Cyrus Poncha's squash blog

Charge of the youth brigade - Hindustan Times

2010-09-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Charge of the youth brigade - Hindustan Times

The Hindu : Sport / Other Sports : Gearing up for the Games

2010-01-25T03:58:00.000-08:00

The Hindu : Sport / Other Sports : Gearing up for the Games: "S. R. SURYANARAYAN"

The Hindu : Life & Style / Youth : Strides to the top

2010-01-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

The Hindu : Life & Style / Youth : Strides to the top

2006-08-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

More blogs about cyrus poncha.

New Blog

2006-06-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

My blog has shifted to http://coachcyrus.wordpress.com/
you will be automatically be redirected, in case this does not happen please click here for my new blog Happy Squashing

Asian Seniors- Taiwan Individual Results

2006-02-23T05:08:00.000-08:00

Quarter-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt Mami Nishio (JPN) 9-2, 9-4, 9-2
[6] Christina Mak (HKG) bt [4] Tricia Chuah (MAS) 9-5, 9-1, 7-9, 9-2
[3] Sharon Wee (MAS) bt [5] Delia Arnold (MAS) 9-2, 9-0, 9-7
[2] Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt [8] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 9-5, 9-1, 9-0

Quarter-finals:
[1] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [8] Majid Khan (PAK) 9-3, 9-1, 9-7
[4] Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt [5] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) 9-1, 9-2, 9-3
[3] Shahid Zaman (PAK) bt [6] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 10-8, 5-9, 9-7, 9-2
[2] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt [9/16] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) 4-9, 9-0, 9-6, 10-8

DNA - After Hrs -article on Deepika

2006-01-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

DNA - After Hrs Article on Deepika: "She played her first international tournament in London when she was in her sixth grade, and till date, Deepika has won the German Open in 2003 and 2004, French Open, Australian Open, Scottish Open, Dutch Open, Belgium Open and Indian Open Junior titles. She credits her family and coaches Cyrus Poncha and Major Maniam as being responsible for encouraging her throughout her tournaments."

World Squash Doubles 2006

2006-01-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

The 2006 3rd World Doubles Championships will be held in Melbourne, Australia from 9 - 13 Jan 2006.

Men’s Doubles – Finals
[1] Anthony Ricketts & Stewart Boswell (AUS) def [2] Dan Jenson & Joseph Kneipp (AUS) 7/9, 4/9, 9/4, 9/7, 9/5

Women’s Doubles – Finals
[3/4] Shelley Kitchen & Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) def [5/8] Robyn Cooper & Sarah Fitz-Gerald (AUS) 9/6, 10/8, 9/6

[1] Rachael Grinham & Joseph Kneipp (AUS) def [5/8] Amelia Pittock & Cameron Pilley (AUS) 9/6, 9/1, 5/9, 9/4

Saurav and Ritwik finished in 11th place

BJO Playoff results

2006-01-07T00:23:00.000-08:00

Salma Hany {Egypt} lost to Anwesha Reddy Girl's Under 15 - 5th/6th playoff
1-9, 2-9, 3-9
Sophie Lemom {Essex} beat Anaka Alankamony Girl's Under 13 - 5th/6th
playoff 9-4, 9-7, 9-1
Waqar Mehboob {Pakistan} bt Harinder P S Sandhu Boy's Under 17 - 9th/10th
playoff 6-9, 9-6, 9-7, 10-8
Dipika Pallikal bt Katherine Quarterman {Oxfordshire} Girl's Under 15 -
9th/10th playoff 9-3, 9-2, 9-0
Karan Malik lost to Nicholas Hopcroft {Surrey} Boy's Under 15 - Main Draw
- 13th/14th playoff 3-9, 7-9, 2-9
Sachika Balvani bt Hannah Davies {Wales} Girl's Under 13 - 13th/14th
playoff 9-6, 9-3, 9-3
Surbhi Misra lost to Natalie Pritchard {Wales} Girl's Under 17 - 13th/14th
playoff 3-9, 4-9, 6-9

British Junior Open Finals

2006-01-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

G13 [3/4] Yan Xin Tan (Mas) bt [1] Nour El Tayeb (Egy)
5/9, 9/7, 9/1, 9/2 (41m)
B13 [3/4] Karim Fathy (Egy) bt [3/4] Hamza Bokhari (Pak)
9/3, 9/2, 9/4 (29m)
G15 [1] Heba Alaa El Torky bt [3/4] Laura Gemmell (Can)
9/4, 9/2, 9/0
B15 [1] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt [3/4] Adel Zarka (Egy)
8/10, 9/5, 3/9, 9/6, 9/4 (51m)
G17 [1] Camille Serme (Fra) bt [3/4] Wee Wern Low (Mas)
9/4, 9/6, 9/6 (27m)
B17 [2] Mohamed AA Reda (Egy) bt [5/8] Joe Lee (Eng)
9/5, 9/4, 9/3 (41m)
G19 [2] Lina El Tannir (Egy) bt [1] Raneem El Weleily (Egy)
2/9, 10/9, 9/7, 9/6
B19 [1] Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [2] Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak)
9/0, 9/6, 9/0

British Junior Open Results

2006-01-03T12:10:00.000-08:00

A record 475 players from 31 countries will compete in the 2006 Powerplaysports British Junior Open Squash Championships which g6t underway in Sheffield

Day 3 Jan 4
Sandeep Jangra 1 Oliver Pett {Sussex} 3 Boy's Under 19 Round 3 0-9, 5-9, 9-6, 7-9
Alex Hodgetts {Yorkshire} 0 Abishek Pradhan 3 Boy's Under 13 Round 3 2-9, 2-9, 7-9
Shravan Kaul 2 James Prendeville {Warwickshire} 3 Boy's Under 13 - Round 3 7-9, 9-10, 9-6, 9-7, 4-9
Shehab Essam {Egypt} 3 Rishi Tandon 0 Boy's Under 13 Round 3 9-0, 9-4, 9-1
Holly Brown {Australia} 0 Anwesha Reddy 3 Girl's Under 15 Round 2 0-9, 0-9, 0-9
Vikram Malhotra Michael Harris {Devon} WO Boy's Under 17 Round 3
Fatma Mohamed Zarka {Egypt} 3 Aparajitha Balamurukan {India} 1 Wed 4 Jan 9.00am Court H7 Girl's Under 13 - Round 1 9-4, 10-8, 5-9, 10-9
Jessica Mudge {Devon} 0 Saumya Karki 3 Girl's Under 13 Round 1 1-9, 0-9, 7-9

Day 2 Jan 3
Surbhi Misra 3 Vanessa Pitel {South Africa} 0 Girl's Under 17 Round 2 9-1, 9-1, 9-1
Ahmad Alzapidii {Jorden} 0 Parth Sharma 3 Boy's Under 17 Round 2 3-9, 7-9, 7-9
Mohamed El Shourbagy {Egypt} 3 Karan Malik 0 Boy's Under 15 Round 3 9-2, 10-8, 9-2
Ramit Tandon 3 Yasser Hamido {Egypt} 0 Boy's Under 15 Round 3 9-4, 9-3, 9-0
Robert Downer {Hampshire} 0 Aditya Jagtap 3 Boy's Under 15 Round 3 7-9, 3-9, 0-9
Harinda P S Sandhu 1 Nicholas Muller {Switzerland} 3 Boy's Under 17 Round 3 4-9, 9-1, 3-9, 5-9
Shahzad Khan {Pakistan} 3 Vikram Malhotra 2 Boy's Under 17 Round 2 4-9, 6-9, 9-6, 9-6, 9-2
Omar Mosaad {Egypt} 3 Sandeep Jangra 0 Tue 3 Jan 9.40am Court 1 Boy's Under 19 Round 2 9-4, 9-0, 9-0
Fadi Tharwat {Egypt} 3 Abishek Pradhan 0 Boy's Under 13 - Round 2 9-1, 9-1, 9-0
Omar Mosaad {Egypt} 3 Sandeep Jangra 0 Boy's U19 Round 2 9-4, 9-0, 9-0
Aditya Jagtap 0 Farhan Zaman {Pakistan} 3 Boy's U15 Round 2 0-9, 8-10, 0-9

