Hi John,

If you have nothing to train for it is very difficult to get motivated as traing seems pointless. The player who is successful is the one who is willing to do what the rest will not. Find a tournament that is aproximately 6 months away. Set your self to win it. (being competitive is not a goal). Put an entry form where you can see it first thing every morning, ie bathroom mirror. You will be as successful as you believe you can be. The training methods of elite players is useable by all in a modifyed way.

Send you entry off as early as possible this ensures you will train. Do a SWOT analysis and look at your weaknesses and convert them to sttrengths via specific coaching and training. Look at the resources you will require to atttain the goal start putting them in place. These are a good starting point. Put all this in writing as this reinforces your commitment......as NIKE say JUST DO IT!!!!

If you need assistance just ask

All the best

David M.

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hi john

to improve, you might like to do a few things to set you on the right path. dave mennie(in another post) reminded us all of the importance of goal setting.  this doesn't just apply to the pros.

• set those goals
• take an honest look at your game
• identify strengths ad weaknesses
• even ask others what they think (they may even tell you what they do to beat you)
• work through the main weaknesses first (once you have something positive to work on, motivation is prestty easy)
• you might consider even looking at my blog - it might give you some idea of what i am doing to improve my game and the frustrations involved.

in my book there is no such thing as not good enough. as they say in the classics, "you learn more from defeat than you ever do from victory".

there are ample resources on this site to guide you through that process. if you cna't fins what you are looking for there are usually heaps of people willing to make suggestions. you never know what it is that will trigger things off. make certain you start learning!!

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fatness - sounds like you are in a rut.  If you don't get out the hole will get bigger

• Maybe some pair routines with a person of about equal standard will help you gain some consistency and also set in place some patterns of play. 
• Some routines are designed to drag the player from the front to back of the court so that will be good for your movement and fitness too. Also it will test your ability to play shots under pressure.
• Playing comp all the time is no good without some solo and pair practice to concentrate on the strokes.

Let us know how that goes?

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firstly, where in ireland are you from, i am from county down so know a bit about the levels in ulster league squash (well above my own!!).  Are you looking at how you move on court and where you position yourself between shots?  Dominating the T is a basic but something i often don't do well, shot selection is another of my shots, i am told i have a great backhand drive but as soon as the ball is a little behind me i think boast instead of trying to drive which screws up my game, think about shots you should play and then what shot you actually hit. Motivation is important, i am not a great player but i want to win every point and chase everything and it will make your opponent work, yes you need to be fit but that is something anyone can work on.  It requires total competatove nature, get worked up a bit, not angry but determined, try to wind up before the match and go on court ready to hit EVERYTHING!

Hope this helps a bit

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Hello people,

Thanks a million for the help and advice. i feel my motivitation coming back already, i think thats my main problem to start with. I am playing in the A section in my local club for the last 2 years, and I play either c or b iin the national grand prix events around ireland. i feel i am an ok player but i dont know what it takes to make it to the next level!. i play the lads in the A section at my club but the nearly always beat me, it seems i just cant improve enough, have you any advice to give to a fairly ok player on how to really improve??  i know all the usual stuff ie hitting lenghts and concentrating on technique ( which i am told is fairly good) but i am just not winning matches! help!!!!!

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John sounds like nobody wants you to give up on your squash, so....
Yeah, find some other buddies to hit with, as aprice said.
Change the environment, eg try some other clubs, venue, etc.
Maybe the sparing partners you have are too good, or not good enough, so that can take the edge off your form too. That can make you lose motivation.
You did not say if you were losing your matches.
If you are having coaching or trying to change your strokes that can set your games back for a while, so you need to do more solo practice to set those new concepts in place before playing really hard games.
Set some goals, and be happy if they are achieved, eg

• hit good length
• make the opponent run
• hit the ball to allow you to return to the T

Then be happy to achieve whatever you set for that particular session.
Here is our link to Strokes/Movement which might help.
Tell us about it, and our members will talk you through the low spot you are in. We have all been there at some stage.

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Try teaching yourself to play with your opposite hand for a month or two. Seriously. You learn a lot that way, and you will be much better with your dominant hand when you ultimately switch back. You end up watching the ball better, your footwork improves, swing mechanics becomes more robust, etc. You will be frustrated the first ten times you go out to hit, but you'll get the hang of it eventually. I was forced to do this for six months due to an injury, and the first match I played with my dominant hand when I healed I beat a guy I never used to beat before I got hurt. Try it!

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A few questions to try to give us all an idea of where you are and so maybe we can advise if we have been there ourselves:

What level are you playing at?  Social, club, league or county?  What advice did your coach give you about improving and how recent is it?  What ways are you going backwards, any shots or movements?  Are you playing the same people all the time?

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