SquashTalk>Columns>Team Kneipp > Readers Feedback: General Remarks to Team Kneipp

SquashTalk Opinion

Global Gallery
Tournament Talk
Rob Dinerman
Team Kneipp
Walker's Notebook
Sarah Fitz-Gerald
The Spin (Beck)

Clios Corner (Zug)
Guest Columns
Letters to Editor

What's New
News Index
Features Index
Web Links
E-boast Newsletter
   (sign up now free)

SQUASHTALK TODAY
Men's World Open
Women's World Open

RECENT EVENTS
Qatar Classic
Canadian Classic
Valid Dutch Open
Silver Racquets
Edmonton PSA
Men's World Teams
Weymuller 03

CURRENT CONTENT
Hall of Fame
News Index
Club Links
Gear Links
E-boast Newsletter
    (sign up now free)

Subject: Your Questions -- our Answers

Dear Readers:

Our articles over the past two years have generated a number of questions. We promised an ongoing forum. Sorry that due to our tournament and league schedules we have let them pile up for some time! We do appreciate them and keep them coming.

Here are an initial set of questions and answers. We will keep the answers coming!

From: "Alasdair Macdonald" <alasdair_macdonald@arsenalfc.net>
To: <joe@teamkneipp.com>
CC: <dan@teamkneipp.com>
Subject: Milking?
Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 16:06:21 +0100

You said in your PSA Masters preview that Wael El Hindi (whose on-court conduct was dreadful on the only occasion I've seen him play) "is another player that is capable of upsets and is willing to do anything on court for victory especially blocking and milking." Obviously I know what blocking is and I'm well aware of what is meant by things like "fishing" (which, as a paying spectator, is my pet hate), but what on earth is "milking"?

By the way, I'm a big fan of the pro game (but a lousy player) from the UK, and I think that Team Kneipp on SquashTalk is the most interesting squash coverage on the internet. Keep up the good work!

Regards,
Alasdair Macdonald

------------------------------------------------------------------------

OUR ANSWER: Good question. It’s easy to get wrapped up in jargon and not consider if we’re using terminology that everyone if familiar with. So here are some definitions:

Blocking – purposely moving your body into your opponent’s path to cause contact and prevent him from getting the ball. This is done most effectively at the pro level when the offending player plays a drop shot from the front of the court, and then sticks his arse out just enough to check his opponent’s hip as he’s coming through. That tiny contact is enough to prevent a player getting a good drop, and a depressing number of umpires are blind to this. Most people are watching the drop shot, not the body contact that happens.

Fishing – Trying to catch a stroke where there isn’t one. Using a position that would be a simple let, often a soft one, and trying to get a free, cheap point care of a bad umpire. We’ve all seen it hundreds of times. I hate this the most when it happens in a practice match and will avoid hitting with someone who does it – it defeats the point of training.

Milking – Trying to squeeze a let situation into a stroke. Milking the situation for all its worth. This can be done in a number of ways (this definition is to help you notice it when you’re umpiring, not to use it). If the opponent is in front trying to back away from a bad drop or a loose drive, the offender will use his body and racquet to trap him close to the ball, or even push him towards the ball. Coming into a drop shot with an extra big swing that catches the opponents back as he’s retreating is another way of milking a stroke. Also holding a shot for an extra long time, waiting for the other guy to move into the swing path. We’ve all seen the situation lots of times. One player has hit a bad floating shot to the middle of the court, and is stuck behind the player about to hit. He’s on his toes waiting to sprint forward to retrieve the inevitable dropshot. But it never comes, instead the player waits and waits until the ball, or the over-eager player, moves into the swing path creating an obvious stroke. Unlike the other two ways, this doesn’t require any body contact and is completely legal. You are free to hit the ball at any stage before it hits the floor twice. But every time I see this I always say to myself ‘Hit the bloody ball’. It’s not a very sporting tactic.

From: RAYZAN@aol.com
To: dan@teamkneipp.com
Subject: Comment about your article
Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 02:50:44 EDT

Dear Joseph:

I am an amateur Squash player from New York. Your article is very interesting and I enjoy your game tremendously. Now for the question of prize money, the difference between the two sports is very disturbing and should not be as such at all. My advice to you is to turn your attention to the PSA and those who run it. They are individuals from the squash community in most part. What the PSA needs are business people who are able to attract corporate sponsorships in the US. This is where the money is. I have been working on Wall Street for many years and I know how much my firm and other major firms allocate large funds to sponsor Golf and tennis tournaments. The money is definitely there. It is just a question of having the right people to get it. Insiders from squash are just not going to do the job.