Day 1 Jan 2
Aditya Jagtap 0 Farhan Zaman {Pakistan} 3 Boy's U15 Round 2 0-9, 8-10, 0-9
Charles Sharpes {Surrey} 3 Ramit Tandon 0 Boy's U15 Round 2 10-8, 9-3, 9-7
Jonathon Brown {Nottingh} 0 Harinder P S Sandhu 3 Boy's U17 Round 1 1-9, 0-9, 4-9
Parth Sharma 0 Muhammed S Hassan {Pakistan} 3 Boy's Under 17 Round 1 3-9, 0-9, 9-10
Lucas Serme {France} 0 Karan Malik 3 2 Boy's U15 Round 2 2-9, 7-9, 5-9
Vikram Malhotra 3 Luqmaan Mooradd {South Africa} 0 Boy's U17 Round 1 9-0, 9-1, 9-4
Ahmed Osama Hawas {Egypt} 3 Sujat Barva 0 Boy's U17 Round 1 9-2, 9-2, 9-2
Sandeep Jangra 3 Andrew Birks {Shropshire} 2 Boy's U19 Round 1 9-6, 9-2, 5-9, 4-9, 10-8
Surbhi Misra 3 Jane Allman {Surrey} 0 Girl's U17 Round 1 9-6, 9-6, 9-4
Matt Boal {Gloucester} 1 Shravan Kaul 3 Boy's U13 Round 1 9-6, 8-9, 7-9, 3-9

World Rankings for Men's: January 2006 for INDIA

2005-12-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

Pos Name last months Pos
54 RITWIK BHATTACHARYA 58
64 SAURAV GHOSAL 67
145 SIDDHARTH SUCHDE 144
195 PARTHIBAN AYAPPAN 194
205 SUPREET SINGH 204
224 HARINDER PAL SANDHU 223
242 SANDEEP JANGRA 240

Scottish Junior Open

2005-12-24T19:34:00.000-08:00

We reached 3 finals and won 1, in addition to having 3 semi-finalists

Finals:
Boys U13:[3/4] David Wardle (Eng) bt [2] Abhishek Pradhan 9/5, 9/7, 9/6
Boys U15:Gabriel Velasquez (Mex) bt [2] Ian Jubb (Sco) 2/9, 10/8, 9/2, 9/6 (40m)
Boys U17:[1] Rory Byrne (Irl) bt [2] David Letourneau (Can) 9/4, 5/9, 9/5, 9/7 (60m)
Boys U19:[3/4] Arturo Salazar (Mex) bt [5/8] Cesar Salazar 9/4, 9/0, 9/2 (44m)

Girls U13:[3/4] Anaka Alankamony bt [1] Sachika Balvani 9/0, 9/2, 9/5 (20m)
Girls U15:[3/4] Laura Gemmell (Can) bt Liu Tsz Ling (Hkg) 9/2, 9/2, 9/4
Girls U17:Leung Shin Nga (Hkg) bt Surbhi Misra 9/4, 10/8, 9/2 (27m)
Girls U19:[3/4] Neha Kumar (Can) bt [5/8] Victoria Lust (Eng) 9/5, 3/9, 10/8, 9/5 (40m)
Karan Malik bt Alex Bowden {England}3-1 for the third place u15
Saumya bt Aparajitha for the third place u13

Semi final results
Boys U15:Gabriel Velaquez (Mex) bt Karan Malik 9/7, 9/7, 4/9, 5/9, 9/5
Boys U13:[2] Abhishek Pradhan bt Samuel Conant (Usa) 9/3, 9/3, 9/2
Girls U17:Surbhi Misra bt [1] Bethan Williams (Wal) 9/5, 10/8, 9/5
Girls U13:[1] Sachika Balvani bt Aparajitha Balamurukan 4/9, 9/6, 9/4, 9/4
[3/4] Anaka Alankamony bt Saumya Karki 9/10, 9/3, 9/0, 9/1

Detailed Results
Article on Surbhi

World Mens Team final placings

2005-12-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

Winners:[1] ENGLAND bt [2] EGYPT 2-0 (James Willstrop bt Amr Shabana 4-9, 9-6, 9-3, 9-1 (63m); Peter Nicol bt Mohammed Abbas 9-0, 9-2, 9-1 (44m); Lee Beachill v Karim Darwish (match withdrawn - dead rubber))

3rd place play-off:[3] FRANCE bt [5] CANADA 2-1
5th place play-off:[4] AUSTRALIA bt [6] MALAYSIA 2-0
7th place play-off:[7] PAKISTAN bt [8] WALES 2-1
9th place play-off:[12] SOUTH AFRICA bt [13/18]GERMANY 2-1
11th place play-off:[10] INDIA bt [9] NETHERLANDS 2-1 (Ritwik Bhattacharya lost to Laurens Jan Anjema 1-9, 3-9, 3-9; Gaurav Nandrajog bt Tom Hoevenaars 9-4, 9-3, 9-3; Siddharth Suchde bt Dylan Bennett 9-5, 9-6, 9-7)
India finish 11th

13th place play-off:[19/22] USA bt [13/18] SCOTLAND 2-1
15th place play-off:[11] NEW ZEALAND bt [13/18] KUWAIT 2-1
17th place play-off:[19/22] SPAIN bt [13/18] FINLAND 2-1
19th place play-off:[13/18] IRELAND bt [19/22] IRAN 3-0
21st place play-off:[13/18] HONG KONG bt [19/22] AUSTRIA 3-0

HindustanTimes article on Surbhi

2005-12-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Newkerela article on Surbhi reaching the finals of the scottish open

HT article on Surbhi preparing for the British Open

Sport breaking barriers

2005-12-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

An interesting article on sport and social change

British Junior Open 2006 - Seeding

2005-12-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

Powerplay Sports British Junior Open 2006, will be held from 2-6 Jan, at Sheffield.This is the most prestigious tournament for juniors. The following Indian junior players have been seeded:

Girls u 15
Dipika Palikal 3/4
Anwesha Reddy 5/8

Girls u 13
Sachika Balvani 5/8
Anaka Alankamony 5/8

Boys u 13
Abhishekh Pradhan 5/8

Top seeds Schedule Competitors

World Men's Team Semis

2005-12-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

The line up of the Semi-finals:
[1] ENGLAND beat [5] CANADA
[2] EGYPT beat FRANCE

They got here by beating:
[1] ENGLAND bt [8] WALES 3-0
[5] CANADA bt [4] AUSTRALIA 2-1 :A major upset
[3] FRANCE bt [7] PAKISTAN 2-1
[2] EGYPT bt [6] MALAYSIA 3-0

India beat Ireland, enter the top 12 playoff

2005-12-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

India v IrelandOur # 3 player Siddharth Suchde went on court first and gave the us a perfect start with a clinical display of basic squash. his 3-0 victory went exactly as per script.
The 2nd match between the two # 1's was expected to be a close affair but as it turned out Liam was on song and Ritwik Bhattacharya was dancing to his tune. A 3-0 victory ensured that the Irish hopes stayed alive.
The final match was between the # 2's. Saurav Ghosal started rather tentatively and dropped the first game, sending shivers down the Indian bench. He composed himself and once he took the second there was no turning back.

