Sunday, December 8, 2024

Coaching and Development

Englishman Nick Taylor appointed US Squash head coach

Nick Taylor has been appointed US Squash head national coach and takes over the role from Ong Beng Hee, who was the first to serve in the full time...

England Squash appoint Stuart Crawford as national coach

England Squash hope Stuart Crawford can be “transformational” after he was revealed as the national governing body’s new national coach. Crawford, who will take over...

Life at Bexley Squash Club: Home to Britain’s rising player Gina Kennedy

It’s not just the Gina Kennedy effect which makes Bexley Squash Club’s courts one of the most active in the UK. It’s about an...

Nouran Gohar’s favourite squash shot: The backhand drive kill

I just naturally have a good backhand swing and I generate a lot of power from it. Whenever I have an easy ball in...

How Hamburg’s Kaifu Lodge fuses squash, fitness and fun

The mix of squash, fitness and a vibrant social scene has proven to be a successful recipe for Kaifu Lodge in Hamburg, Germany, since...

Off The Wall Squash: Turning schoolkids into smiling squash players

In many squash venues across the world, the average age of members is creeping up every year. As knees get creaky and players reluctantly...

Introducing the carbon-negative plastic outdoor squash court!

Creators of a multi-use mini outdoor squash court made from rejected plastic waste have hailed the concept as a "sustainable solution to introducing more...

The Englishwoman bucking the trend coaching Squash Canada men

It is almost unheard of in squash circles for women to coach men at world level - until now. Next month, Englishwoman Victoria Lust...

Squash Facilities Network targets ‘10,000 new courts in next decade’

The new Squash Facilities Network is aiming to be the catalyst for 10,000 new courts in the next 10 years by sharing good practice...

‘College squash in USA is bigger than the PSA – it is huge!’

“I would honestly say I have learned more in the short space of time I’ve been here than in all of my time in...

Squash Facilities Network brings experts together in ‘thriving global community’ 

The European Squash Federation has launched the Squash Facilities Network (SFN) to bring together experts and share best practice from across the industry. The SFN...

Dunlop and WSF reveal masterplan to solve squash’s ‘wrong ball’ problem

As we’ve seen through our Right Ball campaign, opportunities to engage new squash players are being lost every day because they’re unwittingly playing with...

Right Ball Campaign: We need to educate the squash community worldwide

Who has responsibility over the ball issue? Nick Taylor, the British coach now based in the USA who has been vocal on the double dot...

‘Squash is the only sport where the ball is warmed up – it has to change’

RIGHT BALL CAMPAIGN -- Six years ago, Nick Taylor, a former World No.14, delivered an impassioned opinion piece for Squash Mad in which he...

Conditioned Games as a training tool to improve your squash

The Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) training system applied to squash -- as talked about extensively in previous articles about how The Gevolution process was born,...

How mighty Merthyr keeps squash vibrant in The Valleys

Merthyr Squash Club has a motley cast of players with nicknames such as The Pirate, The Butler and Trolleys. But don’t be fooled –...

Danny Massaro: Dream Power will help you reach your targets

By DANNY MASSARO - Squash Mad Columnist How many times have we heard a successful sportsman or woman celebrate a major achievement by uttering these...

Camille Serme on how REAKT video analysis tool can help build a squash community

For anyone serious about improving their squash, training should be more than just turning up at a court and playing a few games. For...

Taking squash to the people – one club at a time

Despite the work of many passionate people in pockets of the world, squash participation tragically continues to nosedive. Some clubs are managing to buck...

Running on empty: Sport England figures show further squash decline

Squash participation in England has fallen by just over 10% since the year before the pandemic, official figures reveal. Statistics in the latest Sport England...

Club file: Nick Clifford working wonders at Wigginton for 40 years

Nick Clifford lives 200 yards from the front door of his beloved Wigginton Squash Club and has given it 40 years of devoted service....

Squash Matters: Distinguishing ‘growing pains’ in your active child

Most of us who are involved in sport will have come across boys or girls dealing with 'growing pains' in their knees or shins. This...

How Open Squash is igniting New Yorkers’ passion for the sport

The key to turning a non-squash player into a passionate participant is to treat every potential new member of your club as “both a...

