Back on the Bike

Published: 13 Nov 2006 - 17:21 by raystrach

Updated: 13 Nov 2006 - 17:21

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Over the last few days I have finally made it off the injured list and onto the competition field. Not that it was an auspicious start, but it was a start. Although the match result was not good, my opponent being par too sharp for me, but I did not reinjure myself, not was I sofre apart form the usual soreness that a 50+ year old might experience after not having played a fair dinkum match for a number of months.

as usual, the major problems were lack of speed of foot and lack of speed between the ears. I may have been a little to optimistic when beforehand i thought that I could give a better account of myself, but the match is a good starting point.

I was also able to conduct a pretty intense 2 hour coaching session 36 hours later, again without any major damaging side effects. The exception is that I am developing a competition induced blindness. It used to be the other way around. Rubbish in practice, great in competition.

That is a challenge. Probably for many others too. It is hard to strike the right balance - they call it the right level of arousal. Too laid back and you just can't get into the match, too hyped up and you are over anxious. Like Goldilocks, you have to find the porridge that is "just right".

I will admit now, that it is something that I am not very good at at the moment. I need plenty of Squash under my belt to be able to cope. I think that, with age, there are more variables that can get you to perform below your top level, far more peaks and troughs.

Well, troughs anyway!

My biggest problem on competition night was watching my team mates. I was just as frustrated watching them as they would have been watching me. The biggest problem was that of playing the right shot at the right time.

Two of my team mates, one on the right side and the other on the wrong side of close 5 set matches, should have both had easy wins. I know it is always easy from the gallery, but both were playing ok but were out played tactically.

Neither of them were able to play the right shot at the right time and what a difference it makes! I will expand on this them in my next blog.

see you then