Hi CoachPhillip, another great video. I wrote a reply on your Gameplan video last week and following your suggestion of getting them to critique the other's game have been teaching that to my boys with some success. This set of challenges will also help particularly volleying and using height. Small anecdote, I played a match a couple of days ago against a much younger, fitter and harder hitting opponent. I was 2/1 down and took stock of the situation and realised that I just physically couldn't maintain the pace of scampering around the court. I altered my game plan and went "Hunting the Volley" (good phrase) and played quite a lot of lobs to buy me time and managed to win 3/2. Thanks again
Great to hear you won. A great example of "Brain over brawn"! I really want my channel to become the place where smart squash players come, not just to learn HOW to hit the ball.
Excellent. Based on previous coaching, I have consciously or unconsciously done MOST of these. five. But I like the challenge of picking ONLY one at a time. I will base it on the level of my opponent.
Glad you like it. I agree that the challenge should be based on your opponent. There's two ways to view it. Do the challenge that they are weak at OR do the challenge that they are strong at. So, for example, against a great high volleyer try to play more lobs. That way you make it even harder for yourself.
Excellent points. The elevation of the shot is something that I am struggling with but can see the strategic advantage of having an effective one. Thanks for this!
Imagine a typical child's drawing of a house on the frontwall: ground floor - a door in the centre and a window on both sides of it. On the first floor are three windows evenly space. When you are near the front wall, try to hit the ball near the upper floor windows. You won't be able to, but just trying to aim higher than you normally do, should be enough to give you more height.
Excellent Video i am active club player and have been trying to do all the 5 things consciously . Its so great to see that i was right track . I have seen marked improvement in my volleying and lobs
Great video again, Coach Phillip. Quick first couple of thoughts - picking my favourite/best shot will be my first challenge to think about :) Regarding #3 - one thought here is what if say your opponent hits their first shot of the second rally into the tin, so there was no long rally as such. What we would want to do is try for a long rally for the next one, and then again after that to get to the 3 long rallies you suggest. What do you think ?
Yes, I suppose that if your opponent played a shot into the tin or out very, very early in the rally then you could ignore that point. Or you could stick to the first 3 idea and focus on other aspects after that.# What I am saying is that it's more about your focus and less about the result.
Hi coach phillip, i am Karn from India. I am really following you and trying to do as you say and yes your videos have helped me. I try to stick to my gameplan , mostly i look at my strings while hitting the ball and i hit every ball with intention. You really explain well. Can you please suggest how to impove on footwork and what is correct footwork and posture while hitting the ball. Thank you and much appreciated your efforts of coaching.
Hi Karn and thank you for your kind words about my coaching. I am glad to hear that you are concentrating on the things that are important. With regard to footwork, here is the first part of my Footwork series: ruclips.net/video/-1EeNriiRN0/видео.html Part 2 is due soon.
I find that I use height much better in the front court than in the back. Will trying to do point 4 benefit my ability to use height from the back court? Thanks and great video (as always) coach!
Well, in general, it's more important to use the height from the front, but you can hit some high returns from the back as a defensive tactic or if you know your opponent is not very good at volleying.
I used to play a lot of badminton at college so not afraid of volleying the ball. I'm quite surprised how many club squash players wait for it to bounce before hitting it rather than taking the volley on esp on the serve if its coming in high. I remember warming up for a match and my opponent actually changed his game plan to limit high shots seeing how comfortable I was volleying the ball.
Yes, I agree, it seems so strange that players wait for the ball. You second point is very interesting. There is a case for never playing your best shot in a warm up or in the early part of each game and saving it for the really important points (Although ALL points are really important, you know what I mean!) but I find that over-calculating.
Indeed! You can gain some insight on what level your opponent is at when warming up pre-match, some are more confident than others. I remember one who was really nervous I could feel it radiating from him, must have been his first league match experience. Naturally took advantage and had a easy win! Never give an inch, learned that the hard way \o/
Man. This is the best channel about squash.
Glad you think so.
Hi CoachPhillip, another great video. I wrote a reply on your Gameplan video last week and following your suggestion of getting them to critique the other's game have been teaching that to my boys with some success. This set of challenges will also help particularly volleying and using height. Small anecdote, I played a match a couple of days ago against a much younger, fitter and harder hitting opponent. I was 2/1 down and took stock of the situation and realised that I just physically couldn't maintain the pace of scampering around the court. I altered my game plan and went "Hunting the Volley" (good phrase) and played quite a lot of lobs to buy me time and managed to win 3/2. Thanks again
Great to hear you won. A great example of "Brain over brawn"! I really want my channel to become the place where smart squash players come, not just to learn HOW to hit the ball.