This is the whole problem in a nutshell. What is most disturbing (and I don't know if you know that) is that Squash, after Golf, is the second most played sports for people who work in the financial markets. In fact, if you visit any of the private squash clubs in New York, you will find that more than half of the players work in the financial industry. Raising a few hundred thousand dollars for a couple of tournament a year in the US should not be a problem at all. Trust me, the money is definitely there.

You guys need an urgent shakeup in the ranks of the PSA and how you select or elect your leadership. I hope I have been helpful.

Yours truly,
Raymond Zananiri.

OUR ANSWER: These are all issues that players and the PSA are aware. The States is the most vibrant country for tournaments at the moment and has so much potential, which I think will get utilised much better in the near future. This is a difficult subject that would take a whole article to answer and address properly.

From: Faraz Hussain <faraz_hussain@yahoo.com>
To: dan@teamkneipp.com
Subject: Squash column suggestion
Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 13:18:16 -0700 (PDT)

Hi,
I enjoy reading your column and have a suggestion for a future column. I think the biggest question many people have is what does it take to become a squash pro? Obviously hard work is the answer, but how much hard work? Would 1 hour a day for 10 years cut it? Or is the quality of the training more important than the quantity? Maybe u can look back on your early days and figure out how many hours it took to progress from D to C to B to A etc. level. Also were there any different ways of doing things you would recommend if u had to do it over again.

Thanks,

Faraz

OUR ANSWER: You are approaching this issue in the wrong manner. Aside from answering ‘lots’, there isn’t a magic number or formula for working out how to be a squash pro. It’s different for everyone. I think Mark Chaloner is a good example for this question. I don’t think he has the most natural talent or the best racquet skills in the game. Yet he has spent nearly two years in the top 10 and has been ranked as high as 7. One of the ways that he has achieved this is by recognising that a lot of players have naturally better racquet skills, so he put a ridiculous amount of time working on this, and more importantly ensuring his fitness and movement was so exceptional, that any shortcomings in his racquet skills would be overcome by his fitness and movement. Chaloner figured out how much work he needed to do, and did it.

A much more common sight is the extremely natural talented player who can do magic with the racquet, but doesn’t acknowledge the fitness and movement work they need.

Junior success is also very different to senior success. Junior squash in Australia is very competitive. John White never won an Australian Junior Age Championship. Michael Fiteni won three and has his name alongside Boswell, Palmer, Kneipp, Jenson and Ricketts. Whitey is now #2 in the world, whereas Fiteni couldn’t break the top 50 and now plays for the Netherlands because he was unable to make the Australian team. Perhaps Whitey missing the title as a junior gave him extra incentive to work harder.

Whitey is also an interesting example because he is usually the player that people talk about when dramatic winners and absurd nicks are involved. His shot selection is unorthodox, extremely successful and entertaining to watch. But people rarely talk about his fitness or his movement. As far as I know he’s the only player in the top 20 that can do the splits, and he is able to do it during a rally and get back up to continue. He realised that just wonderful shot-making ability wouldn’t get the job done, so he has ensured his fitness and movement is incredible.

What I’m hoping to portray is that each player, regardless of age, needs to work out how far they want to go, how much work they need to do to get there, and how much they’re prepared to do. Each question will have a different answer for a different player.

* Perhaps it helps you to know that I’d say you’d have to be a pretty exceptional talent to be able to play one hour a day for ten years and become a top pro. Most pro players when they were aged between 9 and 19 would have done a lot more than this. Once you start getting good an hour is only a training match. What about drills, technique work, fitness work etc?

From: "peter bloom" <pbloom2@hotmail.com>
To: dan@teamkneipp.com
Subject: j.p. qatar quarterfinal preview
Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 14:07:08 -0400

hello,
to begin, i have to tell you how much i have enjoyed the opportunity to get a players' perspective at psa tour events. however you have been finding the time and inclination to give people this unique look inside the sport - i hope you continue.

that said, you have clearly allowed frustration to shade your judgement where jonathan power is concerned. i am unaware of joseph's record vs. power, but i can surmise it based upon the emotion in your article forecasting the bottom half of the draw in qatar. haven't you seen jonathan play matches without all that carrying on? i have, and i have to say that for the average squash fan it is a far less entertaining display than the alternative. he clearly possesses the talent to deal with almost every player on the tour without a great deal of concentration. i am quite sure he could leave emotion aside if he pleased, however, i feel it would be to the detriment of the sport at this time. there are so few characters that fit the role of squash professional - and even fewer that can allow themselves the distraction of sharing some personality in such a gruelling spectacle - that it is difficult at times to be entertained, even for an avid fan of the game. why not give the guy his due, he is the most impressive talent that squash has seen for some time....and he's fun to watch.
peter bloom

OUR ANSWER: Thanks for the feedback. It is always welcome and appreciated.

