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JON POWER LEGEND

Published: 21 Apr 2006 - 05:22 by missing_record2

Updated: 26 Sep 2008 - 09:05

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HI FELLOW SQUASH NUTS,

OVER THE YEARS I HAVE SEEN PLENTY OF TOP SQUASH AND I MUST SAY THE MOST EXCITING AND INNOVATIVE PLAYER IN THIS TIME WAS JON POWER. ALTHOUGH JON HAS HIS CRITICS BECAUSE OF HIS MANNERISMS I STILL SAY WITH RAQUET IN HAND HE IS THE VERY BEST PLAYER THAT I HAVE SEEN. AT HIS PEAK HE PLAYED THE GAME LIKE NO OTHER AND I WOULD GO AS FAR TO SAY THAT HE PLAYED AT HIS BEST IN A DIFFERENT ERA JAHANGHIR WOULD NOT HAVE GONE 5 YEARS UNBEATEN.

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From rippa rit - 21 May 2006 - 17:14

This extract appears on Jon's website.  I am so pleased there is nothing like open stance, closed stance, preferred foot, that could be confused with his unique abilities..
Excerpt by Ron Beck

"QUICKEST WRIST FROM THE NORTH
Jonathon Power brings three devastating weapons to the fray. The first is a powerful and quick wrist. Power can hold hisracket up until the last moment, freezing even the strongest competitor in place until he flicks the ball with surprising power in a totally unexpected direction and trajectory. It's this wrist deception that brings fear to his opponents, to the extent that he takes away from them their own attacking game - his opponent is afraid of giving Jonathon that opportunity.

The second is incredible anticipation. Power's anticipation is at the level of a Hashim or Sharif Khan, letting him move to the ball unerringly, with no wasted motion, and giving him some amazing opportunities to volley the ball at point blank range.

The third is his thought process on court. Power delivers the unexpected. While many of his UK-taught opponents play in predictable patterns, Power counterpunches with much broader variety. His enterprising tactics catch many of his opponents off guard. He will throw a "sitting-duck" serve right into the middle of the court, but it comes so unexpectedly that the opponent just lets it go by.

JONATHON - ALWAYS REINVENTING HIMSELF
Jonathon seems to always seek the unexpected. As soon as his rivals think they have figured him out -- he goes back to the drawing board and emerges with a new approach. Power is entertaining, creative, outspoken a a crucial fulcrum point for the increasing interest in squash in North America. "

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From rippa rit - 22 Apr 2006 - 08:12

BizarreCo - Yep, you have made a good summary..
Our top echelon of players/coaches over the many years have all passed on their skills.
In summary, Sports science was intregrated into the sport following the introduction of the professional status of squash mid 1970's. 
Then Squash Institutes were formed employing our greats, with the support of physiologists, psychologists, biomechanists, video, etc. hence the prolifiration of knowledge throughout the world.

I suppose in the end, the bottom line is, how much the human body can take too - and now I am thinking about Pharlap and Burnborough.

Fortunately most of our great players have stayed around long enough to put something back into the game, and that is what makes them a legend I think.

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From BizarreCo - 22 Apr 2006 - 01:51   -   Updated: 22 Apr 2006 - 01:53

I guess this comment ties in nicely with the mini-poll on how the current player relate to the greats of old.

From my humble point of view, technology and understanding has moved on so much in recent years that we find ourselves knowing more and more about the sports that we play. The greats of old used skills that came from dedicated training. Throughout the past 40 years of the sport players have emmerged through variations - Geoff Hunt, Jonah Barrington, the Khans each had strengths that were unique to their time. Those strengths wouldn't be as "standout" in today's game. Coaches have perfected the process over time and players are becoming more and more well rounded as time rolls inevitably onward. Just take a look at the past 10 years - Power, Nicol, Palmer, Shabana, Lincou and soon it will be Willstrop. These players have all gained that something special from consolidation of old techniques and modern understandings. They've learned the lessons that the greats taught. They've executed the tactics passed down from each generation of coach. It really has come down to the mental state of players on the day in this modern arena, where anyone in the top 20 players in the world can beat anyone else on their day (e.g. Ong Vs Ricketts recently).

Power had perfected his style and tatics for this generation. As has Nicol, Palmer and Shabana. These are tomorrows "old greats" and today's masters for the next generation to learn from and admire.

Respect to them all, and may every game they have left be a crowd pleasing wonder that it deserves to be!

ADZ

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