Two Games in One
Published: 25 Jan 2006 - 09:16 by raystrach
Updated: 26 Jan 2006 - 20:32
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You may have noticed in my Dry Gullies post of a couple of days ago, Rita was going to take a look at my Squash game. Well, last night she was good enough to take the time, ignore her usual bedtime of 7.30pm, and watch me play Squash.
It was not a great night for watching Squash in general and my match in particular. But not for the reasons you might think.
My opponent, one of the top players in my grade, had beaten me in a very close tussle about 6 months ago, then again late last year in what was a complete thrashing. I was, however quite confident, especially as I was feeling good physically and it was extremely hot and humid (which means a very bouncy ball - much harder to hit winners and it negates a player's speed to some extent. - good for me)
Now, this is where I must warn you that what I have to say will be totally and utterly contradicted later in a post by rippa rit, because she had a completely different take on my match.
As you may have read previously, I have started concentrating on getting the ball deeper and creating opportunities that way as I had been making a lot of mistakes short, either by hitting the tin or by playing the shot a the wrong time, giving quicker opponents big advantage over a older, slower player (ie me)
Because the ball was bouncing a hell of a lot, it was' easy to get it under control, especially a I was trying to get it early. Despite this, I was playing to my game plan of getting it deeper and making less errors. My routine between points was reasonably good. I manage to win the first game.
Unfortunately from there, my opponent didn't try. Whether he thought the court was slippery or the weather was too hot I am not sure. But he virtually made no effort in the second and little more in the third.
I was relatively happy as I had done what I had been trying to do. Now wait for rita to tell us all everything that was wrong with the match - even though I won to 4 points (and 3 of those were after I had match ball in the third)
Morning and Evening Walk
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Rita and I will be able to finish the argument we started after i finished playing - to your amusement no doubt!
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It was not a great night for watching Squash in general and my match in particular. But not for the reasons you might think.
My opponent, one of the top players in my grade, had beaten me in a very close tussle about 6 months ago, then again late last year in what was a complete thrashing. I was, however quite confident, especially as I was feeling good physically and it was extremely hot and humid (which means a very bouncy ball - much harder to hit winners and it negates a player's speed to some extent. - good for me)
Now, this is where I must warn you that what I have to say will be totally and utterly contradicted later in a post by rippa rit, because she had a completely different take on my match.
As you may have read previously, I have started concentrating on getting the ball deeper and creating opportunities that way as I had been making a lot of mistakes short, either by hitting the tin or by playing the shot a the wrong time, giving quicker opponents big advantage over a older, slower player (ie me)
Because the ball was bouncing a hell of a lot, it was' easy to get it under control, especially a I was trying to get it early. Despite this, I was playing to my game plan of getting it deeper and making less errors. My routine between points was reasonably good. I manage to win the first game.
Unfortunately from there, my opponent didn't try. Whether he thought the court was slippery or the weather was too hot I am not sure. But he virtually made no effort in the second and little more in the third.
I was relatively happy as I had done what I had been trying to do. Now wait for rita to tell us all everything that was wrong with the match - even though I won to 4 points (and 3 of those were after I had match ball in the third)
Morning and Evening Walk
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Rita and I will be able to finish the argument we started after i finished playing - to your amusement no doubt!
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Replies...
Please Note: The most recent replies are now at the top!
From rippa rit - 26 Jan 2006 - 20:32
From rippa rit - 26 Jan 2006 - 16:39
Ray - of course every opponent is different (some runners, some old, some skillful, some cunning), every night is different, every court is different, all hard, all soft, mixture of shots, attack, etc make the match a new contest. Yes?
Yes, the following 2 games nobody knows why were a resounding success, and by his failure to run after the short stuff, indicated that he gave it away, silly fellow. Yes the short sure worked, but it was a sort of anti-climax and we will never know how it would have panned out if he had continued to chase the ball.... that is a bugger, though chalked up a good win on paper.
More about what to do to get out of this rut and less about that game.
The ball was only so hot and so uncontrollable because you both bashed the sh..out of it, and the ball would not die and was recoverable - and, in fact I only saw backhand drives, and can recall maybe two forehand drives in that first game.
So, you lost the next night mixing it up. I would definitely mix up the game playing you too - why?
If this fails you after 3 weeks of practice, I am definitely putting on my squash shoes, and setting up a couple of sessions. I am very serious.