Results
Siddharth Suchde beat Brian Byrne 9-5, 9-1, 9-2
Ritwik Bhattacharya lost to Liam Kenney 7-9, 3-9, 9-6
Saurav Ghosal beat Arthur Gaskin 6-9, 9-5, 9-0, 9-1

India v Canada We lost 3-0 in the first play off
Sahier Razik beat Saurav Ghosal 10-8, 9-6, 9-2
Graham Ryding beat Ritwik Bhattacharya 10-8, 9-4, 9-4
Mathew Guffrie beat Siddharth Suchde 9-4, 9-5

India v Germany
Saurav went on first against seasoned campaigner Simon Baker, and soon had a comfortable 2-0 lead. Unfortunately somewhere in the middle of the third game he started getting shin splints. By the time the 5th game arrived Saurav had nothing left in him and his shin was pretty sore and he lost 3-2.

Ritwik went on next against Germany's top junior Simon Rosner. Simon was relentless in his attacking and retrieving and won 3-1.
Sid played the dead rubber and lost 2-0.

Simon Baker bt Saurav Ghosal 9/10, 4/9, 9/4, 9/2, 9/0 (62m)
Simon Rosner bt Ritwik Bhattacharya 9/7, 6/9, 9/7, 10/9 (82m)
Patrick Gassler bt Siddarth Suchde 9/5, 9/3 (29m)

India v Netherlands
We beat them 2-1 and reached the 11th position

Ritwik Bhattacharya lost to LJ Anjema 1/9, 1/9, 3/9 (43m)
Gaurav Nandrajog bt Tom Hoevenaars 9/4, 9/3, 9/3 (45m)
Siddarth Suchde bt Dylan Bennett 9/5, 9/6, 9/7 (53m)

Photo with the French team

2005-12-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

In today's first match against France the expected happened. France, the finalists in the previous world men's championships proved too good for the fighting Indians. Siddharth Suchde playing at no.3 was on court first against Renan Lavigne who had had to toil for a 3-1 victory. Sid hung in well but the more experienced Renan handled the crunch points better.
Ritwik went next against world no.1 Thierry Lincou who was simply too quick, too accurate and too miserly with his errors. Ritwik on several occasions during the game did express awe at his pace and mastery of the game.
Young Saurav played the last match against Gregory Gaultier who was quick to the ball and more impressively had the ability to play an array of shots from anywhere on the court with the same sort of swing.

Even though we lost 3-0, we relished the occasion, playing some of the best players in the world.
Tomorrow as the caption goes "is another day". We have to get into the top 12 and to do that, Ireland have to be beaten. Anything can happen in a team event but we are certainly looking at a victory.

Full results and ranking of players listed below
Renan Lavigne (33) bt Siddharth Suchde (145) 9-5, 4-9, 9-4, 9-2
Thierry Lincou (1) bt Ritwik Bhattacharya (58) 9-2, 9-1, 9-0
Gregory Gaultier (11) bt Saurav Ghosal (67) 9-3, 9-1, 9-5

Our team at the opening ceremony

2005-12-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

We had a rest day on the 1st day of the 20th World Men's Team Championship. It is after a gap of 10 years and only the 6th time that the Indian team is participating at this premiere event with our strongest ever team. Our record in past world men's team championship has been quite average but we hope to break into the top 12 this year.
Indian squash has shown a tremendous leap forward in the junior categories finishing in the top 5 in both the junior men and junior women's at the world championships. Perhaps the time has come for the seniors to make an impact in the world arena as well.
Details of our past performances at the World Men's Squash Championships are :
1967 - 5th position out of 6 participating teams
1971 - 6th position out of 7 participating teams
1976 - 7th position out of 10 participating teams
1979 - 7th position out of 14 participating teams
1995 - 28th position out of 32 participating teams

World Men's Team Schedule & Results

2005-12-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

We now play Canada in the Playoffs for the top 12 teams
Results

Day 3 Dec 10
South Africa 2-1 Kuwait
England 3-0 Austria
Australia 3-0 Netherlands
Finland 2-1 USA
Wales 3-0 Hong Kong
Egypt 3-0 New Zealand
Germany 3-0 Iran
India 2-1 Ireland
Scotland 3-0 Spain
Pakistan 3-0 Malaysia

Day 2 Dec 9
England 3-0 South Africa
Kuwait 3-0 Austria
Egypt 3-0 Germany
New Zealand 3-0 Iran
France 3-0 India
Australia 3-0 Finland
Netherlands 2-1 USA
Canada 3-0 Wales
Pakistan 3-0 Spain
Malaysia 2-1 Scotland

Day 1 Dec 8
South Africa 3-0 Austria
England 3-0 Kuwait
Netherlands 2-1 Finland
Australia 3-0 USA
Canada 3-0 Hong Kong
New Zealand 1-2 Germany
Egypt 3-0 Iran
France 3-0 Ireland
Pakistan 2-1 Scotland
Malaysia 2-1 Spain

Newspaper articles : Australia , Malaysia , Canada

Hindu article on Balamurugan and Parthiban

2005-12-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

For B. Balamurugan and A. Parthiban, sport served as a means to earn their bread and butter and Squash became an outlet to express their desires.

With rare dedication and commitment, the two school dropouts have carved a niche for themselves in the field of squash and are proof of the SRFI's stated objective of providing opportunities for the economically under-privileged sections

Squash Racquets Federation of India (SRFI)plans to promote the sport among the underprivileged

Indian players on the US collegiate squash circuit

2005-12-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

A few of our ex-juniors are studying in the US and also playing on the collegiate squash circuit

Current Womens ranking Current Mens ranking

Rankings (end Nov)
3 Vaidehi Reddy - Trinity
14 Supriya Balsakar - Harvard
34 Rachita Vora - Yale

3 Sid Suchde - Harvard
11 Sahil Vora - Trinity
50 Mihir Seth - Harvard
58 Satyajit Seshadri - F&M
60 Auloke Mathur - Amherst

PSAlive.tv - bringing the best squash to your PC

2005-12-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

Watch live squash matches from all over the world on

Hong Kong World Open

2005-12-01T06:03:00.000-08:00

Egypt's Amr Shabana, the fifth seed, defeated third seed David Palmer from Australia 11-6 11-7 11-8 in the men's final. Nicole David of Malaysia who will become the new world number one in January, beat top seed Rachael Grinham of Australia 8-10 9-2 9-6 9-6.

Seedings for Men's World Team

2005-11-30T22:32:00.000-08:00

The 2005 championships, which will be staged in Islamabad from 8-14 December, will feature teams representing 22 countries. Team lineup
The teams will be playing initially in six qualifying pools, before the top two teams in each pool progress to have a tilt at the title in the knockout stage of the tournament, while the remaining teams play off for places 13-22.

The pool line-ups (with seeding in brackets) are:

Pool A: [1] England, [12] South Africa, [13/18] Kuwait, [19/22] Austria

Pool B: [2] Egypt, [11] New Zealand, [13/18] Germany, [19/22] Iran

Pool C: [3] France, [10] India, [13/18] Ireland

Pool D: [4] Australia, [9] Netherlands, [13/18] Finland, [19/22] USA

Pool E: [5] Canada, [8] Wales, [13/18] Hong Kong

Pool F: [6] Malaysia, [7] Pakistan, [13/18] Scotland, [19/22] Spain

Squad for the World Men’s Team

2005-11-28T10:08:00.000-08:00

We are gearing up to participate in the 20th World Men’s Team championship to be held from 8th December to 14th December 2005 in Islamabad, Pakistan, and have been seeded 10th. The Team comprises Ritwik Bhattacharya (PSA Ranked 59), Saurav Ghosal (PSA Ranked 65), Siddharth Suchde (PSA Ranked 141) and Gaurav Nandrajog.

I will be the Coach while Maj (R) S. Maniam will be Manager of the team. The last time we participated in the World men’s team championship was 1995 when we attained 28th position.

India to host World Championships

2005-11-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

The Squash Rackets Federation of India won the bid to conduct the 13th World Junior Women’s Squash championship in India in 2009. This was confirmed at the 35th Annual General Meeting of the World Squash Federation held at Costa Do Sauipe, Bahia, Brazil.

