With...
BOASTING...
Hmmm... definitely one of my favourite shots. You can really twist and
turn somebody, so what better title can we have for the story part of
the website. I know I have quite a few tales that I will be sharing and
I am sure the majority of you will have as well. So don’t be shy!
12-06-08:
11-20-08:
The Famous Back Wall
What is it with a squash court back wall that intrigue’s players so much? The number one question asked by almost every beginner that I have coached is: “Roy, How do I hit it off the back wall?” Even I can remember the proud moment when I achieved this seemingly impossible task… and it actually hit the front wall! Yes, it was a big step in my squash career at 11 years old. My parents didn’t hear the end of it for a week.
What I and the rest of the players at that level didn’t realize was that if you can hit the ball off the front wall and it goes all the way and hits the back wall before bouncing then surely you must be able to do the same in reverse. Yet it seems so much harder. You run back, turn to face the back wall, try and smash the ball only to see it bounce on the floor barely making it past the halfway line.
Or even more demoralizing you hit the ball off the back wall only to get hit in the face by your own shot. Or even worse… you break your racquet on the back wall trying to hit this %#$&*(! shot.
So what do you do? Try and hit it harder. Yes that must be the answer. After all you see all the better players doing it so easily, not to mention that they barely seem to move from the T when hitting the ball and can actually win points with the shot.
Well after my first successful back wall shot, followed by another year, a couple of black eyes, 3 new racquets, and lots of losses, I discovered a well kept secret. No, they couldn’t keep it from me forever. This wasn’t a kill shot. I had to hit the ball higher on the back wall. I tried it once; it worked. I tried it again; it worked again.
A brand new part of the game had opened up for me. The rallies started getting longer, I would get what I thought some irretrievable shots back, and I would tell everyone I could hit it off the back wall as good as anyone. Terrific, except I had based my whole game on hitting it off the back wall and lost more matches than ever before for the next 6 months! Ah, that famous back wall.
12-06-08:
What is THAT?
That is a question that I've been asked thousands of times by just about every beginner I have taught over the years. When I know the answer, I gladly explain it, proudly sharing my knowledge of the game. But some questions I just don't know the answers to, such as how did a boast get its name? And how did a nick become a nick?
That is a question that I've been asked thousands of times by just about every beginner I have taught over the years. When I know the answer, I gladly explain it, proudly sharing my knowledge of the game. But some questions I just don't know the answers to, such as how did a boast get its name? And how did a nick become a nick?
I don’t know whether it is just me but there are lots of names that you really have to question. What where people thinking?-
Let’s start with golf. Why golf? Let alone the bird aspect of the game. Birdie, Eagle, Albatross. How did a bird become a part of getting a little ball in a hole?
Then we have cricket. I have no idea what they were drinking when they came up with these. It really is something out of Monty Python. Maybe they were having some sort of strange contest. Googly, Silly Mid On, Silly Mid Off, Square Leg. Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t know of anyone who has a square leg.
Billiards- Hmmm
Running - steeple chasing? How does a runner jumping over hurdles and water become a steeple chaser? The only steeples I know in my limited amount of knowledge are on a church. Does that mean the churches were only 6 ft high?
Then of course we have gridiron. What is a gridiron? How does that relate to a football?
Tennis – an ace? Was tennis before a deck of cards or a deck of cards before tennis?
Ice Skating- A triple lutz? Of course, that's obvious!
Badminton – shuttlecock? Is that a type of rooster?
Yes, it just goes on and on... I could spend half the lesson questioning terminology.
But you know, somethings are better left a mystery.
11-20-08:
The Famous Back Wall
What is it with a squash court back wall that intrigue’s players so much? The number one question asked by almost every beginner that I have coached is: “Roy, How do I hit it off the back wall?” Even I can remember the proud moment when I achieved this seemingly impossible task… and it actually hit the front wall! Yes, it was a big step in my squash career at 11 years old. My parents didn’t hear the end of it for a week.
What I and the rest of the players at that level didn’t realize was that if you can hit the ball off the front wall and it goes all the way and hits the back wall before bouncing then surely you must be able to do the same in reverse. Yet it seems so much harder. You run back, turn to face the back wall, try and smash the ball only to see it bounce on the floor barely making it past the halfway line.
