Irish Squash hosted a junior squad in Galway last weekend which was fully subscribed and made up of from junior hopefuls from Connaught and Munster.

Everyone enjoyed the coaching session and it was great that there was a full takeup of all the available 24 places. Hadrian did a great job in keeping both juniors and coaches very busy for the day and it was a great experience in particular for juniors who were meeting Hadrian for the first time. Many thanks to all those who travelled for the day to get to the session and especially the parents and coaches who took part and volunteered their time to help.

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What makes the difference between winning a losing a squash match? This is a question all players ask themselves and there are many factors to consider. Our junior players in particular have to overcome older more experienced and “craftier” players than themselves as they climb the squash ladder.

In an effort to share experiences and so that we might all improve Hadrian Stiff our National Coach will answer any useful questions you may have.

You can e-mail your questions to Hadrian at [email protected] and we’ll post the responses to the most interesting ones.

Food questions

What should I be eating — and when — as an aspiring young squash athlete? Both generally and around tournaments?

• A healthy balanced diet most important for development of the mind and body. It will help to reduce injuries, improve growth development and help to avoid many illnesses. 5 x fruit and veg per day and at least 2 porttions of white meat and fish each week. Avoid red meat if possible. Many top players are now on a vegetarian diet as they feel it is helping performance. Prior and during a tournament just be aware of eating and drinking enough. Drink plenty of water and use isotonic drinks for quick recovery after matches. I like powerade and Gatorade but there are many products out there that claim to boost energy etc. Avoid caffeine drinks completely! Try to eat soon after matches especially if you have more than one per day.

Handling a loss

I feel disheartened and like giving up after losing a match to someone I know I should beat – what can I do?

• Losing to someone you expect to beat is never a good feeling so it important to be able to rationalise what has happened. Firstly the idea of ‘knowing you should win’ is better to keep out of your mind. Good, consistent performances involve staying inside the process of what needs to be done throughout the match. This means the warm up, the game plan and any other key elements that bring good results, like staying relaxed. If you apply all these things well and you don’t win then either your opponent has had a very good day or you are simply not good enough on the day. If you have lost but know that you have been distracted from the process then you now why you have lost and can improve and learn from this. Focusing on the result too much is one the most common reasons for poor performance.

How should I play against someone with a similar ranking that I haven’t played before?

• The answer to this question is above. If you can find any background information on the player then you can use this in your game plan. Otherwise focus on what you need to do well to produce a good performance. It is so easy to be distracted by rankings, players you know or big events but none of these is within your control. What you can can control though is your performance and the processes involved in making it a good one.

The Leinster Masters Open will take place on 2nd and 3rd Nov 2012 in Fitzwilliam LTC Dublin.

Entries to Patrick Murray, Tournament Director  [email protected] register online

The British Junior Open will be held from 2^nd until 6^th of January, 2013 in Sheffield, England. This is the biggest event in ESF junior circuit , attracting the strongest junior players from all over the world.

Irish squash have decided to bring a team of juniors to this event, the players will be supervised by a chaperon and 2 coaches. If you are interested in sending your child/children to the BJO, please email Irish Squash before Monday 29th of October.

We are also planning a pre-tournament squash camp in the week before the event for those who are interested.

We estimate the cost per junior to be in region of €550 depending on flights costs and accommodation costs. Once we have an indication of numbers we will provide more precise coatings

ULSTER SENIOR OPEN

Ballyearl Leisure Centre

Friday 26^th Oct – Sunday 28^th Oct 2012

Tournament Director – Neal Pollock – Tel: 07738973930

MENS, WOMENS EVENTS – ALL STANDARDS AND GRADES

ADDITIONAL SECTIONS WILL BE RUN FOR MEN/WOMEN DEPENDING ON SIZE OF ENTRY

SWISS FORMAT, ALL EVENTS WILL ADOPT TRADITIONAL SCORING

Note: Tournament may run as sections of 8, finishing on Sat 27th, depending on size of entry

CONDITIONS

• Closing date/time for receipt of entries: Monday 22^nd Oct  11 am
• No late entries will be accepted
• All players must sign-in at the tournament desk on arrival
• Payment must be received before the first match. If no payment is received the player will be scratched. Please ensure you are able to pay on arrival
• Any player who is not on court at the allocated time will concede their match
• All players will be expected to referee
• By entering the tournament all players submit to abide by the Ulster Squash Code of Conduct (full details of which can be found on the Ulster squash website)

Entry form here

That's what you call a clean-sweep for Carlow: Arthur Gaskin, Ciara Moloney, Claire O'Neill, and Brian Byrne (left to right) - winners and runner-ups in the A-draws. (photo courtesy of Dermot O'Brien)

The six draw strong Munster Open 2012 finished today with what was a Carlow clean-sweep in the top flights, with Claire O’Neill taking first place in the Ladies A with a win over Ciara Moloney , and Arthur Gaskin beating Brian Byrne by three games to love. It’s worth pointing out that the finals were held in Sunday’s Well (2 courts), which is the main Munster Open venue, along with Silversprings (2 courts) and Highfield (3 courts). It may sound odd to have a tournament in three venues, but the Munster Open tournament crew managed the six draws (Mens A – E and Ladies A) marvelously, as always. Incidentally, this year was also the first year I personally got to see all three venues – my first matches were in Sunday’s Well and I was 100% sure my 10:40am match on Sunday morning was at Highfield (it wasn’t). I arrived there after a forty minute walk at 10:35am, only to find the club closed. Fifteen minutes later a cab finally stopped, and I was at Silversprings another fifteen minutes later. Luckily, Silverspring’s tournament assistant Eddie Murphy and my opponent Michael Craig were very accommodating with my late arrival.