Squash Matters: A therapeutic process born in our sport

It has been almost three year since we published our last Gevolution articles. They described an alternative path to squash learning born in and...

Key to Egypt squash success? The generational high standard of competition

He is one of the most respected coaches in squash but one who very rarely shares his thoughts in public. Omar Abdel Aziz is the...

Lichfield’s resurgence offers hope to ailing grassroots squash clubs

Lichfield Squash Club in Staffordshire, based at King Edward VI High School's two glass back courts, is celebrating a remarkable resurgence following the challenges...

Squash talent proves ‘life-changing’ for girl from Nairobi slums

Dedication to squash has given 14-year-old Faith Shirwatzo a precious education and spared her from life as a peasant farmer in rural Kenya. Faith lives...

What held a top athlete back from becoming squash World No.1?

Jesse Engelbrecht is a former top 50 squash player and claims that his mental side of the sport held him back from fulfilling his...

Nick Matthew named Berkshire School Director of Squash

Three-time world champion Nick Matthew has been named Director of Squash at Berkshire School in New England, USA. Since retiring from the professional circuit in...

Nick Matthew exclusive: ‘Coaches who try to influence referees should be banned’

I attended the recent British Junior Open in Birmingham and came away with many observations which caused me concern. But let me begin with...

Tech Week: The online video squash coaching innovator

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and the idiom has certainly proved true for Ahad Raza. When Covid-19 wiped out his squash...

Jesse Engelbrecht: Mastering the State Of Flow is the key to unlocking your squash potential

‘For many decades, coaches used Hunt and Barrington as examples to concentrate on fitness above all else’ By JESSE ENGELBRECHT (Squash Mind) The biggest change in...

Andy Whipp: Developing individual technique is far more important than creating squash clones

‘Every top Egyptian player has a very different, unique style’ By ANDY WHIPP - Squash Mad Columnist I am pleased to offer some advice on technique...

Tony Griffin and Gevolution: Measuring change in squash and how your brain learns new skills

Sports science and the art of understanding change By TONY GRIFFIN - Squash Mad Coaching Correspondent How do we measure real change in squash? Is the...

How evolution in coaching must lead to gender equality

So many sports have male origins and coaching patterns – now it’s time for change  By TONY GRIFFIN - Squash Mad Coaching Correspondent Tony Griffin may...

Coronavirus, coaching and cash: Coaches share their views on the shutdown

‘I am worried about by immune system, I have cancelled all my lessons and I won’t be able to pay my rent’  By ALAN THATCHER...

How Sandra’s years of success inspired new champion Iulia to beat her

Luxembourg ladies learn and improve By TONY GRIFFIN - Squash Mad Correspondent I first meet Sandra Denis in September 2019 when Xavi Blasco, Bertrand Tissot and...

Time to get practical about which ball to use!

Every sport has its aficionados; people who love to talk about the subtleties of the equipment. And squash is no different, from whether this string at this tension is better than that string and that tension to which racket weight and balance is perfect for which type of player. However, one thing we shouldn't be arguing about is which type of ball to play with.

Muscle memory: Helping your brain to plan key moves in every match

‘Your memories are stored in your brain, not your muscles’ By TONY GRIFFIN - Squash Mad Coaching Correspondent Muscle or cell memory are terms that I...

Measuring accuracy with the Geoff Hunt Test

Useful tool to help coaches monitor performance  By DOMINIC BENACQUISTA - Squash Mad Correspondent One of the many challenges squash coaches and athletes face, is actually...

Cut down the number of reps to learn and improve faster

‘First shot is always the most important’ By TONY GRIFFIN - Squash Mad Correspondent Stephen Hawking once said: “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to changes.”...

Mate, I am in! Paul Coll is a big fan of new ROXs training system

Flashing units will increase your speed, footwork and reaction time By TONY GRIFFIN - Squash Mad Coaching Correspondent World No.6 Paul Coll is among a growing...

Tony Griffin Coaching: How Liam broke the mould

‘A sequence of exercises that allows the player to recognise the sensation of hitting the ball well and understand why’ By TONY GRIFFIN - Squash...