I completely agree with what you have written. Power is great for our game and along with John White one of the true entertainers of our sport.

First a couple of clarifications:
- Joe didn’t write any of the 2nd half preview, it was all by Dan
- We both get along well with Power
- Power won their last encounter in 3, Joe the one before that in 3.
- We are spending all of July training with John Power (Senior) at Dartmouth and will probably be doing an exhibition there with Jonathon.

I’m hoping this will help clarify whether the paragraph is emotionally based.

I don’t think you’ll find a single pro player or coach that would disagree with an overview of Power’s game as being a mix of beautiful attacking shots, amazing court coverage, verbal outbursts, and heavy body contact. Which is all I have tried to say.

The paragraph in question was intended to be a swipe at the referees that allow the verbal outbursts and body contact to have an impact on the outcome of the match. A lot of players do it and it is just an element of the game, but the referee determines how much it affects the match.

You couldn’t get a better example than what happened in the final of the Canadian Classic in Toronto last year. Power fell and injured himself in the crucial third game, but helped convince the ref that it was a ‘contributed injury’ where the other player was partly responsible. This means Power gets unlimited recovery time rather than the standard 3 minutes for a self inflicted injury. So he remained off court for 41 minutes – a long time for the ankle to feel better and an eternity of rest time considering the main weapon Nicol has against Power is fitness. Video replays later showed the injury was completely self inflicted.

I notice that you haven’t disagreed with what I have said about Power, merely pointed out the it is in the best interests of the sport and that he is invaluable in what he brings to the court. I agree with this. Power is a very charismatic and talented player. He is great for the game. I personally don’t agree with some methods he will use to win points. He is talented enough to win without using blocking and gamesmanship, but every player is able to do that, whether the refs allow it to happen is more important.

Hopefully this has helped emphasise that the paragraph wasn’t intended to be interpreted as an attack on Power.

From: martin.scullion@uk.pwcglobal.com
To: dan@teamkneipp.com
Subject: Now and then
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 13:44:58 +0000

Hi there

Squash like all sports has to evolve it seems to me that the modern game
has become more explosive & attacking where the ball is attacked at every opportunity. The older style of game Barrington / Hunt era appeared to be based more upon a 'grinding' type of approach where both players would apply constant pressure at a relatively constant rates in order to see who would crack first.

I would imagine the first real Hi-'pressure' player would have been Jahangir who could volley like a machine and seemingly take the ball a second earlier than everyone else, Jansher came along and proved that he was the modern day grinder in the style of hunt/barrington

I do believe that the players of JK's era seemed to be stronger and more powerful, but did they have the sheer pace & firepower of todays players??, I don't know but I'd love to see Jansher & Jon Power matched up at the peak of their powers, or Jahangir vs Peter.

Anyway I'm looking forward to your take on the Old Vs new debate

Martin Scullion

OUR ANSWER: Martin this is such a difficult subject, not just in squash but in every sport. How would Pele go today? Did Bradman face bowlers as good as the current batch? The best example of this is the Tiger Woods – Jack Nicklaus debate. Like golf, squash equipment has changed so much over the past fifty years that it is virtually another sport.

Players from the last generation all acknowledge that the depth in today’s game is the strongest ever. There’s virtually never an easy match, not even in the first round of a tournament. But yesterday’s players often say that the strength and depth in the top ten is weaker and often cite Chris Dittmar as the example. He was an incredible player, but never won a World Championships. But whenever this is said I ask how Dittmar would go against Palmer, a player of similar build and strength. It always creates a silence and a re-evaluation of the situation. The people I’ve asked (Simon Parke has been most best reference as he’s played both of them) say it would be a great match and are divided on the outcome. But Jansher and Jahangir are a whole different kettle of fish.

We’ll see if we can tackle this subject in an upcoming article, but it will take a lot of research and questions asked of players from different eras, so it won’t be soon.

From: Andy.Turner@Reedinfo.co.uk
To: dan@teamkneipp.com
Subject: TeamKneipp column on squashtalk
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 13:04:54 -0000

As a club player residing in England, I can never say I have a "game plan" before I go on court even against people I know well and played possibly many times. The reason being that although I have an idea about the way
they play, the result of the match will always be determined by how I or they feel. At the club level I play most players are of similar ability, and it seems really that the mental toughness and overall feeling of well
being really is the deciding factor. Nicol was talking about just going out and enjoying his squash last week at the Nationals. (Obviously a feeling he has carried forward to the TOC) I would be interested in your column or
elsewhere to read your views on this comparatively simple but vital component of the ability to play well. i.e Do you try to block out the importance of your tournament matches in the effort to win? Does it depend on how you got up in the morning?