The Mens A final, as told by Munster Squash's Facebook page!

As I mentioned before, the Mens A draw was a real cracker, and following some early upsets on Friday, seeds continued to tumble on Saturday. Graeme Stewart, the number one seed from Belfast, lost to Brian Byrne 3:1 – the same scoreline as in the Curragh Open two weeks previously. Niall Rooney got past number four seed Keith Moran in four hard games, while Arthur Gaskin and Derek Ryan got past Steve Richardson and Rory Birtwistle.

While Brian Byrne, having not played a full season in 2011/2012 and is still moving up the ranking, continued to move effortlessly and very very quickly, by the semis Niall Rooney was struggling with blisters. When Connaught man Rooney lost the first game in the tie-break, it was always going to be an uphill struggle, and he ultimately faltered 0:3. Nonetheless, Rooney will have been very happy with his fourth place finish (he had to concede his last match), which will see him jump a few positions in the ranking. The other semi-final was a repeat of the 2011 final between Derek Ryan and Arthur Gaskin. Gaskin, currently just outside the top 100 in the world managed to beat Ryan 3:2, 11:2 in the fifth, but Ryan, 15 years Gaskin‘s senior, looks in great form. I am sure his recent matches in the Legends of Squash series, where he faced former world number ones David Palmer and John White, have been great preparation!

Despite his tough Saturday matches, Arthur Gaskin was always in control against Brian Byrne, but Brian, with his irresistible pick-ups and court coverage, never gives up and made Arthur work for his win. Gaskin, currently based in Bristol and having travelled to Brail, Costa Rica, and Gibraltar for his most recent PSA events, will be happy to see that he is still very much the man to beat in Irish squash! And speaking of happy: a special shout-out to the junior program at Carlow Lawn & Tennis Club, who provided the Munster Open 2012 with not two, not three, but all four finalists of the A-draws. Dan Z. 

To what will be a series of articles on squash, Hadrian Stiff, Irish National coach discusses movement.

Sound swing technique will influence how and where the ball. Great movement will place the body in the best position for swing technique to function. Without good movement, playing squash will always need a lot of effort no matter what standard is being played. There are many different styles of movement on the squash court but only a very few players ever really master the art of movement and make it look easy.

Beautiful, effective movement places a player anywhere they want to be on court with minimal effort and maximal effectiveness.  Strength and fitness provides a solid base, but does not automatically translate into on court fluency –- a source of frustration to the hard working athlete.

Every movement we make on a squash court requires that we create and control force. Force with the racket swing, force and we push off the floor and force as we have to slow down on the way to the ball. When movement is rushed and too many muscles are used to cover the court energy is wasted and movement patterns break down followed by shots and decision-making.

Movement is at the heart of my coaching philosophy. I aim to show players how to move around the court as easily as possible which in turn leads to better shot choices and control of rallies. Teaching good movement starts with an assessment of what the player’s body is capable of. Tests for balance, momentum control, the ability to drop the body weight over the feet effectively and the range of flexibility in the main muscle groups help to establish what each player needs to be working on. If any of these tests shows a major weakness then these must first be improved. For example: understanding how the foot contacts the floor during a lunge can transform the way a player steps into the shot.  Once all movement parts are functioning then simple patterns can be developed with ghosting, tennis ball feeds and coach feeds. As the movement fluency and timing improves then the speed and intensity of movement training can be increased.

The greatest squash mover of all time is Jansher Kahn. He is also the best player of all time according to many professionals. Jansher used so little energy on the court that playing matches for 2 hours had little effect on him. His opponents however often ended up destroyed physically and mentally. Jansher would contract and release muscles at exactly the right times while his upper body and lower body balance and relationship would always be perfectly aligned. Watch Roger Federer on a tennis court and you can see the same principles in action. Both players have long, incredibly successful careers with relatively few injuries. This is because of the relaxed and controlled nature of their movement.

Both Roger Federer and Jansher time their movements perfectly. If you can arrive at the ball at the best moment to hit your shot then you will find you have more time to choose your shot, more balance to execute your shot and your recovery will be much faster. Most of the time squash players are running too much, especially players new to the sport and also young players who are very exited. An essential principal to understand that most of the time it is only useful to move at the same speed as the ball. Here are some golden rules:

• Float to the T position just before your opponent hits their shot and NOT before. This will help      to keep your movement in flow and avoid being still too long before your      opponent plays their shot.
• Keep your T position relaxed with your body tall and feet at shoulder distance apart. Float on your toes  while watching the ball off your opponent’s strings.
• After a quick first movement from the T start to slow down and relax the movement to allow for a softening of the hips and knees in the last step to the ball to bend low.
• Arrive at the ball when it is at the top of the bounce. This will give you the option to attack your opponent with an early shot or delay the shot to break the opponent’s      movement patterns. Most players arrive before the top of the bounce or after meaning a loss of opportunities to create pressure and bad timing of  movement.

