By Jay Prince
Somebody once asked my why I am so into sports. The simple answer is: because they are fun. But the reality is that I have always enjoyed the challenge of pushing my physical and mental limits. And, for me, squash also provides something sadistic in the form of enjoying the rigors of the game while simultaneously trying to inflict pain and suffering on my opponent. Come on, you know you enjoy it too—there’s something gratifying about wearing down your opponent while doing what you can to prevent the same being done to you.
Unfortunately, I keep finding myself on the wrong end of that equation with ever-increasing frequency. But every time one of our LessonCourt writers submits something that gives me an “aha” moment, I feel like there is hope.
In this issue you’ll find an introduction to a topic by Damon Leedale-Brown that I suspect will ring true for a lot of you. I know it did for me. While his article will be beneficial to every level of player, it is especially poignant for us masters players who wind up suffering one negative yo-yo effect of the game…the nagging injuries that crop up for seemingly no reason. You know, those injuries that seem to come out of the blue. I’m not talking about major issues that could land us on the operating table, but rather things like muscle pulls and strains that we don’t expect. After all, we play regularly so why might we be getting injured? It can’t be simply because “we’re getting old.” (though I’m quite certain that isn’t helping).
The issue Damon raises is that because squash is such a one-side-of-the-body game (we play with one hand, and we typically lunge with a dominant leg), that our bodies really aren’t developing or maintaining the type of balance necessary to stay healthy. I’d never really thought about it in this way, but it makes sense. The adage of, “Get fit to play squash; don’t play squash to get fit,” takes on a different meaning when looking at it the way Damon discusses in his article.
A couple of months ago I received an email from a reader who felt we were wasting space in the magazine by including so much information on core strength and stabilization (again, by Damon). While I don’t believe the space was wasted at all, I’d be curious to know if that person might feel differently after reading this issue. I got the sense that the reader is probably a lot like me in that he would much rather play squash (it’s fun and great exercise) than do something else. But if injury is ultimately a likely outcome, then I’m prepared to try something different.
Which brings me to something I’m excited about in coming issues of Squash Magazine. For years I’ve wanted to expand the LessonCourt section to include a variety of other areas that are of interest. And beginning in our next issue, we will be proudly introducing a section on Nutrition—Eating and Drinking for Squash.
The first of those articles will provide new insight into the most basic of nutritional issues in squash: that of hydration. Yes, we’ve run a couple of articles several years ago about the topic, but those never really thoroughly explained why water is so important before, during and after playing.
Eating and drinking are such a crucial part of playing squash that I can’t think of a more relevant instructional topic. Whether you are a professional, junior, or masters-level player, I’m sure you’ve questioned, at one time or another, what you should be eating and/or drinking, and when. I do. Especially when I play in a tournament when I will have two matches in a day. The question becomes even more difficult when those two matches are scheduled within a few hours of each other. For example, what if my 11am match lasts over an hour, and my next match is scheduled for 3pm? I’d be staring at two issues—how soon after my first match should I be eating, but also how far ahead of my second?
Send us some feedback on this. Are there topics you’d like to see addressed?