Plot twists

What we’re trying to do is slowly move that “just writing” into “writing a story.” And maybe even trying to drop the idea of “a story” altogether.

-George Saunders’ Story Club

There are many ways to think about the dynamic between two players on a squash court, It’s a conversation, a dialogue, it’s call and response. Everything is BOTH offence and defense, parry/riposte. It’s make-a-pattern-break-the-pattern…. You get the idea.

Myself, I like the approach implied here by Mr. Saunders answering a question from someone about how to know if they’re ‘just writing’ or actually writing a story. It’s not about ending, it’s about building. Playing with the intent to put ineluctable pressure on your opponent. To commit to the process rather than the result. Long-term. That as long as you’re doing less work than they are, there is something to gain from being patient and even extending the rally. By creating the right shot options for yourself, you take energy from your opponent with less risk. At some point in the third game, you’d like to glance over and see them hunched over, hands on knees, staring glassy-eyed at the front wall.

Not gonna lie, you will sometimes lose even the most carefully constructed points. You’ll make a mistake, or a decision that lets them off the hook. And of course, sometimes your opponent will turn the tables - maybe after an unbelievable series of increasingly desperate gets. Why? Well, consider, in those moments, who’s most present mentally? Those moments where the ball stops moving?

So being deliberate doesn’t mean go easy!

Roger Federer, who played a lot of squash when he was young, won 54% of the points he played in his career and 80% of his matches. Take courage from this: over the match, a tournament, a season your odds go way up.

Play your heart out. Always look to learn from what’s happening.

• As I’ve said before: mistakes are ok, so don’t be afraid to hit shots that maximize effort for your opponent;

• Take a minute to reflect after big matches and make a couple of notes so that suspect choices can be minimized through contextualized practice and mental imagery;

• Mid-match, have one or two simple instructions ready, such as, “Hit straight after a cross court”, or “The faster I run, the slower I’m going to hit.”

Before we go, let’s think a second about your opponent. They are going to reply, respond, react to everything you do. Heck, they probably have their own post-it notes all over their racquet cover! Like I said, it’s a dialogue, and you have to stay engaged. If they have a killer lob serve, you’re going to change where you stand to receive, right? If you keep forcing them into the front right, they’re going to start anticipating the straight drop. Both of you are responding in order to reduce the stress on yourselves. Be aware that this necessarily creates opportunity somewhere else. And so the plot thickens.

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PS. I wish we had stats to match tennis. It would make this sport so much more mainstream.