- If you cannot think in automation of where your opponent is and what to play, and maybe playing the shot in your head before it even lands on the floor, that is an OK and pretty normal thing to happen. Then, when it is too late, after shaping to play the shot realise he is standing on your heels - oops mistake forced.
- What is not OK from an onlooker/coaches point of view, if rallies are all played the same for a whole game, how can anybody, including the player on court, exploit weaknesses in the opponent. They have not searched for, or even given themselves, a chance to adapt the plan.
Yes, the following 2 games nobody knows why were a resounding success, and by his failure to run after the short stuff, indicated that he gave it away, silly fellow. Yes the short sure worked, but it was a sort of anti-climax and we will never know how it would have panned out if he had continued to chase the ball.... that is a bugger, though chalked up a good win on paper.
More about what to do to get out of this rut and less about that game.
- If you want to play length, ok - but mix up the pace, but don't try to bash each other into oblivion scrambling to get to and away from the ball.
The ball was only so hot and so uncontrollable because you both bashed the sh..out of it, and the ball would not die and was recoverable - and, in fact I only saw backhand drives, and can recall maybe two forehand drives in that first game.
So, you lost the next night mixing it up. I would definitely mix up the game playing you too - why?
- To move you about the court and open up the centre, and get you out of the way.
- So if that is what your opponent does, you then need to hit more length/depth to the corners, hard if the opponent is up the front, but slow and tight and high if he is down the back, to give you a chance to get into position, and tight so the reply is not so aggressive and fast.
- hitting the ball only as fast as you can recover from the corners.
- hitting the ball as hard, fast and low as you like when the opponent is out of position.
- play/practise some games using Roger Flynn's patterns.
If this fails you after 3 weeks of practice, I am definitely putting on my squash shoes, and setting up a couple of sessions. I am very serious.
From raystrach - 26 Jan 2006 - 11:15
hi rita
you were definitely watching a different game! he did get a lot of handouts in the first but he only got one point. - I looked at the scorecard after the match and he got a total of 4 points.
if things are not happening for you, you struggle any way you can to stay in the game. you only hope that things will come back to you eventually.
I hav not played a decent level of Squash for about 7 years - sometimes things take a while to gel.
The 1st game was scrappy but if you look at all the matches on the night - all players struggled to cope with the extreme bounce of the ball and heat of the court (the court was also just painted the previous day and the smell was not pleasant) . I am sure that if my opponent tried after the first, we would have adjused and the quality of play would have improved. as it was, i hit 9 consecutive drop shots from varying positions to win the second without one mistake - give me a break!!
as for aiming higher - that is exactly the point that I am trying to make - I am not aiming - period . I get lost in some sort of trance and I don't make good decisions - when I get back to the point that I am playing with total awareness, that is when I will be able to follow some of the things that you are suggesting (the thrust of what you have said is correct).
You may have come along expecting to see Jansher Khan or Rodney Martin at their peak.what you got was a 50 year old, playing a reasonable player less than half his age, not having adjusted fully to doing so and feeling pretty frustrated about it.
As I do with everything in life, I am battling through it - and I can assure you I will succeed.
I also look forward to you viewing another of my matches if you can find the time.
you were definitely watching a different game! he did get a lot of handouts in the first but he only got one point. - I looked at the scorecard after the match and he got a total of 4 points.
if things are not happening for you, you struggle any way you can to stay in the game. you only hope that things will come back to you eventually.
I hav not played a decent level of Squash for about 7 years - sometimes things take a while to gel.
The 1st game was scrappy but if you look at all the matches on the night - all players struggled to cope with the extreme bounce of the ball and heat of the court (the court was also just painted the previous day and the smell was not pleasant) . I am sure that if my opponent tried after the first, we would have adjused and the quality of play would have improved. as it was, i hit 9 consecutive drop shots from varying positions to win the second without one mistake - give me a break!!
as for aiming higher - that is exactly the point that I am trying to make - I am not aiming - period . I get lost in some sort of trance and I don't make good decisions - when I get back to the point that I am playing with total awareness, that is when I will be able to follow some of the things that you are suggesting (the thrust of what you have said is correct).
You may have come along expecting to see Jansher Khan or Rodney Martin at their peak.what you got was a 50 year old, playing a reasonable player less than half his age, not having adjusted fully to doing so and feeling pretty frustrated about it.
As I do with everything in life, I am battling through it - and I can assure you I will succeed.
I also look forward to you viewing another of my matches if you can find the time.
From rippa rit - 26 Jan 2006 - 07:39
Hey, members justice was done - and you can laugh now - the system logged me out when I posted my reply.
