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Rules advice / Fitness / Percentage return

Published: 21 Jan 2006 - 05:42 by fxjackal

Updated: 22 Feb 2006 - 10:20

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Hi

 

First timer to this site.  It has an incredible amount of information.  36 years old.  Quick background - last played squash in the days of the wooden racket.  Battled with stress fractures in feet for last 3 years - fractures have recovered - started to play squash again just after new year - remember many of the old tricks for a reasonable level of competitive social play - just trying to get fitness levels up and lose about 3 kilos then I should be fine.  Rules question:-  I strike the opponent with the ball, not deliberately, but he stands kind of directly in front of me hindering my shot to the front wall, any an angled shot to avoid him, sets me up to run for a drop shot, surely his tactics are unfair, and I have no recourse but to hit at him?  Fitness question - is 5 games (45 minutes a week) excessive?  I feel I could play for longer, but opponents are not keen.  Return question:- 2 right handers, I receive in left court, what are the 3 best places for me to place the return (I would assume backhand along the left wall to left back corner is one) another 2?  I know it would depend on opponents style, tactics, but your comment?

Thanks, great site

 

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From rippa rit - 22 Feb 2006 - 10:20

hi fxjackal - i see you are knew to the site, but keep clicking around the tabs and menu items so you get familiar with the content, and how the forum works. 
I did reply to your previous rule question through the WSF
Sometimes it can be hard to locate the answer to questions, especially if the topics are a bit mixed up. However, by going to the Members Forum (at the top), hold the cursor over and a submenu will appear, eg Forum Archives, Recent Post Replies, Create New Post so you can browse what has gone previously and keep adding to those subjects.  You got me?

The other questions I will leave for someone else to get involved.
Good luck with your comeback.  Talking about feet, see Slavi has a post about his feet and problems while playing a lot...that might be of interest as well.



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From medved - 22 Feb 2006 - 09:06

hi fxjackal

I believe that you biggest problem that your friend is not up to your level of squash.
I hope that playing league will help you proper opponent.

Don't kill yourself by so much exercising ;)

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From fxjackal - 25 Jan 2006 - 06:53   -   Updated: 25 Jan 2006 - 06:53

Thanks rippa rit.  I plan to spend a bit of time on court mobility and drills for the stop start routine of the game.  Stretching is part of my warmup and warmdown.  I often swim for 30 minutes before a game and try to swim at least 30 minutes after a game.  I am thinking of running to the squash courts, playing and then running home.  So it will be swim, run, squash, run, swim.  Unusual iron man!

Have managed to join a group of 8th league players who play Monday and Thursday for about 2 hours per day, rotating singles and triples play.  I don't believe my ring craft, skill level and fitness is quite where it should be, as I waste lots of opportunities and make many mistakes.  However fitness is on the up, so I should fit quite nicely into the group within a month or two.  The singles game on Monday was close ( I did lose ), but the opponent was made to work really hard.

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From rippa rit - 23 Jan 2006 - 07:21

fxjackal - good to hear you are easying back into playing/training and clearing away a bit of rust that has gathered. You will find muscles you never knew you had!
If you are getting a lot of stiffness, especially around the legs and bottom, it will slow you down somewhat, so it would be advisable to go to our Preparation and Stretching. and have a good read.
Besides your usual warmup, spend a good session just on stretching each week too, as you will be prone to injury after a long lay off.

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From rippa rit - 23 Jan 2006 - 07:20

fxjackal - good to hear you are easying back into playing/training and clearing away a bit of rust that has gathered. You will find muscles you never knew you had!
If you are getting a lot of stiffness, especially around the legs and bottom, it will slow you down somewhat, so it would be advisable to go to our Preparation and Stretching. and have a good read.
Besides your usual warmup, spend a good session just on stretching each week too, as you will be prone to injury after a long lay off.

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From fxjackal - 22 Jan 2006 - 01:40

Slavi and Aprice1985 I notice how tactfully you choose your words re fitness.  I am fit and believe I could play 10 games of 45 minutes a week.  I know it is not a question of quantity, but quality.  I have put my name on my local club's summer league (13th league as I am unable to gauge where I would fit into the league structure right now) (so it should mean a game every Thursday evening for a month or two) and the opportunity to find some new friends and opponents.  PS. it took me approx 2 to 3 games to get rid of the upper leg & buttock muscle pain syndrome.  Suppose swimming, golf did some good.

 

 

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From aprice1985 - 21 Jan 2006 - 22:10

This is only a problem for older people and very overweight/unfit people who dive straight into full power games like people who played back in 70s or 80s have not played for decades and now want to play like they are 21 again, most reasonably fit or young people will be okay

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From drop-shot - 21 Jan 2006 - 20:40

Arthur - I know where to find you, mind your back, man...

I AM 35 y.o. AND MY FITNESS HAS NEVER BEEN IN BETTER SHAPE than after playing squash consecutively for 24 months.
Thanks to "healthy" way of eating/living and joggging/ attending to the sport centre I lost over 18 kg of fat and most of my colleagues guess I am on drugs :(D

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From aprice1985 - 21 Jan 2006 - 20:31

Word of warning on fitness (not to a 36 year old) but others who take up sport after a long break and are unfit/overweight should start slow and maybe not straight into sport but in the gym first as you risk your knees if you are overweight and having to work as hard as squash makes you and if you are really bad and getting on in years may risk heart problems occurring before you get fit.

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From fxjackal - 21 Jan 2006 - 16:09

Thank you Ray

- I understand the stroke issue - I will spend some time finding myself a copy of the rules / studying

- 5 games a week of 45 minutes each, I am reasonably fit, obviously nowhere near 100% squash fit, maybe I am the one who makes the opponents run, and they are not giving me the work out I want - answer is to find other opponents

- I wil look at the "return of serve" topic.

PS.  I could spend days on this website.  Anyway, if that is what it takes to find the info I want, well then I have no other choice.

 

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From raystrach - 21 Jan 2006 - 15:34

dear fxjackal - welcome to the SquashGame forum

to address your points.
  • rules - if the opponent is between you and the front wall when you are about to strike the ball a stroke could be awarded to you
  • play duration -  45 minutes is by no means excessive in itself, but it does depend on the playing intensity - I would recommend perhaps up to 2 of those sessions per week at first, but at an easy pace. increase the duration or pace as you improve your fitness see squash safety here
  • return of serve - use the straight ball as a basic return then use other returns (to your liking) as a variation do a search on "return of serve" as there are a number of resources and articles on this topic

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