Excellent. Based on previous coaching, I have consciously or unconsciously done MOST of these. five. But I like the challenge of picking ONLY one at a time. I will base it on the level of my opponent.
Glad you like it. I agree that the challenge should be based on your opponent. There's two ways to view it. Do the challenge that they are weak at OR do the challenge that they are strong at. So, for example, against a great high volleyer try to play more lobs. That way you make it even harder for yourself.
Excellent points. The elevation of the shot is something that I am struggling with but can see the strategic advantage of having an effective one. Thanks for this!
Imagine a typical child's drawing of a house on the frontwall: ground floor - a door in the centre and a window on both sides of it. On the first floor are three windows evenly space. When you are near the front wall, try to hit the ball near the upper floor windows. You won't be able to, but just trying to aim higher than you normally do, should be enough to give you more height.
Excellent Video i am active club player and have been trying to do all the 5 things consciously . Its so great to see that i was right track . I have seen marked improvement in my volleying and lobs
I'm glad you liked it. It's also good to hear that you were doing the right things anyway.
Very nice coaching!
The last point is probably my weakness as i always wait for a volley but don't hunt for it. Will try it now.
I hope you see a significant change and improvement in your game. Good Luck!
Thanks for the great information. I look forward to trying this
Hi Dana, so so sorry for the delay in replying. Did you get a chance to try the challenges? Did they help you learn something about your game?
I wish I could have personalized coaching with you. You explain things so well..
You can, but it is a paid service: remotesquashcoach.com/
Yes, people tend to forget sometimes, one has to lose to get better !
Losing can certainly make the lessons that need to be learnt more immediate.
Great video again, Coach Phillip. Quick first couple of thoughts - picking my favourite/best shot will be my first challenge to think about :) Regarding #3 - one thought here is what if say your opponent hits their first shot of the second rally into the tin, so there was no long rally as such. What we would want to do is try for a long rally for the next one, and then again after that to get to the 3 long rallies you suggest. What do you think ?
Yes, I suppose that if your opponent played a shot into the tin or out very, very early in the rally then you could ignore that point. Or you could stick to the first 3 idea and focus on other aspects after that.#
What I am saying is that it's more about your focus and less about the result.
Hi coach phillip, i am Karn from India. I am really following you and trying to do as you say and yes your videos have helped me. I try to stick to my gameplan , mostly i look at my strings while hitting the ball and i hit every ball with intention. You really explain well. Can you please suggest how to impove on footwork and what is correct footwork and posture while hitting the ball. Thank you and much appreciated your efforts of coaching.
Hi Karn and thank you for your kind words about my coaching. I am glad to hear that you are concentrating on the things that are important. With regard to footwork, here is the first part of my Footwork series: ruclips.net/video/-1EeNriiRN0/видео.html Part 2 is due soon.
I find that I use height much better in the front court than in the back. Will trying to do point 4 benefit my ability to use height from the back court? Thanks and great video (as always) coach!
Well, in general, it's more important to use the height from the front, but you can hit some high returns from the back as a defensive tactic or if you know your opponent is not very good at volleying.
great points 2 &5
Feel free to share your experiences with the challenges you try.
I used to play a lot of badminton at college so not afraid of volleying the ball. I'm quite surprised how many club squash players wait for it to bounce before hitting it rather than taking the volley on esp on the serve if its coming in high.
I remember warming up for a match and my opponent actually changed his game plan to limit high shots seeing how comfortable I was volleying the ball.
Yes, I agree, it seems so strange that players wait for the ball.
You second point is very interesting. There is a case for never playing your best shot in a warm up or in the early part of each game and saving it for the really important points (Although ALL points are really important, you know what I mean!) but I find that over-calculating.
Indeed! You can gain some insight on what level your opponent is at when warming up pre-match, some are more confident than others. I remember one who was really nervous I could feel it radiating from him, must have been his first league match experience. Naturally took advantage and had a easy win! Never give an inch, learned that the hard way \o/
Yes, you have to take advantage of every possible weakness. It's harsh but it's how it is.
Abd i would also love it if you post a video about spinning the ball.
I have nearly finished recording a video called "Bounces, ANgles and Spin", so that might be what you are looking for.
U said u love volleying but in the challenges u said dont hit ur favourite shot
Yes, that's right. Just because it's my favourite shot doesn't mean it's effective or right to play.
JAHANGIR KHAN is the proud of PAKISTAN
Yes, he is, not just for his squash but also his charity work.