Or is it just pure self belief?

Andy Turner

OUR ANSWER: An important part of becoming a better player is learning to win matches even when you aren’t feeling Olympic and things aren’t working so well. The reason that Nicol has had such an incredible career is he can have a bad day on court and still beat 90% of the players. Obviously he’s very good at realising what preparation he needs to do to ensure he is in the right frame of mind for a match. That may mean listening to music, watching an opponent play, reading a motivational verse, whatever. But whether he wins the tournament or ‘merely’ makes the final or semis will probably be determined by how he feels.

Nicol isn’t the best example. Look at a player that normally doesn’t make it through the qualifying round, and then suddenly has a couple of major victories in a row. This often will be because of how they feel. Often if they’ve had a great training stint prior to the tournament, or changed a technique problem that has left them feeling more confident, which leads to a better mood and a victory.

The most worrisome part of your email is that you never have a game plan. CHANGE THIS! I’ve coached intermediate players who aren’t sure why their game isn’t progressing to the next level, and it almost always is partly because of no game plan or opponent-analysis. If you’re winning against an opponent you need to know if it’s because of something you’re doing well, or he’s doing badly. That will teach you about his weak spots, and your strengths. If he’s beating you, then you’ll learn about his strengths and your weaknesses. Once you know where his weaknesses are you can attack them next game. You’ll also know what strengths of his to avoid, and what part of your own game needs dire attention and what strengths should be utilised.

I was coaching a player that I was convinced wasn’t paying enough attention to his opponent. He was having a training match against an unknown opponent, and I was going to watch to look at how he was dealing with his opponent’s game. After the warm up I asked him what he could tell me about the other guy. He couldn’t even tell me if he was left or right handed. Even by the end of the warm up you should be able to tell quite a bit about an opponent: Can you see any obvious flaws? Was he more comfortable on the backhand or forehand (which side is his backhand?!) When you lobbed was he comfortable taking the ball high, particularly on his backhand? Did he go for nicks, even just warming up? Does he hit the ball really hard? You’re obviously not going to learn everything from the warm up, but it should be the start of having a game plan that includes analysing your opponent. If you’re playing someone that you know nothing about, then your game plan should involve your strengths “I don’t know how this guy plays, but I play well when I play at a fast pace, volley as much as possible and don’t go short too much, so I’ll do that until I learn about his game”.

From: "ibrahim gul khan" <ibrahim_gk49@hotmail.com>
To: dan@teamkneipp.com
Subject: ibrahim gul!!!!
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 06:58:21 +0000

hi there,
i am ibrahim gul from pakistan ,i read about your column ,and the league and all ,as i am a pro player and have join the psa which i will soon , i won many finals in the juniors ,as well as in paksitan also ,i went to uk also for several tournaments ,actually i wanted to improve my game i wanna be real good on court ,is there a chance that i can play a league in amesterdam as there are many good players there and i know i wioll certainly improve if i get a chance so please let me know i will very thnakfull to you ,,thanks alot!!

reagrds
ibrahim gul

OUR ANSWER: The best way to get a Dutch league team is to email the club managers directly with your squash standard including tournament results, ranking, availability etc. Go to www.SquashWeb.nl and click on ‘Eredivisie’. The clubs and their email addresses are listed on the left.

The Bundesliga (German Squash) has a site where managers can see players who are available. You can submit your details to the site and they’ll make them available. It is at www.deutsche-squash-liga.de/spielermarkt/spielermarkt.html

From: "Adam Radziminski" <adam_radziminski@hotmail.com>
To: dan@teamkneipp.com
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 22:18:53 -0700

Hello Team Kneipp....

First of all, I love reading your articles at www.squashtalk.com. Your analysis of squash is awesome. I especially like the discussions about the little things of squash tournaments (e.g. hanging around after a loss, etc). Its kind of nice to read that I, an on-court hack, encounter similar difficulties (in some cases) to a world class pro.

Second, I have a question: What do you do in terms of training, when you are injured? I have read that you have had many injuries, and I wanted to know if you had a strategy for getting back on to the competitive court quickly, without missing a beat, as you seem to do.