If Ray can find it in the big hole of the system, good.
If not, it was not meant to be.
If Ray can find it in the big hole of the system, good.
If not, it was not meant to be.
From rippa rit - 26 Jan 2006 - 07:35
Ray - I did not write the score down of the first game but in my head you scraped in, in what was shaping up to be ugly. That was not only my opinion.
Sorry Ray, but you have the skill, the experience, and the ability to outclass this guy, and your court movement was fine. I repeat:
Incidentally, I do not remember ever winning a match with a plan that consisted of Good Length. Why?
- I do not understand why I would want you to change a game that you won so convincingly at 9-1.
- I neglected to write down the exact score which was slack, but I had 9-7 in my mind. I know I did have a feeling of relief when you did win the game. Ditto for your team mates.
- The latter end of the game had 3 or 4 disgruntled referee calls, eg a "double hit"question, 2 x crowding "Lets" requested, you kneeling on the floor after he hit you on the knee/leg with his bat, drive down the b/hand wall "let" called and disallowed. None of this happened in exact silence.
Sorry Ray, but you have the skill, the experience, and the ability to outclass this guy, and your court movement was fine. I repeat:
- Your length was fine.
- If your shots go down just aim a little higher next time.
- Drop shot when in position and opponent held behind.
- Use the boast followed by the volley to open up the court and pressurise your opponent.
Incidentally, I do not remember ever winning a match with a plan that consisted of Good Length. Why?
- as it is what you do after that that really makes the difference.
From raystrach - 26 Jan 2006 - 00:30
Rita, Were you watching the same game as I was playing??
I went into the game with a plan which I executed. this guy had given me a thrashing the last time we played. I wanted to play conservatively. I played so badly in the first game that I won 9 - 1(when he was playing 100%). I played 9 drop shots in a row in the second from rubbish returns of serve to win 9 - 0. I led 8-0 in the third before making a few mistakes (going for 3 cross court nicks in a row) which gave him three points - won 9 - 3.
As for playing against myself - I wasn't maybe - I was definitely playing against myself. Anyone reading my blog would see this almost immediately. I think most people are. Watching the Australian Open tennis this week i would say that about 70% of players are battling their own brains.
I am not saying what rita said may not be helpful or even true. What I am saying is that I have been trying to play a varied game over the past few weeks and it has no worked for me, especially against tougher opponents. I need to simplify things first, then I think a more srategic game will come without really trying.
I went into the game with a plan which I executed. this guy had given me a thrashing the last time we played. I wanted to play conservatively. I played so badly in the first game that I won 9 - 1(when he was playing 100%). I played 9 drop shots in a row in the second from rubbish returns of serve to win 9 - 0. I led 8-0 in the third before making a few mistakes (going for 3 cross court nicks in a row) which gave him three points - won 9 - 3.
As for playing against myself - I wasn't maybe - I was definitely playing against myself. Anyone reading my blog would see this almost immediately. I think most people are. Watching the Australian Open tennis this week i would say that about 70% of players are battling their own brains.
I am not saying what rita said may not be helpful or even true. What I am saying is that I have been trying to play a varied game over the past few weeks and it has no worked for me, especially against tougher opponents. I need to simplify things first, then I think a more srategic game will come without really trying.
From Viper - 25 Jan 2006 - 21:33
Convince me you two are not husband and wife, I dare you.
From rippa rit - 25 Jan 2006 - 13:04
This is about Ray's match. I will try to take you through the process of evaluation that I used to come up with my recommendations, so I hope you can follow it and that it may be helpful.
The squash court is not a boxing ring and things going punch for punch. It is about a cat and mouse act, about strategic moves using a good sequence of shots that muck up the opponent (so long as it does not muck you up that is!).
My quandry/summary of the night:
So I definitely want to be there for the return match against this guy, as surely he will have given some thought to the match as well as may come out with new ideas, who knows.
I hope you can follow this ok - if not fire away!!
- Firstly what was I looking for since I had never seen his younger opponent before, nor did I know anything about the previous matches. And, in fact have not seen Ray play for about ten years.
- So I go out with a plan of assessment, prepared to be really helpful, Humm! Humm and wanted to comment as follows, on a scale of 1-10, so here it is what I had proposed to look at in a systematic way (things always look good in theory):-
- Movement (covered the court ok) 7/10
- T dominance (1st Game - centre court play was scrappy as the players started to crowd and play around each other) - so that immediately sets off alarm bells in my head.