Or even more demoralizing you hit the ball off the back wall only to get hit in the face by your own shot. Or even worse… you break your racquet on the back wall trying to hit this %#$&*(! shot.
So what do you do? Try and hit it harder. Yes that must be the answer. After all you see all the better players doing it so easily, not to mention that they barely seem to move from the T when hitting the ball and can actually win points with the shot.
Well after my first successful back wall shot, followed by another year, a couple of black eyes, 3 new racquets, and lots of losses, I discovered a well kept secret. No, they couldn’t keep it from me forever. This wasn’t a kill shot. I had to hit the ball higher on the back wall. I tried it once; it worked. I tried it again; it worked again.
A brand new part of the game had opened up for me. The rallies started getting longer, I would get what I thought some irretrievable shots back, and I would tell everyone I could hit it off the back wall as good as anyone. Terrific, except I had based my whole game on hitting it off the back wall and lost more matches than ever before for the next 6 months! Ah, that famous back wall.
* * * * *
Racquet-Breakers
What can I say about this game of ours? Squash can give you a feeling of great satisfaction, great tiredness and, of course, great frustration. I get all those feelings everyday just in varying degrees and order. But who bears the brunt of our emotions? Our racquets, of course! No matter what brand you have, no racquet can escape the blame for a missed drop shot, a high ball, or a drive into the tin when you have your opponent completely out of position.
Early on in my squash career, as with most of us, my racquets took plenty of blame and abuse. Whether it was hitting the wall or the floor it didn’t matter. In those days the racquets were made of cane, and it certainly didn’t take much to put a fracture or a crack in their heads. Treating them like a human, one would then try to fix the injury by putting on a tape bandage soaked in superglue. Yes, many times I would then lovingly protect the racquet until I thought it had healed. But somehow, the racquet would continue to make the same errors in my game, making me mad at it.
After a few years, a few racquets and, of course, quite a few dollars, I realized that all the mistakes were not actually coming from my racquets but from me, although certainly they were guilty accomplices. All those moments of embarrassment with my peers seeing me hammering the wall with my racquet (yes, I did that!) were all for nothing. What I really needed to do was give it a warning. That’s right, give it a good talking to. After all, that’s what your parents did when you were causing trouble, right?
Well, it worked. I am proud to say that my racquets (granted, they now are made of graphite) last me years, and the only operations they receive these days are restrings. I treat them with respect, and strangely enough, I certainly win a lot more matches, as well.
Not everyone learns though, and I have seen some champion racquet-breakers in my time. My favorite has to be from my stint in Canada. A friend of mine lost a few points and then the second game. In between games he grabbed his racquet and placed it in between the doorframe. Luckily, the door was made of wood. He then broke the racquet shaft in two and then smashed the head on the sidewall. It was all over by the ninety seconds, and he was ready to receive serve with his backup racquet for the 3rd game…
Yes, as I mentioned, everything varies in squash. Try not to take out your mistakes on your racquet, as it really is your best friend.
* * * * *Early on in my squash career, as with most of us, my racquets took plenty of blame and abuse. Whether it was hitting the wall or the floor it didn’t matter. In those days the racquets were made of cane, and it certainly didn’t take much to put a fracture or a crack in their heads. Treating them like a human, one would then try to fix the injury by putting on a tape bandage soaked in superglue. Yes, many times I would then lovingly protect the racquet until I thought it had healed. But somehow, the racquet would continue to make the same errors in my game, making me mad at it.
After a few years, a few racquets and, of course, quite a few dollars, I realized that all the mistakes were not actually coming from my racquets but from me, although certainly they were guilty accomplices. All those moments of embarrassment with my peers seeing me hammering the wall with my racquet (yes, I did that!) were all for nothing. What I really needed to do was give it a warning. That’s right, give it a good talking to. After all, that’s what your parents did when you were causing trouble, right?
Well, it worked. I am proud to say that my racquets (granted, they now are made of graphite) last me years, and the only operations they receive these days are restrings. I treat them with respect, and strangely enough, I certainly win a lot more matches, as well.