SRFI continues to give international exposure to our players. To achive this they will be hosting International events such as the World Men’s Team Championship in Dec 2006 and the 2009 Asian Junior Championship.

These events will be held at the ICL Squash Academy, Chennai due to the excellent facilities available. The Squash Rackets Federation of India had successfully conducted the World Junior Men in December 2002 and World Doubles in December 2004. It will be just a matter of time before the SRFI bids for the World Women’s Team event thus ensuring that we have organized the ‘grand slam of squash championships’ - Senior Men and Women Team Championships, Junior Men and Women Squash Championships.

National coach for these tournaments:

2005-11-27T03:06:00.000-08:00

20th World Men Team Championship 2005, Islamabad, Pakistan 8 - 14 December 2005-India finish 11th

12th Asian Junior Squash Championships, Chennai, India 20-28 January 2005

2nd World Doubles Squash Championship, Chennai, India 13-17 December 2004

13th World Jr Men's Squash Championships, Islamabad, Pakistan 17 - 28 August 2004

12th Asian Senior Squash Championships, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 10-26 June 2004

9th SAF Games, Islamabad, Pakistan 30th March - 6 April 2004

10th World Junior Women's Championships, Egypt, 17th to 28th August 2003

11th Asian Junior Squash Championship, Pakistan, 2nd to 8th Feb 2003

12th World Junior Men's Championships, India '02, 3rd to 14th Dec 2002

World Women's Team Championship, Denmark '02,

14th Asian Games, Busan, Korea '02

Asian Senior Squash Championship, Malaysia '02

9th World Junior Women's Championship, Penang, Malaysia, 15-28 July 2001

10th Asian Junior Squash Championship, Chennai, 17-24 February 2001

11th World Junior Men's Championship, Milan, Italy, 16-29 July 2000

10th Asian Senior Championship, Hong Kong, 5-12 July 2000

8th World Junior Women's Championship, Antwerp, Belgium, 1999

9th Asian Junior Championship, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 24-31 January 1999

ICL Squash Academy, Chennai (Madras)

2005-11-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

Tamil Nadu stands out as the most 'squash active' state in India. The ICL Squash Academy boasts of two complexes; one with 3 glass back rainbow courts and the other a state of the art centre with 4 glass back rainbow courts that are convertible to 2 doubles courts. The showcase of the centre is of course the latest ASB 4-sided glass court, which enables television coverage from all angles. It has a seating capacity of 500.

National players like Saurav, Gaurav, Parthiban, Joshna (until 2005), Vaidehi, Harinder, Anwesha, Dipika, Harita, Shibani etc have all trained under Major Maniam and me.
This facility compares with the best in the world and has already created two British Junior Open Champions and hopefully will produce many more in the years to come.

Hindu article on the Academy

Sportsstar article

National champs coached

2005-11-19T21:32:00.000-08:00

Saurav Ghosal
2004 National Champion Men
2004 National Champion U-19
2003 National Champion U-17
2002 National Champion U-17
2001 National Champion U-17

Manish Chotrani
2000 National Champion Men

Anvesha Reddy
2005 National Champion U-19
2004 National Champion U-17
2003 National Champion U-13

Harinderpal Singh
2005 National Champion U-17
2003 National Champion U-15

Joshna Chinapa
2004 National Champion Women
2003 National Champion U-19
2002 National Champion U-19
2001 National Champion U-19

Alisha Mashruwala
2003 National Champion U-17
2001 National Champion U-17
1999 National Champion U-13

Harita Omprakash
2005 National Champion U-15
2004 National Champion U-13

A Anaka
2005 National Champion U-13

Shibani Philip
2003 National Champion U-15

Shruti Reddy
2002 National Champion U-15

Lithika Dugar
2005 National Champion U-11

Junaid Nathani
1999 National Champion U-17
1998 National Champion U-16

Vishal Raj Kapoor
2000 National Champion U-17
1997 National Champion U-14

Mihir Sheth
1998 National Champion U-14

Karanpal Sethi
1997 National Champion Boys U12

Vaidehi Reddy
2000 National Champion U-19

Rhea Bhandare
1997 National Champion Girls U-19
1997 National Champion Girls U-14

Tournament Calendar 2005 - 06

2005-11-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

08 - 14 Dec World Men's Team Islamabad, Pakistan - India 11th
27 - 30 Dec Scottish Junior Open Edinburgh, Scotland - Anaka winner, Surbhi, Abhishek, Sachika runner up
02 - 06 Jan British Junior Open Sheffield, England- Anwesha 5th, Anaka 6th, Harinder 9th, Dipika 10th
10 - 14 Jan 3rd World International Doubles Melbourne, Australia - Saurav/ Ritwik 11th
20 - 22 Jan Czech Junior Open Prague, Czech Republic
27 - 29 Jan Italian Junior Open Reggio Emilia, Italy
03 - 05 Feb Flemish Junior Open Herentals, Belgium
17 - 19 Feb French Junior Open Marseille, France
03 - 05 Mar Welsh Junior Open Cardiff, Wales
15 - 26 Mar XVIII Commonwealth Games Melbourne, Australia
10 - 12 Mar Austrian Junior Open Vienna, Austria
21 - 23 Apr Geneva Junior Open Geneva, Switzerland
05 - 07 May German Junior Open Gerlingen, Germany
30 - 02 Jul Spanish Junior Open Santiago, Spain
07 - 10 Jul Pioneer Junior Open Cologne, Germany
13 - 16 Jul Dutch Junior Open Amsterdam, Netherlands
17 - 22 Jul 14th World Junior Men's Indiv Palmerston, New Zealand
23 - 28 Jul 14th World Junior Men's Team Palmerston, New Zealand
Jul/Aug SAF Games M W Colombo, Sri Lanka
24 - 30 Sep 15th World Women's Team Edmonton, Canada
03 - 07 Dec 15th Asian Games Doha, Qatar

Ritwik reaches Qtr finals of Malaysian Open

2005-11-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

Loses to Ong Beng Hee 11-8, 11-8, 10-11 (1-3), 11-5

Mittal Trust conditions

2005-11-19T08:10:00.000-08:00

The Mittal Trust conditions for sponsorship

Maharashtra beat Tamil Nadu at the Interstate

2005-11-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

Maha A beat TN 4-1 Saurav was not playing this year and the TN juniors lost to Maharashtra.

Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu enter the final of the Interstate Tournament

Rediff interviews with Saurav

2005-11-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

Saurav Ghosal groomed for glory2005 Interview with Saurav on his future plans in the sport now that he is based in England.

'Being No. 1 is good; living up to it is tough'2004 Aug Interview

'I want to win the World Juniors'2004 Jan Interview

Midday article on Harinder

2005-11-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Harinder the new kid on the block...Besides being Harbhajan Singh’s state-mate Harinder Pal Singh yesterday proved that he could well be a ‘Turbanator’ to squash, what Bhajji is to cricket....

Tamil Nadu govt. picks 'Future Champions'

2005-11-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

TN govt. picks 'Future Champions' for grooming

Indiavarta article on Dipika

2005-11-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

Article on Dipika...She is now gearing up for the British Open, one of the biggest contests, and is not thinking about anything else. ‘‘I like to take things one by one,’’ she says. Dipika is grateful that she is training in the best academy and with the best coach in India — the ICL academy and Cyrus Poncha.....