- Ability to move opponent from T - (lst Game - Ray mainly hit only by hard length with varying degrees of accuracy. 2nd and 3rd games opponent did not want to go to the front to chase tight little low straight shots, but seemed happy to run across the back of the court bashing the ball). Maybe the opponent was disgruntled with the lst game so spat the dummy - who would know.
- Return of Serve - very repetitive and predictable. Skill level was ok.
- Shot selection - Serve 7/10; Drives 7/10; Volleys 8/10; Straight Drop 8/10; hardly used an angle drop from the centre when opponent trapped behind, hardly used a boast except I told him to do so to move the player around the court, or maybe a little tickle sometimes, high floats and change of rhythm or pace 0/10.
- Focus on the process - I could not identify what the process was except to hit length to the back. I could accept that idea for a couple of rallies but not for a whole game. 0/10
- Focus on the outcome - only in the first game when things got hairy and "lets" started to become a problem. 0/10
- So here we go "Play":-
- The Hit Up - Consisted of good solid cross court length. Would have liked to see a bit of a mixture of shots played, eg a couple of straight drives, or lobs and a volley, and a drop or two to get the feel of the court.
- lst Game - much the same tempo to back half of the court continually, until finally the opponent was almost leaning on Ray's swing ready to get the same expected drive, so then the shuffling and frustration went from bad to worse. Awful to watch. If the next game had continued like this heavens knows what the final score would have been - I guessed it would be like a "dog fight" with the Ref involved too, maybe. Ray may have had another idea for the 2nd game but I got too impatient watching to wait to see what was to come, as I could see much of the same....hope I was wrong.
- 2nd game - opponent was not ready for a change of rhythmn, and did not want to chase tight shots and the front court stuff, so sort of gave in - so nobody knows if it was frustration, good play or disgust.
- 3rd Game - match sort of fissled out till 8-1 and Ray made a couple of errors, then finished at about 9-3. Opponent seemed unsure if he wanted to run.
- The interesting thing was as soon as Ray started to hit the ball hard and deep the opponent sort of wanted to play, then would stop as soon as the short stuff came about again.
- Talk about the ebb and flow of a match - that match sure got the prize.
- I started to pick at various tactical matters since there was not a total overall structure to the play. If this should happen regularly, and tactics go out the window, my positive advice would be:
- to try training/playing to patterns, have some predominantly "short"; some "long"; or a mixture of both, say 6 consecutive shots, depending on the ability and speed of the opponent.
- For sure, whatever happens, the play must open up the centre court.
- If the first drive is tight down the backhand wall, I do not understand why it is necessary to keep hitting 5 backhands to length (some of which may not be so tight) before changing the pace (rhythm), angle of the return, etc.. After 5 hard drives to length down the backdhand wall several things are happening, eg
- the opponent is hanging back,
- is ready for the return,
- starts to crowd,
- calls for lets as he is there before the ball is struck,
- the ball is flying around as it is so bouncy, in too much of a rush to hit a drop or even volley drop accurately,
- the boast/volley boast is the only safe option in such speed,
- the serve following the rally will be hard to control,
- nothing will die.
- Ray's feeling to me in my words as I understood them:
- So Ray could not accept anything I said really and of course it was still in the "heat of the moment" and he won and had trouble accepting the win as it was too easy.
- So he shook his head when I spoke about playing the front with boasts and drops and said "i have been hitting bad length lately and making too many errors short and the plan was to hit length and make few errors".
- Rita's comment:
- Of course you will make errors in the front while scrambling over each other when attempting to hit touch shots from the T area. In hard low play a boast is the shot to take the opponent forward, not the drop. The boast is not to win a point but move the opponent around the court too.
- Ray's feelings then were:
- "No, it turned out exactly to plan as I wanted to get length.
- Rita's reaction (hey, and we are not married!!):
- So you were playing yourself not the opponent?
- Ray's reply
- "Yes, I suppose I was"
- Rita's thought then was to say
- "well ya betta take up golf".
The squash court is not a boxing ring and things going punch for punch. It is about a cat and mouse act, about strategic moves using a good sequence of shots that muck up the opponent (so long as it does not muck you up that is!).
My quandry/summary of the night:
- Ray felt he was playing a guy that quit as the match was too easy,
- Ray said he was not as tired as he should be after winning.
- Then said, the guy beat him to 7 points last time,
I hope you can follow this ok - if not fire away!!
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