Ageing squash players
Published: 04 May 2007 - 22:18 by rbrowne7
Updated: 15 Sep 2012 - 02:19
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Hi to all the squash players out there - As a guy in my early 50's and attempting to play at the highest level I have ever played at state 3 in Adelaide I am having difficulty in peaking for matches. I play in the country on a Tuesday night and am having great difficulty in backing up and playing well on the Wednesday night. Wed nights I tend to be flat and lack power. I have played so badly Wed nights that I sometimes consider giving it all away - but come Friday night the power's back , the speed and run is back and everything is good. I don't want to give up Tues night comp as it's very social and lots of very good wine and food - but I don't overdo the social aspect. I am reasonably fit and when fresh play OK. The standard of players at State 3 is certainly not out of my league and it's very frustrating to lose to players that I know that if I played them on a Tues night I would do so much better. So how do you older guys back up and play well two nights in a row - I would love to know.
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From squashdoug - 15 Sep 2012 - 02:19
From raystrach - 08 May 2007 - 00:24
hi rbrowne
i am similar to you as far as age is concerned. i have mentioned in my blog a few times that the biggest determinant of my performance is my energy levels. over the past year or two i have played 3 nights straight and am basically devoid of any energy by the third night and.
as jbs24 said, you need time to recover. try using your tuesday country match as a practice game - don't chase quite as hard - and you will find you come up a lot better on wednesday.
ideally you need at least 48 hrs recovery before you are ready to play your best again. when you are younger recovery time is much shorter.
i am similar to you as far as age is concerned. i have mentioned in my blog a few times that the biggest determinant of my performance is my energy levels. over the past year or two i have played 3 nights straight and am basically devoid of any energy by the third night and.
as jbs24 said, you need time to recover. try using your tuesday country match as a practice game - don't chase quite as hard - and you will find you come up a lot better on wednesday.
ideally you need at least 48 hrs recovery before you are ready to play your best again. when you are younger recovery time is much shorter.
From hamburglar - 05 May 2007 - 01:34 - Updated: 08 May 2007 - 00:32
everyone needs a day to recover. some need a couple days depending on fitness and nutrition. Maybe treat Tuesdays as a warm-up, don't play as hard, but work on other aspects of your game.
From mike - 04 May 2007 - 22:32
I know what you mean. I play Wednesday and Thursday nights and it's quite common for at least one game to be flat. I'm in my early 20's so the effect may not be as noticeable, but it's still there.
For me a lot of it is mental. It takes focus to concentrate on every shot and really get switched on from an intellectual perspective.
If I do well on Wed, I'm a bit "going through the motions" on Thu, or if I do poorly on Wed I have more desire to improve the next night.
Similarly you probably need to prioritise a night to focus your physical efforts. By the sounds of it Tuesday, with its wine and food should be it :)
Maybe focus on the other aspects of the game..shots, tactics, gamesmanship, your swing and run less.
Also, what do you do on Sat, Sun, Mon? Well rested and well hydrated?
For me a lot of it is mental. It takes focus to concentrate on every shot and really get switched on from an intellectual perspective.
If I do well on Wed, I'm a bit "going through the motions" on Thu, or if I do poorly on Wed I have more desire to improve the next night.
Similarly you probably need to prioritise a night to focus your physical efforts. By the sounds of it Tuesday, with its wine and food should be it :)
Maybe focus on the other aspects of the game..shots, tactics, gamesmanship, your swing and run less.
Also, what do you do on Sat, Sun, Mon? Well rested and well hydrated?
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I played competitively until I was about 35. Now 20 years later I'm playing again and love the game. I find that nutrition is a big part of how well I play and recover. If I have not eaten well my energy level and stamina are way down and I don't play well. Even though I have a health and wellness business, I was very surprised with how well the products help me recover. Good nutrition makes a huge difference.
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