Info for Your Squashgame

Glory In Defeat?

Published: 18 Mar 2006 - 22:27 by raystrach

Updated: 21 Mar 2006 - 09:22

Subscribers: Log in to subscribe to this post.

How much easier is it to play well when you are expected to lose? I suggest that it is much easier as there are fewer expectations, less pressure and nothing to lose. First the first time in many months I played a match where I felt winning was not a realsistic possibility (although I never ruled it out!).

For the first time in well over 15 years I played Craig Rowland, former WR 7 and World Open semi finalist. The last time I played Craig, he was a young man from Regional Queensland trying to make his mark on the Squash world. I could genuinely compete with him then.

Injury when he was approaching his peak prevented him from having more of an impact, but he continues to paly well now even though he is well into his thirties. At prsent he is the No 1 resident Queensland player and competing with him now is a little beyond me - he has gone up and I have gone down.

Athough playing at number 1 in the local Thursday premier league is probably a little beyond me at the moment, it was great to play Craig again and get a little of the intesity required to play at that level. It lifts your standard without even trying. Unfortunately for me, my lift in standard was no where near enough to really put pressure on him. Fortunately, he did not play flat out the whole match, so I was able get a few points on the board.

I won the toss and it was a relief to get the first point as I was worried that i might not get any. Craig may have taken pity on me and made it easy for me for old times sake. I did not respond too well in the first although I managed to score a few points. I made far too many errors trying to do too much.

My aim was to make him have to play properly to win. In the second and the third games, I managed to do that. Whilst he was toying wth me I was able to stay ahead, but as soon as he got a little serious it made it difficult. I could stay with him for a short while, but eventually I would hit a little loose and it would be put away.

Still, despite having played the previous two nights, I moved quite well and kept my technique together as well as any time over the past few weeks. There are encouraging signs that some form is starting to appear and I won't be out of place in my team for too long. Craig is by far the strongest player in this league so others will not be as tough. I just hope that i can use the experience to lift my overall form to where I think it should be.

Athough on the surface, my results this week have not been great, I can feel some confidence returning. I got to make sure that I stay positive and attack the ball each and every rally.squash game squash extras How to add images to Members' Forum posts and replies here...

Replies...

Please Note: The most recent replies are now at the top!

From raystrach - 21 Mar 2006 - 09:22

there is nothing wrong with mimicking his shots jj. that is one way we can learn.

i think our minds are the biggest impediment to improvement. It is certainly true in my case.

Back to top

From JJSOOTY - 20 Mar 2006 - 02:24

I know what you mean.  I recently played a friend of mine who is a club player, currently playing for the 1st team.  I didn't expect to win and was pleased when I won the first point as I didn't think i'd get any!  To my surprise I soon foung myself 2 games up and playing comfortably.  Unfortunately my mind then switched to what it would be like to beat him and I lost the match.  However, I was still pleased with myself and I picked up some handy tips along the way.(Mostly by mimicking some of his shots!)    

Back to top

Sorry, only members can post replies on this and all other Members` Forum items.

Join Here - It`s fast and it`s free!

Check other member benefits here...


Support Squashgame

Support us here at Squashgame.info! If you think we helped you, please consider our Squash Shop when purchasing or make a small contribution.

Products Now Available

US Squash Shop

Accessories

Apparel

Squash Balls

Footwear

Squash Rackets

Sport and Leisure

Video Games

Share/Save/Bookmark

Facebook Link

 

 Testimonials

I am happy to share my thoughts on your website. It is 100 percent of truth.  

Sorry, logins temporarily disabled

We hope to see you back soon when we launch our updated site.