dear msian

can i suggest you try some of the drills in our library. when you do, i cannot emphasize enough the important of attention to detail in the drills. this would include:

every session:

• return quickly to the 'T' after each hit.
  
• when waiting for the partner's return do not move until the ball is hit.
  
• be specific in what you are trying to achieve with each shot ie. do not aimlessly hit the ball somewhere in the general direction.

we are trying to recreate the match situation - these three points will help. quite simply, if you do not do these things, the drill is next to useless.

maybe also try one of these things each session once you get the hang of the points above:

• try to achieve very early racket preparation
  
• mix up your shots within the drill ie one drive might be a full power, another might be slower and higher.
  
• be flexible with your footwork - do not have the same foot to the ball each time - this helps with your skills in a game
  
• vary the same drill to make it harder to know where the ball is going. eg in the boast and drive drill instead of each drive being straight, let the driver choose between straight and cross court.

these points will achieve quite a few things for you if you persist.

best of luck!

ps the 6 point drill is good for your stamina especially if you do a few sets of, say 22 points (almost 4 circuits) each set should take about a minute. take 15 secs break. start off with a few (3-5) then progress to 10 (i get tired just thinking about it!) the other drills, if done properly, are far better for your footwork than this exercise.

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Hello Msian - firstly,thanks for your compliments on the squashgame site. As you are a new member I will explain how to access the info that already exists (just click around all the tabs for starters) and I think there is quite a bit there which will answer your questions above. Regarding Training Phases and Cross Training go to Members Forum, Click Forum Archives, and scroll down to Rippa Rit's Championship Tips and two articles immediately come to mind, ie Cross Training, Training Phases - Yearly Plan. If you come across anything about goal setting that could also help. If there is any specific question arising out of any of these articles then just put up another post and we can take it from there. You are making me get the buzz now, if only I could turn the clock backwards!!

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We're just finishing another squash season here, another season where I've found I peak and perform well in the last 6 weeks, instead of going into the season strong...my aim is to try to make it different for next season and I have my goal for next season. To achieve this goal I need to improve: 1. Stamina 2. Anticipation 3. continue to maintain high levels of court movement and if possible even minimise again the number of steps I use to get around the court (this will involve working on 6 point ghost pattern) 4. positioning for certain shots.

Any help - particularly WRT (1) and (3) in the "off-season" greatly appreciated.

I like this website and hope it continues to grow - I'll pass it onto others here in vancouver....

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