Runa Reta - WISPA Squash Pro on Tour on www.squashtalk.com

A rare sky-blue day in Amsterdam

April 12 2005. Recently—having nothing on my tournament calendar for the month of March—I decided to go to Amsterdam for two weeks of training.

Although the mere mention of this city tends to elicit sly winks and nudges from the young, and concerned, disapproving looks from the old, Amsterdam is (and has been) one of the premier places to train. With players from all over the world converging on this cozy metropolis, it is no wonder that in addition to the squash elite, junior and college-level trips have increasingly been planned to benefit from this burgeoning squash environment.

There are always advantages and disadvantages that go along with training, depending on where you are situated in the world. Because there are so many different components that make up a well-rounded training regiment in the game of squash (ie. speed, strength, skills, mental focus, etc.) it is difficult to find a truly ideal place to fulfill all of these aspects.

In Ottawa, where I live and train, I have the good fortune of working with my coach of the past 10 years in a setting that is very personalized (stepping on court with her up to 9-10 times a week). In addition to her technical help, access to first-rate facilities and resources such as the national training center all contribute to attaining my goals of increased power, speed and endurance on court.

The one major downside to being in Ottawa however (and I would say North America in general) is that there is a lack of competitive match play, which is of paramount importance in raising one’s game. Drills and even condition games are valuable, but they mainly serve the purpose of isolating specific areas of one’s game that need work. At the end of the day, nothing beats proper match play, and the benefits one gains from bringing all the different strands of the sport together. Unfortunately, here in North America, there are not enough players to get consistent games with, and even if there were, geographically, we are too spread out to make these matches a reality (either through leagues or consistent national squad training). It is in this regard that Europe, and Holland in particular serves as a perfect setting for getting those types of high-quality games in.

As of now, there are 4 players ranked in the top 15 in the world living in Holland; 3 of those 4 women are ranked among the top 4 in the world (the only other player out of those top few in fact used to live in Holland too!) So I figured that being in the Netherlands where all the top players resided had to be a positive omen that would undoubtedly help boost my game closer to their levels. Stepping on court with them however, brought me (quickly) back to reality, proving that just by being in close proximity to high-level squash couldn’t necessarily bridge the huge divide that separated my level from theirs. Without getting too disconsolate though, I managed to give these opponents big enough handicaps to made our matches more competitive, and while still losing more of these games than not, at least I could shamelessly brag to others, saying things like “I had a 6-0 lead against Natalie (Grinham) and then somehow blew it!!” (conveniently leaving out the fact that she was 6-0 down to begin with!)

In addition to these top few, there are many other upcoming players (like myself) in Amsterdam and the surrounding areas. On three occasions, an average of 6-8 WISPA players of all levels came out to play one another in a round-robin format. For me, having been used to playing all men back home, this was certainly a huge benefit. Also, over one of the weekends, I was fortunate enough to play in a local tournament in Amsterdam, which provided me with 3 matches against WISPA players, including the #15 ranked in the world, Annelize Naude. On other occasions, consistently drilling with girls of my own level or higher certainly helped to sharpen up my game.

There are several reasons why so many players have decided to base themselves in Amsterdam. First of all, it is incredibly easy to get around the city. Whether you are using an old-school, decrepit bike or the bus/tram system, you can get to just about any point in the area within 20 minutes (where I was staying it was a mere 5 minute bike to the club along one of the many picturesque canals of the city). Secondly, Amsterdam lies in close proximity to other Dutch cities (such as Rotterdam and The Hague), Belgium and Germany, (and France and England, relatively speaking) which makes for a nice convenience when it comes to traveling to tournaments, league matches and even training. During my stay in the Netherlands, I decided to spend the weekend in Antwerp, Belgium to get an even greater variety of players to hit with.

Nowadays, a growing number of international competitors have settled into Antwerp as well (most notably David Palmer), and it was only a 2-hour train ride away. And finally, the simple fact is that Amsterdam really is a great city! Unlike some of the places in England that players complain about as being drab and boring, Amsterdam is incredibly unique and vibrant. With its elegant cafes, restaurants, parks, and arts districts, just to name a few, there is an abundance of things to do there. The only complaint from those living in the city is that there may be just too many attractions- or what we like to call “distractions”- straying the focus away from the squash courts sometimes!

All in all, I had a great time in Amsterdam. My hosts (who insisted I mention them…Aisling Blake and Nicol David) were great training partners and fine entertainment organizers (although I would say, looking back, that forcing me to cook for them only served to entertain themselves, not me!). By the end of my stay, I felt like a local, riding around the city on my bike (granted, rather dodgily), sipping my café lattes out on the patios, and feeling very bourgeois in this enchanting city of Europe. In a place that so easily takes you in and makes you feel at home, it is no wonder that so many of the finest squash players reside in Amsterdam, and no surprise that I will be back there again training in the future.

Amsterdam: A Great Place to Train in and Visit.