Short term pain, long term gain

One thing I often hear from players who I coach when I ask how something that we are working on or have worked on is going, they’ll frequently say things along the lines of ‘Oh, I didn’t really want to practise it because I feared I would lose that game if I did’ or ‘I tried it one time and gave away an easy point, so I’ll leave it for an easier match or game’. I believe this is a bad mindset to have if you want to improve.

Firstly, what does it matter if you lose a game or match? It isn’t a big deal and it won’t appear on the front or the back page of the newspaper tomorrow and no one will die or be hurt because of it. Secondly, on a more practical level, difficult games or training is exactly the time you need to make a change, as these are the occasions when you will need to use your new skill or thinking. It’s no good practising at a low or easy pace or when playing a weaker player because it will give you more time or because you will win anyway. If you spend most of your time playing squash against people who will test you and cause you to play at a high pace, then you need to practise in that same environment. It’s precisely in these difficult matches that you need to do something to change a shot or technique you desire to improve, even if it comes at the cost of losing some matches. It will be repaid tenfold down the line when you win more matches because you have a higher skill level.

It sounds a bit like a Yoda quote from Star Wars, or maybe even a Nike advert, but go ahead and do the shot, grip or tactic. Just do it. Don’t try or have a go – just go for it. It might not come off immediately or the first time but just keep doing it in time, no matter what the outcome and soon you will find the outcome and results taking care of themselves. 

Building in my backhand serve

When I was first adopting a backhand serve, I just started playing it during matches. It certainly didn’t always work out for me and a few ended up out of court or in the nick via my opponent’s racket. It typically didn’t cost me the match though; even if it did play a part, there were typically other factors which caused me to lose. In time, I began to get adept at playing it in matches and it actually happened surprisingly quickly. Had I only ever played a backhand serve during low pressure situations or in training, I never would have picked it up as quickly as I did.

If you want to change or improve something about your game, do it now. Start doing it immediately – don’t wait for the right situation or the right circumstances – they’ll never arrive and if they do they’ll seldom be the circumstances you need to actually make quality and long last improvements to your game.