This is the third in a series of articles written by the top-ranked U.S Squash Professionals about their lives on tour. These articles will cover some of the players’ training routines, travel experiences, and thoughts about the tournaments they compete in around the world. Welcome to the life of a US professional touring pro.
Recently I have been thinking a lot about accountability in sports. The player, coaches, trainer and other support staff ,all to varying degrees, are responsible for an athlete or team’s performance. My current setup in NYC is quite loosely organized; I don’t meet with any coach regularly, and I generally decide my own training regime. This puts a lot of the onus on my shoulders, which has both advantages and difficulties.
While this independence offers the advantage of flexibility it also requires self-motivation. It has forced me to be very involved with my own game, in other words I have to be constantly thinking about what I need to improve, and tweaking my training. Being aware and involved in your game’s development is an important and overlooked aspect of sports. Many players take a coach’s word as gospel, without actually thinking and making decisions for themselves. This removes a crucial aspect of the discovery and learning process, while limiting the players basic understanding of the game.
I have worked with some of the best coaches in the world—David Pearson, Shaun Moxham, Garreth Webber and Damon Brown being the most influential to my development. In my time with each of them, I was constantly asking “why?” Why should one do that? Why is this way better than that way? (I did not employ this approach with Malcolm Wilstrop!) While juggling these questions and information, I always tried to keep in mind the importance of the end result. Is this helping me hit the ball better? Is this making me a better squash player?
There are many ways to hit a squash ball, many ways to move around a squash court, and many ways to train effectively. The key is to find out what works for you. Good luck with your game
Julian Illingworth
6-time US National Champion