Ritwik, Joshna reign

2005-11-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

Ritwik, Joshna win Sr Nationals, Parthiban, Harinder, Anwesha, Lakshya win at the Bombay Gym Open

Ritwik, Saurav to clash in final

2005-11-10T09:11:00.000-08:00

TN players - Saurav, Joshna, Balmurugan, Harinder, Parthiban, Anwesha, Lakshya enter finals. TN players continue to dominate

TN players enter semis

Squash at the beach

2005-11-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

SRFI's innovative thinking is helping to popularise the sport as well as raising the level of the game. Continuing from their excellent showing last year TN players dominated the jr nationals once again
Hindu article on the portable court

Forbes Magazine rates Squash as the Healthiest Sport

2005-11-05T20:49:00.000-08:00

Squash the healthiest sport

Ritwik, Joshna triumph; Double for Dipika at CCI

2005-11-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

Chennai girls complete clean sweep

DNA article on Dipika

2005-11-04T21:58:00.000-08:00

Dipika enters 3 finals
'I only endorse products to finance my game' says Dipika
NDTV article on Dipika's before the British Open

Articles on Ritwik Bhattacharya

2005-11-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

>
Ritwik ready to make a racket at Nationals
Watch and grow, Ritwik advises youngsters

TN's Sourav & Joshna to defend their titles at the Nationals

2005-11-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

Top players for squash nationals in Mumbai

World Rankings for Men's: November 2005 for INDIA

2005-11-01T10:03:00.000-08:00

Ritwik enters the Top 50, Saurav Top 60

TN continue to dominate at the Jr Nationals

2005-10-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

3rd India Cements National age-group Squash Championship Results

>
U19
Anwesha Reddy (TN) beat Deepika Pallikal (TN) 3-9, 6-9, 9-7, 9-0, 9-7
Sandeep Jangra (Maha) beat A. Parthiban (TN) 9-6, 10-9, 6-9, 10-8

U17
Harinderpal Singh (TN) beat Vikram Malhotra (Maha) 9-2, 10-9, 9-2
Surbhi Mishra (Raj) beat Shivangi Paranjape (Maha) 9-4 9-1 9-4

U15
Ramit Tandon (W Bengal) beat Ravi Dixit (Delhi) 9-3, 9-6, 9-5
Harita Omprakash (TN) beat Sruti Ashok (TN) 9-5, 9-1, 6-9, 9-6

U13
A.Anaka (TN) beat Sachika Balvani (Maha) 9-2, 9-2, 9-2
Abhishek Pradan beat Mahesh Mangoankar of (Maha) 9-7, 9-4, 9-7

U11
Kush Kumar (UP) beat Ishan Advani of Maharahstra 9-0, 9-4, 9-2
Likhitta Dugar (TN) beat Urvashi Joshi (Mah)

Newspaper articles on the jr nationals
News Today
Chennai Online
Hindu
Telegraph

semi-finals
quarter-finals

Cadillac Athens Open Squash Championship, Greece

2005-10-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Ritwik reaches semis, beats Saurav in the quarters 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9 (56m)

"India is an emerging force in squash" Jansher Khan

2005-10-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

Jansher comment on India's emergencein squash

It's a TN show at Jr Nat Team

2005-10-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

TN win 3 of 4 Jr Titles

Nicol David & Anthony Ricketts win the British Open

2005-10-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

Nicol & Anthony win British Open

Saurav Ghosal, after a creditable show in the qualifying phase, went out in the first round of the men's main draw of the British Open squash. Ghosal lost to eighth-seeded John White of Scotland 11-6, 11-7 11-2

Jr Nationals begin in Madras

2005-10-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

Tamil Nadu teams off to a good start

National Jr squash begins today

Dronacharya facilitation & setting the record straight

2005-10-16T01:17:00.000-07:00

Rediff article:
It was a matter of pride for the entire coaching community as well as the Squash Racquets Federation of India (SFRI) when 30-year-old squash coach Cyrus Poncha won this year's Dronacharya award for his contribution to Indian squash as a coach.

But all his achievements and the moment of glory turned sour when India's number squash player Joshna Chinnappa wrote a letter to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs that she never trained under Poncha, and that he had misused her name to get the Dronacharya award.

In order to clear the name of the youngest recipients of the Dronacharya award, N Ramachandran, general secretary of SRFI said the allegations made by Joshna Chinnappa are absolutely 'baseless and unfounded'.

"All the statements made by Joshna Chinnappa that she was never part of the SRFI coaching structure and had never trained under coach Poncha for any length of time are totally baseless and unfounded. Joshna had been training at the ICL-Squash Academy from August 2002 to January 2005 under national coach Poncha and consultant coach, Major S Manian. She had attended every SRFI camp under Poncha's supervision," Ramachandran said.

He further added that Joshna had signed the player's commitment form and was very much a part of the group of players whom Poncha trained from August 2001 to 2004.

He then distributed copies of the letters written by Anjan Chinnappa (Joshna's father) on December 18, 2000 and on January 27, 2001 to the SRFI, thanking the Federation for its support and the guidance of Poncha.

Joshna had also written a letter in May this year thanking the SRFI for its support and guidance.

In fact, in one of her earlier interviews to rediff.com, she acknowledged the guidance of Major Manian and Poncha in her career.

The Federation has forwarded all these letters as documentary evidence to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs to let the Ministry know that Poncha was a worthy winner of the Dronacharya Award.

Felicitating the winner, the chief guest, Walter I Dawaram, executive vice-chairman of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu said: "It cannot be denied that Poncha has produced 14 national and five international players at the squash academy here. He had a huge part to play in putting India on the world squash map."

Saurav Ghosal, one of the most promising squash players in the country, also spoke at the function and said that he owed all his success to Poncha -- who was not just his coach but a friend as well.

Ghosal also added that if not for Poncha, he would not have reached where he is today.

Faced with such large amounts of evidence to the contrary, one cannot help but wonder what might have prompted Joshna to shoot off such a letter to the ministry.

Dronacharya facilitation and clarification of the facts

Having my mother and mother in law present at the function made the function a joyous occasion.

Joshna runner up in Hongkong

2005-10-16T00:56:00.000-07:00

Joshna runner up in Hongkong"It is undoubtedly an excellent show," said National coach Cyrus Poncha. He felt that the kind of training she undergoes at the ICL academy should strengthen her resolve. Poncha said Joshna regularly spars with top junior boys and this, along with the encouraging show in Hong Kong, should augur well for her...

ICL Chennai Open Squash

2005-10-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

Ritwik wins 2005 PSA ICL Chennai Open

[2] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 (41m)

Sports Star article on ICL Squash Academy, Chennai

2005-10-16T00:21:00.000-07:00

...The launch of the ICL Academy in Chennai has been the best thing to have happened for squash in India. From a club preserve, squash today is a vibrant sport and with the structured training being given there under Maj. S. Maniam, the Consultant Coach from Malaysia and the National Coach Cyrus Poncha, results have begun to show at the international level. Names like Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa are right there at the top at the Asian level and they happen to be the prized trainees at the ICL Squash Academy . ..............

Another first from Saurav

2005-10-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

Saurav qualifies for British Open

Saurav Ghosal First Indian to qualify for squash's Wimbledon, the British Open Men.....A student of economics at the University of Leeds, Ghosal is fast being exposed to a new culture in class as well as on the squash court. “I get to play against the top players in the world Lee Beachill, John White regularly at Pontefract, where I train under Malcom Willstrop. Playing against the best is a reality check on where you stand and how much you need to improve,” Ghosal said. A former junior British Open champion, Ghosal moved from Chennai, where he was under the tutelage of Cyrus Poncha, to Britain only three weeks back. At Leeds too, he will be doing what he did at the South Indian city; pursuing studies as well the sport.

Saurav Ghosal, after a creditable show in the qualifying phase, went out in the first round of the men's main draw on Tuesday of the British Open squash. Ghosal lost to eighth-seeded John White of Scotland 11-6, 11-7 11-2

Dipika, Anwesha excel at Indian Open

2005-10-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

Dipika Pallikal and Anwesha Reddy, both trainees at the TNSRA academy, did themselves proud by winning the under-19 and under-17 titles respectively in the Daly College-Indian junior Open squash held at Indore

Newstoday article on Anwesha

2005-10-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

....Anwesha Reddy, who recently won the Daly College-Indian junior Open squash held at Indore recently, is in the news ..........