Not everyone learns though, and I have seen some champion racquet-breakers in my time. My favorite has to be from my stint in Canada. A friend of mine lost a few points and then the second game. In between games he grabbed his racquet and placed it in between the doorframe. Luckily, the door was made of wood. He then broke the racquet shaft in two and then smashed the head on the sidewall. It was all over by the ninety seconds, and he was ready to receive serve with his backup racquet for the 3rd game…
Yes, as I mentioned, everything varies in squash. Try not to take out your mistakes on your racquet, as it really is your best friend.
One of my strangest stories happened when I played in a new pair of shoes during a tournament. As we all know sometimes it takes a couple of matches to actually break in the shoe. Well, this particular pair was the opposite. At first, they felt good, but as the match went on, they got worse and worse.
I had won my first couple of matches and had quite a hard match in the semi against Tristan Nancarrow (he went on to be No 6 in the world). Even though I won the match, I paid a heavy price as when I woke up the next day and started to walk, my feet were killing me. Yes, I had a bad case of blisters on the balls of my feet UNDER the calluses. Just what I needed.
The final of the tournament was 5 hours later and I was going to play Chris Robertson (he went on to become World No 2). That was certainly not going be an easy task, especially feeling like I was walking on broken glass. Hmmm what to do next?
One of the players in the tournament knew a doctor at the local hospital, and he suggested that we go and see if he could help me. So off we went to the children’s ward where he happened to work. I met him and he had a look at my feet. Apart from the strained look on his face after looking at a squash players feet, he suggested he could slice open the calluses and drain the blisters. That sounds like fun, I thought, oooh!
In the ward there were about 20 kids ranging from 3 up to 12. So there I was twice their size, lying next to them. The next minute the doctor came back and said he had to deaden the balls of my feet so he could slice into them. He pulled out a needle and put it right into the ball of my right foot. Then he did the same to the left. The scalpel came out next and he started cutting a quarter inch slice into my foot, all the time asking if I could feel it. Unfortunately, I could. Oh no, out came the needle again and another shot went into the ball of both my feet again.
At this point I was sweating more than in a sauna in the middle of the New Guinea Rainforest, and all the kids had gathered to watch and seemed to cheer every moan and groan I made. Anyway, after an hour of pain he had cut, drained, and wrapped both feet and declared me ready to play. I proceeded to the squash courts later that afternoon and wrapped pieces of foam around my feet and played the final. I would like to tell you I won but then I would be lying. Chris beat me 3/1.
From that match on I have always broken in a pair of shoes days ahead of a tournament. You learn something new each day, that’s for sure. Never underestimate the importance of good footwork.
I had won my first couple of matches and had quite a hard match in the semi against Tristan Nancarrow (he went on to be No 6 in the world). Even though I won the match, I paid a heavy price as when I woke up the next day and started to walk, my feet were killing me. Yes, I had a bad case of blisters on the balls of my feet UNDER the calluses. Just what I needed.
The final of the tournament was 5 hours later and I was going to play Chris Robertson (he went on to become World No 2). That was certainly not going be an easy task, especially feeling like I was walking on broken glass. Hmmm what to do next?
One of the players in the tournament knew a doctor at the local hospital, and he suggested that we go and see if he could help me. So off we went to the children’s ward where he happened to work. I met him and he had a look at my feet. Apart from the strained look on his face after looking at a squash players feet, he suggested he could slice open the calluses and drain the blisters. That sounds like fun, I thought, oooh!
In the ward there were about 20 kids ranging from 3 up to 12. So there I was twice their size, lying next to them. The next minute the doctor came back and said he had to deaden the balls of my feet so he could slice into them. He pulled out a needle and put it right into the ball of my right foot. Then he did the same to the left. The scalpel came out next and he started cutting a quarter inch slice into my foot, all the time asking if I could feel it. Unfortunately, I could. Oh no, out came the needle again and another shot went into the ball of both my feet again.
At this point I was sweating more than in a sauna in the middle of the New Guinea Rainforest, and all the kids had gathered to watch and seemed to cheer every moan and groan I made. Anyway, after an hour of pain he had cut, drained, and wrapped both feet and declared me ready to play. I proceeded to the squash courts later that afternoon and wrapped pieces of foam around my feet and played the final. I would like to tell you I won but then I would be lying. Chris beat me 3/1.
From that match on I have always broken in a pair of shoes days ahead of a tournament. You learn something new each day, that’s for sure. Never underestimate the importance of good footwork.
