Practice Your Mistakes!

Wow! That was unexpected. For a few weeks, I was being pulled in a few different directions, so I didn’t have a chance to sit down and write here. But I’m back, and I hope your squash is going well!

I’ve been thinking about a summer fitness program, playing lefties, and doing good solo practice. But the thing that’s been most on my mind lately is mistakes. Goofs, errors, flubs — you may not ever have made one yourself, but you know what I mean. I like to categorize them this way: choices, execution and forced. That’s pretty self explanatory, but what I want to talk about is how we respond to losing a point that we feel we should/could/would have won, and how to get better at that.

First off, to me, mistakes are not the same as errors. This comes from my days of teaching ESL, where “mistakes” are slips of the tongue and “errors” result from not knowing the right sentence structure, vocabulary or pronunciation. It’s an academic distinction, but helpful I think. Similarly, on a squash court, there are unforced errors and forced errors. Unforced errors are the ones we really hate. Clanging a loose ball at the T right into the tin or out of court and responding with a shout, “That was so easy!!!” Those sting, yes, but more of our errors are, in one way or another, forced. The ball is too tight, moving too fast, we’re in the wrong position, we’re running around like a madperson, we’re losing 8-3 in the 5th, etc.

In the first case, as long as the shot you were trying to hit was the right one, then it’s a matter of execution and you can can get better with solo practice, drills or lessons. More about that later. In the second, you have to ask yourself if you were actually trying to hit the right shot for the situation, giving yourself the best chance to stay in the rally. Were you thinking ahead to the next shot, calmly and clearly, or were you thinking that if you can pull off this amazing winner, you might also run out and buy a lottery ticket?

Pressure comes in different forms, but it will come. You can count on it. And you need an effective response. Here are some simple, concrete suggestions:

• The faster you are running, the slower you should hit the ball

• When the ball is on the wall, keep your distance and remember you’re only going to use the top of the frame to hit it. Firm grip, upward swing.

• Get to a T. The two steps after you hit the shot are critical.

• The average 4.0 rally is 10 shots. Stay in it until you get there

• If you lose the point, keep your body language positive (here’s Nadal talking about this)

Now let’s go back to mistakes, shots you can hit 7 out of 10 times and then miss for no apparent reason. When you are doing drills and conditioned games, it is helpful to keep in mind that even the best players in the world don’t always hit exactly the shot they want; they are trying to hit it better and better. Amateur players have to develop the mental strength to repair, to insist, and to get through a rough patch without losing patience, without making a bad choice right after a bad shot. That’s one reason I like players to keep playing in drills and conditioned games even if the ball goes out or down or bounces twice.

Stay focused, practice. Do it better next time.

That’s about it for today. As always, thanks for reading. More to come. :)

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