Little Masters squash at the Willingdon Sports Club

2005-09-12T01:42:00.000-07:00

Little Masters squash from Sept 12

KOLKATA INTERNATIONAL 2005

2005-09-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

KOLKATA INTERNATIONAL 2005 Draw & Results

SRFI reacts strongly to Joshna false outburst & ISP statements

2005-09-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

SRFI sets the record straight on my Dronacharya award...SRFI, termed Chinappa’s allegations baseless claiming he had proof that she was coached by Poncha. As for ISP’s outbursts, Ramachandran said “I cannot react to statements by envious and jealous people”. He said “Chinappa must have been misled and misguided by a group of people in Mumbai.”

Dronachara Award Facilitation in Madras

2005-09-04T02:35:00.000-07:00

Cyrus Poncha being felicitated by N Ramachandran,
Secretary-General, SRFI and Vice-president of SDAT, W I Davaram

Dronacharya Award presented by president APJ Abdul Kalam

2005-08-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

Being awarded the Dronacharya Award by the President of India is the highlight of my coaching career

India's richest tournament commences in Kolkata

2005-08-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Kolkata International held at Calcutta Racket Club has prize money of $20,000

Azlan wins, draw and results

Joshna thanks SRFI for training her, leaves the academy due to fathers prompting

2005-07-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Readying for the big leap: "Joshna recalls with a sense of gratitude the role played by the Squash Rackets Federation of India, in particular Mr. N. Ramachandran, the Secretary-General, in providing budding young squash players world-class facilities in Chennai in close association with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT). The Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association (TNSRA)-SDAT academy was the next step and the presence of Maj (retd) S. Maniam, the man who played a big role in the progress of Malaysian squash, and the national Coach, Cyrus Poncha, in the academy meant that Joshna and other talents were assured of a structured training meant to produce champions. National junior and senior champion, Asian champion, British Under-19 and Under-17 champion and quarter-finalist at the last World junior championship, form the jewels in Joshna's string of successes thus far. But the girl is thirsty for more. The kid in her has given way to a matured mind. This, plus the prompting of her key driving force, her father Anjan, has resulted in her drifting away from the Academy months before the Belgium assignment. "

Can Joshna let everone know who prompted her to write to the government and incorrectly state that she never coached at the Academy under me or Maj. Maniam? Dont they realise that to state such an untrue fact just damages Joshna's credibility

3RD CHENNAI OPEN 2005

2005-06-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

3RD CHENNAI OPEN 2005 Draw & Results

NDTV article on ICL Squash academy becomes a boon for players

2005-05-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

ICL Squash academy becomes a boon for squash players..."We're really working scientifically and we are making a structured training programme for our athletes - not just for the summer camp, it's round the year - that's what we do," said Cyrus Poncha, ....

Dipika and Harita win down under

2005-04-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

Promising juniors Dipika Pallikal and Harita Om Prakash won the under-15 and under-13 titles respectively in the Dittmar Challenge National junior squash series at Adelaide

Eat right

2005-04-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Carbohydrates Give all the cells in your body the energy they need. For energy that you'll use right away, your body takes those carbs and turns them into glucose, which is carried in your blood to all the cells in your body, and gives you energy.
Your cells can only use so much glucose at one time, this leftover glucose is stored in your liver and muscles, and called glycogen. The glycogen that doesn't fit into your liver and muscle cells is turned to fat. Glycogen is released for quick energy when you're exercising. Carbs should account for 55% to 65% of the total calories consumed every day.
Simple carbohydrates are absorbed into your blood much faster, and while they provide some really quick energy, they can often come with lots of fat and lack important vitamins that your body needs. Complex carbs are better when you are exercising or playing in a game, because you can count on them to give you energy that lasts through the five setter.
Sources:
Simple carbohydrates: Apples, bananas, grapes, raisins oranges, pears ice cream and frozen yogurt
Complex carbohydrates: Grains, bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, pretzels, bagels. corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers

Fat is the body's major form of energy storage are of two types. Saturated fatty acids come from animal foods like meat, milk, cheese, and some oils that come from plants. Unsaturated fatty acids come from plants and fish.
Fat insulates our bodies from the cold and provides some cushioning for our organs as well as giving our bodies energy. Some fats help to make up important hormones to keep our bodies at the right temperature or keep our blood pressure at the right level. Fat helps you have healthy skin and hair. Good sources of energy for extended endurance training but provide very little energy during high intensity training. Fats should make up not more than 15% of the daily calorie intake. Most athletes would do well to reduce their fat calories by consuming fewer amounts

Avoid in excess: Cheese, peanut butter, butter, fried food, nuts, junk foods, cake, saturated salad oils, gravy, fatty meats

Proteins
Our body uses protein in lots of ways. Protein's biggest job is to build up, keep up, and replace the tissues in your body also supply small amounts of energy for muscular contraction. Your muscles, your organs, even some of your hormones are made up mostly of protein. Proteins make hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen to every part of your body. It even makes antibodies, the cells that fight off infection and disease. Athletes consume about 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which is more than enough for an active squash player

Sources: Meat, fish, eggs, poultry, milk, cereals, dairy products, beans and nuts

Vitamins
Vitamin A keeps the skin, eyes and reproductive system healthy. Milk products, liver, fish, broccoli, carrot, spinach, cantaloupe, squash and sweet potato.
Vitamin B protects your muscular and nervous systems and helps release energy from food. Whole grain products, enriched breads and cereals
Vitamin C maintains your body cells and connective tissue and may help strengthen the immune system. Broccoli, citrus fruits, strawberries, peppers tomatoes
Vitamin D helps bones absorb calcium to make them strong. Fortified milk, fish, and sunlight.
Vitamin E helps produce red blood cells and may help prevent heart disease. Spinach, vegetable oils, whole grains and nuts
Vitamin K helps the blood clotting process. Broccoli, cabbage, liver, soybeans, green leafy vegetables and alfalfa.

Minerals help the body function properly. They help regulate body fluids, nerve impulses, and muscle contractions. They work along with vitamins to help release energy from food.
Calcium helps build strong bones and teeth, regulate the heartbeat, and contract muscles.
Fluoride helps fight tooth decay.
Iron, one of the most important minerals for athletes, helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body's bloodstream.
Sources:
Calcium-milk products and dark green leafy vegetables (like spinach)
Fluoride- fluorinated water and toothpaste.
Iron-dark green leafy vegetables, raisins, cream of wheat, oatmeal, beans, vegetarian chili, eggs, fish, legumes, liver, meat and poultry

Water
A calorie free source of fluid, used to keep your body going during exercise. Your heart rate increases 8 beats per minute for every litre of sweat lost. Dark urine indicates inadequate re-hydration. Drink at least 2 cups of water for every 15 min of exercise.

On court movement

2005-04-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Move badly and you will probably play badly too. Court movement is one of the most important elements in the making of a champion. Good footwork and movement are necessary to enable a player to approach the ball to position himself correctly to hit the ball.

Movement consists of footwork, balance, weight transference and even rhythm. Proper footwork should be learned because a player moving correctly will rarely find himself in a bad position for hitting the ball. Moving incorrectly causes the player to put him self under pressure, he will often hit from an incorrect position which reduces control, consistency and his recovery.

When moving to the ball the player should remember the following:

-Watch the ball and make eye contact with the ball always
-Make the first movement (balanced quick step) quickly from the T
-Take long balanced strides rather than short, quick strides
-From a ready position the first foot to move in the normal turn must be the foot opposite to the side of the intended stroke. E.g. Forehand shot by right handed player - move left - right- left. Opposite for backhand
-Turn with hips and feet keeping the upper body passive
-Always keep the racket head up for an early preparation of the backswing before approaching the ball

Signs of bad movement
=Players take a series of short steps to the ball, giving them no firm grounding to hit the ball. Too many steps take the player too far from the T and there is no time to recover the T in order to cover the next shot.
=The player is too close to the ball and no space is created to allow early racket preparation and correct choice of shot. Technique is restricted causing errors to occur under pressure.
=When players fail to stretch to the shot when clearing the ball, they can not clear to the T fast enough. They will be busy trying to get away from the line of the ball, often moving back to the T via the wrong route.
=Incorrect movement affects breathing, resulting in short shallow breaths which accelerate tiredness.
=No flow to the game, resulting in a rushed frantic style with little time to consider tactics.
=Players feel rigid and tense with no feeling of freedom as they play, affecting RHYTHM which is fundamental to the game of squash.

