I think we are talking about the transition from amateur to professional really too.
As the older amateur players retired, mostly due to age by the way, the new champions had a completely different focus on their role within the structure of the game.
Personally, I do not think the big picture was ever really considered, as each little group tended to follow their own constitution - and if it had been, the sponsored national players would have had a responsibility within the clubs and associations because that is the bottom line for the source of funding -  this in turn would have ensured a continuing income stream from player affiliation.
This all ties in with previous forum topics on this subject.....the fragmentation, etc.

So, you could say it has "killed the goose that laid the golden egg".

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I guess it is progress for the squash pro as they were/able to make a decent living from the game.

The main problem is if the retired pro fails to "nurture new seeds in the game" by not giving of their time/talent/profile in retirement.

Has this been the case in the last 15-20 years or so and has it been one of the reasons squash has declined so much ?

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Hey, I am just having a little smurk on my face as I am reading along the forum
So now we compare the squash of the present day and the days gone by. 

• 1950/70's most training was played on the court, in one shape or other,
  
• 40 years ago without the use of flash facilities and testing equipment, and sports psych etc. and it was more a test of squash skills. 
  
• Players generally had to still earn "bread" too.
• Today we have sophisticated equipment, sports science norms produced re age, gender, weight, height, etc factors,  full time pysical trainers, and coaches, etc. then slow motion photography, and so on.
• It took many years to become a full blown player as nothing was force-fed so to speak and it was all hard-yakka both physically and mentally. Maybe you either had it or you did not have it so to speak.

While I mull over this a few things stick in my throat :

• NOW once the players stop,

•  they mostly hang up the rackets;
• nurse their hips and knees
• perform if there is a dollar offered
• seldom go down to the local club
• live in another country supported by the national squash body's.
• come back home for a rest
• PREVIOUSLY  players would:
• worked by day, unless they had well off parents/family
• played before and/or after work
• entered into every recognised tournament for experience and improved rankings
• went for a long run on Sunday morning, and maybe once during the week
• did ghosting, court sprints, routines, solo practice, routines, enlessly
• sought out sporting goods/club sponsorship
• paid their own expenses, except for the top seed to travel to tournaments
• coach/train the local juniors at the club

Anyway, you get the idea of what I am talking about.  This is called progress!!! 

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Rita, it is called ENDLESS FUN, JOY, EXCITEMENT :-)

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Haa what else is there?

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Yes, I agree.

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I'd love to change the importance/ meaning of those ...

Footwork
Racket control/skills
Attention = use of the mind

(fitness is precondition for squash IMO)

What do you say?

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