Learning the feeling of good movement is essential for it to function during the match. As a coach, using words and feelings to help players develop better movement is vital to help the player sense the process. For example be quiet with your steps, float to the T and link the movement to the swing in one motion. This is essential in helping the player feel the process rather than trying to do it. If you say to a player ‘come move faster!’ this is unlikely to work. So many players can be classed as lazy or slow when actually they just need to shown how to make their bodies’ function, then the speed will come. In order for movement to function during match play it needs to be natural, a feeling and a rhythm. By using simple exercises on and off the court to develop the awareness of how the body responds to the floor from the feet, through the ankles, knees, hips and upper body the player becomes ‘in the process’ not focused on the outcome (to move well).  This also applies when learning to hit shots better. Focus on the process of the shot, not the outcome. Use this theory during practice and it will help when you play.

Great movement is inside everyone and part of the challenge for the coach is to help the player find their body and its balances and postures. Once squash movement begins to function well, technique, shot selection and mental calm will follow. I know this because over the last 3 years the above principles have been applied from Mohamed el Shorbagy (world number 8), Arthur Gaskin, numerous elite level juniors all the way through to 4-year-old beginners and it is working!

I look forward to continuing to work with the Irish players bringing these principles and others to the juniors and seniors over the next season and beyond to help to create and build better players. Also to work with the coaches so we can all help to move squash forward in Ireland.

Niall Rooney content (hopefully also with this picture), following his tough victory over club colleague Nigel Peyton.

The Munster Open 2012 kicked off today with what is possibly one of the toughest Mens’ A draw I have seen since playing the Irish Squash Grand Prix. Graeme Stewart is seeded one, and we have Derek Ryan, world number 102 Arthur Gaskin, Keith Moran, Nigel Peyton, Steve Richardson, and Curragh Open 2012 winner Brian Byrne, all chasing him for the title. Add talented juniors such as Sean Conroy, and comeback kid Niall Rooney to the mix, and you have a draw that’s as tough as it gets!

That being said, apart form a Mens’ A we have a Mens’ B, C, D, and E section as well, and in the ladies’ section, the two Claires – O’Neill and Staunton – head the draws. And just like in the Curragh Open, the top four players of the Mens’ B draw will face of the 13 – 16 bracket in the Mens’ A draw. With strong players such as Ross Lillis, Michael Conroy and Michael Craig in the B-draw, there might be an upset or two on the books!

With such a competitive Mens’ A draw there were always going to be some tough first round matches, and Sean Conroy and Rory Birtwistle were first on court. Sean had just beaten 10th seed Rory in the Curragh Open, but Rory seemed to have learned from the loss and beat seventh seed Sean 3:1. Birtwistle is a fine competitor playing a tight, disciplined game. Add too many mistakes from Sean and you have a 3:1 upset win for Rory. Graeme Stewart, who I had the pleasure of sharing a train ride down from Dublin from (I questioned whether Graeme actually has squash gear in his racket bag, or only snacks and drinks), eased into the competition with a comfortable win over Clive Morgan. But Graeme will be severely tested yet again by Brian Byrne, who beat local Kevin Knox, who is back on court following a lengthy back injury.

Arthur Gaskin, Derek Ryan, and Keith Moran progressed comfortably to the quarter-finals, and Stevie Richardson (the sixth seed) beat myself 12:10 in the, well, third game, therewith also recording a 3:0 victory. So the stage was set for one of the most anticipated matches of the day, namely Nigel Peyton versus Niall Rooney. Niall, a former top 100 PSA player, has been struggling with injuries this year and last, and found himself seeded twelfth facing Nigel, who had featured in Ireland’s national team in the European Championships. It was a good competitive match and it seemed that Nigel would surge in front building a cushion of a few points, but came undone with a number of unforced errors. Niall will have been very happy with an important first round win, but also mentioned that he still has some way to go to recover the form that made him a national team player. However, judging by today’s performance he will go in facing Keith Moran perhaps not as favourite, but he certainly isn’t the underdog either. But this match is just one of many exciting match-ups: Arthur Gaskin, Irish number 1 and incidentally only seeded three here, will face Steve Richardson in the quarter-finals, and potentially Derek Ryan in the semis if he makes it through. That’s what I call a hard day’s work! – Dan Z.

The IACT Irish Junior Open 2012 – part of the European Junior Open Tournament Grand Prix takes place Friday 23rd November to Sunday 25th November in Belfast Boat Club and Windsor Squash club.

Entries for the competition close on Wednesday 31st October 2012

Please complete the Entry Form Details

You can view entries, match times and so on here

Congratulations to everyone who took part in last weekends tournament – a great turnout with 85 players competing.