How should I improve my movement?

Shadow training - Repeated movement as if to play an imaginary shot, from the T to the different corners of the squash court in a sequence. These are done with the racket but without the ball.

-Starting from the T, you move towards the forehand front wall as if to play a drive with a complete swing.
-Move backward to the T and stay in a ready position
-Move to the opposite side (backhand) as if to play a backhand drive and move back to the T
This can be repeated 10 times on each side, which should take 1 min.

Once you are satisfied with your forward movement, move to the other parts of the court - side, behind on the straight, backhand and forehand sides. Another variation is to stand at the "T" and to move to various corners of the court called randomly by a colleague.

Drills - Practice makes Perfect

2005-04-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hard practice for 30-45 minutes is better than 'dithering about' for two hours.
Accuracy and consistency in feeding is important to practice effectively.
Practices on forehand and backhand side.
In feeding and shot sequences the players hit alternate shots.
Target areas should get smaller as accuracy improves.
Practices should be played at the appropriate pace for the standard of the players, can be made more demanding by increasing speed.
Practices should be scored, using the American system as this gives more incentive to the players.
Practices should be timed.
These practices are for a right handed player. Please reverse for left handed players.

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

Service
General Notes:
Lob serve should be hit high on the front wall, aiming to hit the side wall near the back of the court and drop to the floor near the back wall.
Hard serve is hit just above the cut line on the front wall, aiming to hit the side wall, low down, just behind the service box. It can also be aimed to a length straight at the opponent or close to the half-court line.
Service-Solo
Ten lob serves to target area at back of court from each service box.
Ten hard serves, aiming for target areas near the side wall, half-court line and centre of back quarter.

Service-Pairs
Service can be used to start many of the practices for other shots.
Service competing with partner for points. Serve into back quarter for one point. Serve into back quarter behind back of service box for two points. Serve into back quarter behind back of service box off side wall for three points.

Service-Threes
Third player in front of short line attempting to catch the ball. When scoring: Should a catch be made, no points for the server. Should the ball be stopped but not caught, one point. Should catcher step behind short line, three points.

Forehand & Backhand Drives
Ball should be aimed to go close to the side wall.
First bounce should be around the back of the service box.
Second bounce near the back wall
Ball should slide into the side wall near the back of the service box
Ball should not be aimed too near the corner on the front wall, as it will hit the side wall too early.

Straight Drives-Solo
Consecutive drives, aimed for a decreasing target area, progressing from the whole back quarter to the width of the service box, then a narrow channel along the side wall, or the service box.
Consecutive drives to land behind service box.
Drive alternately above and below the cut line.
Drive alternately short and long to move backwards and forwards.
Overhit drives-play ball continuously off back wall.
Three good length drives, one short, continuously.
One hard low shot, one higher recovery shot, continuously.
Set number of good length shots, set up easy short shot, play next shot to perfect length into marked area in back corner of the court.

Straight Drives-Pairs
A feeds from behind, straight short ball for B on T to hit to good length.
A feeds from behind, X-court short, for B on T to hit alternate forehand and backhand drives to good length.
A feeds alternate forehand and backhand boast from behind for B on T to hit alternate forehand and backhand straight drives to a good length.
A feeds any length X-court, for B to hit alternate forehand and backhand drives.
A feeds any short shot from behind, i.e. boast, straight or X-court drop, or reverse angle. B plays straight drive.
A plays boast from behind, B plays either straight or X- court drive, trying to wrong foot A and win the rally.
Starting with a service or straight shot, both play good length straight drives into a target area the width of half- court, service box, or less, from short line to back wall. Move to T after each shot. Aim for up to 50 shot rally.
As above, but score to 15, winning point if play winner, force boast, or opponent's shot goes out of court or misses target area. Stay in same half court for whole game.

Starting with a service or straight shot, play rally down side wall making partner move forward and back by playing both short and long shots.
As above, but score to 15, using target area width of half court, decreasing to service box or less.
Starting with a service or first straight shot, play two or more straight drives, then boast, then same number of straight drives, on the other side, then boast, etc.
Starting with a service or straight drive, rally down side wall. One or both players play random boast.
Starting with a service or first straight drive, play two or more straight drives, then X-court, then same number of straight drives, X-court, etc.
Starting with a service or straight drive, rally down side wall. One or both players play random X-court.
A plays any short shot or straight length drive. B plays straight drive.
A plays boast, B hits straight drive; score and lose point if straight drive hits side wall before back line of service box.
A plays X-court or serves, B plays straight, A plays straight, B plays boast, A plays X-court, etc.
As above, but with option to boast instead of first straight shot.
A plays X-court or serves, B plays straight, A plays boast, B plays X-court, etc.
As above, but with option to boast after X-court.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops, B plays straight drive, A plays straight drive, B boasts, etc.
As above, but with option to boast first straight shot.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops, B plays straight drive, A boasts, etc.
As above, but option to play straight or X-court drive.
A plays straight or X-court drive, B plays boast or straight.
A plays any short shot from back corner of the court, B returns ball to A's side of court with straight or X-court drive.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops, B drops, A plays straight drive, B boasts, etc.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops, B drops A plays straight or X-court, B boasts etc.
A boasts, B drops and then straight drives own shot. A boasts etc.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays straight drive and boasts own shot, A plays X-court drive, etc.

Straight Drives-Threes
A on T plays straight drives, B and C with a ball each feed alternate short straight shots from behind, so that A has to move as fast as possible from side to side. Either count the number of shots that land behind the short line in two or three minutes or check time taken to hit 100 shots into the target area. Alternatively, the players can do a forfeit of shuttle runs or an exercise when they have made three mistakes.
Circling-for three or more. Players take turns to straight drive the ball to land in the service box, then move to T and join back of queue. Aim for longest rally or drop out after losing three lives.
A on T plays a number of straight drives; B and C with a ball each feed alternately. B feeds a short straight shot from behind and C feeds a straight length from in front. B and C then change roles so that B feeds length and C feeds short.
A on T plays straight length shots. B and C feed any straight or X-court short shot from behind.
B feeds high straight shot for A to volley. C feeds straight shot for A to drive. B and C then change roles.

Straight Drives-Conditioned games
One player can play only straight shots-short or long, hard or soft, may only boast if necessary from back corners.
One player may only play straight length shots, i.e. loses point if ball bounces in front of short line, or wrong side of court. With increasing accuracy, may use only width of service box.
One player may only win rally with straight length.
One player only plays length, straight or X-court.
Both players only play lengths, initially using half court, progressing to width of service box only.

Cross Court Drives-Solo
Set up easy shot, hit X-court for ball to die in back corner.
Two straight shots then X-court drive for ball to die in back corner.
One straight drive, one boast, then X-court for ball to die in back corner.
Overhit straight drive, play X-court for ball to die in back corner.
Cross Court Drives-Pairs
A feeds short X-court from behind, B plays X-court to length as a continuous rally.
A feeds any length X-court, B plays X-court length.
A feeds short straight shot, B plays X-court length.
A plays boast, B plays X-court length.
A plays boast, B plays straight or X-court length.
Starting with a serve, play two or more straight drives, then X-court, then same number of straight drives, then X-court. etc.
Starting with a serve, play either X-court or straight length Try to volley any weak X-courts.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays straight drive, A plays boast, B plays X-court etc.
As above, but have option to boast after X-court shot.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays straight drive, A plays straight drive, B plays boast, A plays X-court.
As above, but have option to boast after X-court.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays straight drive,
A feeds any short shot from behind, B plays straight or X- Court drives.
A feeds any short shot from back corner of court. B returns ball to A's side of court with straight or X-court drive.
A plays straight or X-court drive, B plays boast or straight drive.
Cross Court Drives-Conditioned Games
A can only play length shots either straight or X-court, loses point if ball bounces in front of short line, boast only from back corner.
A can only play X-court shots, B plays normal game.
One player can only win rally with X-court length.

