SquashTalk Training Room -Yoga for Squash by Steve Cox

SquashTalk>Training Room > Steve Cox I

Training Room

SquashTalk
Training Room
© 2004

TRAINING ROOM
    Training Goals
    Training - Lutes I
    Stretching
    Ten Basic Tips
    Drills - I
    Drills - II
    Coaching Basics
    Yoga for Squash
    Train to anticipate
MEDICAL ADVICE
    Plantar Fasciitis


	CURRENT EVENTS Canary Wharf Bermuda Open Forbes WISPA RECENT EVENTS Swiss Open Ottawa Open CSA Individuals CSA Nationals Qatar Challenge TOC 2004 Howe Cup CONTENT Hall of Fame News Index Club Links Gear Links E-boast Newsletter (sign up now free)



	Schedules/Results Team previews


	Latest news Tournament Calendar Bronstein Global Gallery Videos History Pakistan Squash Camp Index Features Index Player Profiles Worldwide Clubs Worldwide Links Rankings Opinion/Perspective


	About Squash Just starting Books Letters to editor Job Exchange Improve Yourself Find a player Guestbook Advertise on SquashTalk Editorial Staff About Squashtalk

Finding That Edge: Tips from teaching pro Steve Cox
Yoga provides a method for training your body, muscles and mind in a way that will enhance your squash game meteorically.

From Steve Cox, Los Angeles California Los Angeles. July 2000: The Desire to Play Whether we play seriously or for fun, whether we are young or old, one thing is constant: once a Squash player always a Squash player. Our bones may be splinting our muscles screaming for rest, our brains befuddled and functioning on a limited basis. Whatever is ailing us we want to keep playing. We will do so contrary to all odds and statistics. So what can we do to: (a) give us an edge, (b) keep our bodies functioning longer & stronger? I don¹t know about any of you out there but for us displaced colonials who live here in California, a reputation for quirkiness and strangeness follows those of us who live there. California is sports capital of the world and it entices us to want to play squash, scuba dive, kayak, play golf and surf all at once. Of course to do this we need inordinate amounts of energy and unusual coordination: Something along the lines of the more you put into your game and life the more you get out. Introducing Yoga One answer is Yoga. Yoga comes in many forms and is taught at many levels. Simply put, Yoga is a deceptively complex activity that trains your body, muscles, and mind at the same time. It is a satisfying an interesting activity which will at the same time enhance your squash game meteorically - no matter your level. What I get from Yoga I have been doing "Power Yoga" four to five times a week, at least an hour a day, for two years now. I have kept it up because I feel it has added to my squash game as well as other activities incrementally. It has fulfilled a sports player's need to stretch which increases with age (I am 43 years old and feel as fit as I was at 18). It has increased and balanced the strength throughout my body and brought it into more balanced muscle tone. It has increased flexiblilty multifold and consequently allows me to stretch further on court and with strength, return shots that might have been considered impossible for me two years ago. It has also - and this is something of intrinsic value in any fast paced sport - enabled me to slow the game down. What I mean is that somehow I am able to anticipate, and prepare shots that were once more hurried and less skillful. In short my vision, physically and mentally, is enhanced. Breathing with Yoga So what about the breathing aspect of squash? We don¹t seem to either teach or be taught about it, yet is so intrinsically important to success in the game. Well we all know what its like to feel our lungs heaving and screaming for a few more second of respite. So get doing some Yoga and holding some of the positions that you are taught in class, learn about breath control and you will be amazed at the unfathomable difference in all your activities on and off the court. Yoga does not exhaust you it rejuvenates you (Well you will know about it for a while and rest accordingly). You may find that you don¹t need to sleep so much anymore after making Yoga a habit, you will also likely find more mental energy for your normal daily life. You may even find that you focus better on every aspect of your lives as well. Of course it is widely documented that the mediative activity within Yoga reduces stress which adds to our daily abilities to cope with the onslaughts of life and those determined opponents. As far as the benefits to specific aspects of health, they are too many to list. Suffice it to say that in my mind Yoga is a common sense approach to improving your health and maintaining it as well as adding skill to many chosen sports and mental activities. TRY IT! So as a teaching pro I urge you to take a few classes (don¹t watch videos and don¹t view Yoga as some unusual spiritual endeavor), set yourself a goal to stick with it for a certain length of time, thus creating the discipline of habit which will ultimately allow you to do any series of the some 600+ available poses. Don¹t judge yourself because what¹s hard today and feels impossible will be actualized tomorrow with the practice that adds to your muscle memory. I would also urge that you go to classes that are "Power based" and strength oriented. Good luck and let us know here at SquashTalk what changes you experience. Stephen Cox can be reached by email at stephencox@earthlink.net [Explore Yoga at www.yogasite.com]