Third, another question: What do you think of the PSA style of ranking? If I understand it correctly, it seems kind of bizarre to me, how one can knock off a top player, and then loses in the 5th game of the 2nd round, and still get as many points as a player who knocks off a qualifier and then loses 3-0 in the 2nd round. All the while tournament seedings are based on rankings which are based on results, which seems to make it awfully hard for a player to move up in the rankings, thereby getting better seedings, thereby getting better results, etc, etc.

Finally, keep up the good work, and good luck in Qatar in May!

Cheers!
Adam Radziminski
Vancouver, BC, Canada

OUR ANSWER: We struggled for a while with niggling injuries. It wasn’t injuries that caused me to stay off court for months, but were enough to make me forfeit matches, or not be able to train prior to a tournament. We did two things to combat it. My body wasn’t strong enough and I was getting injuries because of how I was compensating. After seeing a specialist physio I worked a lot harder to strengthen my core stability – my stomach, back and side muscles. If these are stronger they put less strain on your legs and glutes. This coupled with a strengthening programme prevented the injuries from recurring – the most important step in recuperation. Swimming was the second answer. My injuries are almost always lower body, meaning that I can’t run, cycle of do weights if there is a problem. But you still swim even if you have a leg injury. Swimming isn’t squash-specific but it’s a great way to train if there’s any injury problems and wonderful for cardio fitness.

I agree with you regarding the ranking. There should be more incentive for beating a player ranked above you. Tennis used to use this system, but changed it, presumably because it made it too difficult for the higher ranked player. It would be difficult to find the right balance for this. Any suggestion on the intricacies of it?

From: AFichaud@aol.com
To: dan@teamkneipp.com
Subject: re;expenses
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 17:36:28 EST

Enjoy your columns & contributions. A few of us avid squash buddies were wondering about prize funds(eg: what did Nicol earn for winning the TOC? and Lincou for 2nd) Also who covers hotels and flights to and from the TOC and in general to any sanctioned WPS function anywhere in the world? I say top dogs like Nicol& Power's expenses like flights and hotel are taken care of being the top seeds,yes or no? This is never listed on Squash Talk and many of us would like to know.Are there appearance fees paid etc..Thx

afichaud@aol.com

Montreal, Canada

OUR ANSWER: The PSA has a system in place that encourages tournament directors to promote the game of squash and to look after the players.

Say if a tournament has a prize money fund of $30 000. If it is a quiet time of the year perhaps this will draw one player from the top 10, but normally the top guns will be a couple of guys in the teens or lower 20s. If a tournament supplies hotel beds (which every tournament does) this is worth $5000 to the tournament’s worth. The other incentives include if the players get food, if the tournament is a national title, if a portable glass or plastic court is used, if television coverage is involved, etc. Which means a tournament that is only able to finance $30 000 in prize money, is able to attract virtually all of the top players if they can organise it so that it's a national title played on a glass court with the matches televised and the players provided with food and a nice bed. A $30 000 event suddenly becomes $50 000.

Flights are never covered for PSA events. Some invitational tournaments provide flights and appearance money.

The breakdown for each position for prize money is:

Winner – 17.5 %
Runner Up – 11.5%
Semi finalist – 7%
Quarter finalist – 4.25%
Round of 16 – 2.5%
Round of 32 – 1.25%
Round of 64, or last round qualifying - .75%

It used to be that there was no money at all for qualifiers, but that has appropriately been changed. Qualifier’s still have to usually look after their own accommodation until they make the main draw.

From: Dilip Abraham <02087403@brookes.ac.uk>
To: <dan@teamkneipp.com>
Subject: tennis v squash
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 20:04:08 -0400

hello, i was just wondering when you were going to post edberg's view on the above matter that joe has completed his first part on. i have been checking squashtalk regularly and am very anxious to read the next part.

hope to hear from you soon,

D

OUR ANSWER: The Squash versus Tennis article caused the greatest response of anything we’ve written. We’ve gotten a lot of emails, and have worked on the follow-up story by interviewing Stefan Edberg and Richard Krajicek’s coach. Unfortunately this means we have a lot of information to plough through before we get the article, and bothersome squash tournaments keep getting in the way of doing this. It’ll happen before the Qatar Classic.

Thanks for all your questions! We hope you found our answers interesting. Keep those questions and comments coming.

Squashtalk.com All materials © 1999-2003. Communicate with us at info@squashtalk.com.
Published by Squashtalk LLC, 95 Martha's Point Rd. Concord MA 01742 USA, Editor and Publisher Ron Beck,
Graphics editor Debra Tessier Send comments, ideas, contributions and feedback to the webmaster.
Global Gallery Articles Copyright © 1999-2003 by Martin Bronstein and SquashTalk, all rights reserved, may not be reproduced in any form except for one-time personal use.