Short Kills
Hit ball fast on top of bounce.
Aim low on front wall to die in the nick near the front wall.
Easier to play from front of court.

Short Kills-Solo
Set up high bouncing straight shot and try to hit fast into nick. Try straight and then X-court shot. Straight Short Kill-Pairs
A feeds from behind, short straight, B tries to kill into nick.
A serves, B plays short X-court, A kills short straight shot into nick.
A serves, B plays boast, A kills short straight shot into nick.
As above, rally should continue if possible after kill shot, with A playing short straight kill off every short ball.

Cross Court Short Kill-Pairs
A plays boast, B plays short X-court kill, A tries to pick up shot and boast to keep rally going.
A serves, B plays short bad X-court, A kills short X-court.
A serves, B plays boast, A kills short X-court.
As above; rally should continue if possible after kill with A trying to hit short X-court kill off every short ball.

Forehand & Backhand Boast
Ball should be aimed on nearest side wall, so that it lands in nick on opposite side wall near the front.
Alternative two wall boast is aimed to die after hitting front wall low.
Defensive boast is played from behind opponent and attacking boast usually from in front.

Boast-Solo
Set up easy straight shot for boast.
Two or more straight drives then boast, run to pick up for two or more straight drives on the other side then boast, etc., boast, drop, etc., so moving side to side.
From short line, straight drive, boast, drop, weak X-court, boast, etc
Throw ball to practice back corner boast: (a) throw onto backwall, play boast; (b) throw so that ball hits back wall then side wall, play boast; (c) throw so that ball hits side wall then back wall, play boast. Repeat in other back corner.
Boast-Pairs
A plays boast from back of court, B plays X-court drive. Increase speed as accuracy improves. Also vary length of X- court.
A plays boast from back of court, B plays alternate forehand and backhand straight drives to a length.
A plays boast from back of court, B plays either straight or X-court drives to wrong-foot A and win the rally.
Starting with a serve, play two or more straight drives, then boast; then same number of straight drives down other side wall.
Starting with a serve, rally down side wall, one or both players play random boast, then rally down other side wall.
A plays boast, B plays drop, A plays boast, B plays drive, A plays boast, etc. When B has hit 10-20 drives, switch sides for the drop, and drive and repeat with same number of drives.
A plays alternate forehand and backhand boast, B may straight drop or drive.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays straight drive, A boasts, B plays X-court, etc.
As above, but option to play boast instead of straight drive.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays straight drive, A boasts or plays straight drive, B plays X-court from boast or boast after straight drive, etc.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays straight drive, A plays straight drive, B boasts, A plays X-court, etc.
As above, but option to play boast instead of first straight drive.
A plays X-court from front of court, B plays straight drive, then boasts own shot.
A serves or plays straight drive, B plays boast, A plays drop, B plays straight drive, etc.
A serves or plays straight drive, B plays boast, A plays drop, B plays straight drive, A plays straight drive, B plays boast. etc.
A serves or plays straight drive, B plays boast, A plays drop, B plays drop, A plays straight drive, B plays boast, etc.
A serves or plays straight drive, B plays boast, A plays drop B plays straight or X-court drive, A plays boast, etc.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays boast, A plays drop, B plays X-court drive, A plays boast, etc.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays boast, A plays drop, B plays X-court drive, A plays straight drive, B plays boast, etc.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays boast, A plays straight or X-court drive, B plays straight drive, A plays boast, etc.
A serves or plays X-court length, B plays boast A plays X-court short, B plays boast, A plays X-court length etc.
A feeds any short shot from behind, i.e. boast, drop or reverse angle. B returns ball to A's back quarter of the court, using straight or X-court drive.
A feeds any short shot from behind, B plays straight drive.

Boast-Threes
A plays X-court, B and C take it in turns to boast, moving to T after playing shot.
A plays alternate forehand and backhand straight shots from T. B plays backhand boast, C plays forehand boast.
A plays backhand straight drives from front, B plays forehand straight drives from front, C plays alternate backhand and forehand boast from behind.
Boast-Conditioned Games
A plays only straight drives and boasts, B plays normal game.
Play normal game but only two areas of court into which players can hit the ball: (a) width of service box in front of short line to front wall or (b) width of service box on other side, behind short line to back wall. This area can be further restricted to behind service box.

Forehand & Backhand Dropshots
At lower standard of play dropshots are best played off a short ball or boast because of accuracy needed.
More experienced players play them from anywhere on the court.
Ideally ball should hit front wall first, then side wall near floor, or into nick.
Straight drop effective as does not have so far to travel and dies quickly.

Straight Drop-Solo
Set up easy short straight shot. Drop into front then side wall.
Feed shot onto front wall, side wall, then drop.
Play two or more length drives, drop from behind short line.
Straight Drop-Pairs
Both players at front of court, A feeds ball onto front wall, B standing just in front, plays drop. To progress, A tries to return ball for continuous feeding.
A feeds 100 straight shots continuously from front of court. B plays straight drop or drop volley. Count mistakes. Should be less than ten.
A serves, B boasts, A plays drop, end of rally.
A serves, B boasts, A plays drop, B plays drop, A plays drop, etc., both moving to middle of court after playing shot.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops, B drives straight, A drops, B straight drive, etc.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops, B drops, A drives straight, B boasts, etc.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops, B drives straight. A drives straight, B boasts, A drops, etc.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops, B drops, A drives straight, B drives straight, A boasts, B drops, A drops, etc.
A boasts from back of court, B drops. then straight drives own shot, A boasts, etc.
A plays straight drives from front, B plays straight drops from back.
A plays straight or X-court from front, B plays straight drops from back.
A serves or plays straight drive, B plays boast, A drops, B plays straight or X-court drive, A boasts, etc.
A plays any short shot, i.e. boast, drop or reverse angle, from back quarter of the court, B returns ball to A's back quarter of the court.
A plays any short shot from back of court, B plays straight drive.

Straight Drop-threes
Circling, each playing dropshot.
A serves, B boasts, C waiting on T drops-static practice.
A on T plays straight drive, B from back or forehand side, plays any short shot, C from backhand side does the same.
Using two balls, A on T plays straight drive; B and C from back (one on each side of court) play straight drop alternately.
A on T plays straight or X-court drive, B and C from back play straight drop.
Straight Drop-Conditioned games
Both players can only win a point if they win the rally on a dropshot.
One or both players must always play drop after boast, lose point if do not attempt to do so.
Apart from serve, game to be only played in front of short line.
Player scores a bonus point if they can win the rally with a straight drop.

Cross Court Drop, Reverse Angle and Short Angle
Cross court drop should hit front wall, then side wall near the floor. The shot is effective if played accurately, but will bounce out into middle of court because of the angle if played badly.
Reverse angle hits the opposite side wall first, then front wall.
Short angle is a boast played close to the front wall.
The following practices are particularly suitable for these shots, but most of the straight drop practices can also be used.

Cross Court Drop, Reverse Angle and Short Angle-Solo.
Feed easy straight shot, X-court drop or reverse angle, or short angle.
Feed shot onto front wall, side wall, play X-court drop, reverse angle or short angle.
Three long drives, X-court drop from back of court, or reverse angle.
Stand in front of short line, hit alternately front wall, side wall and side wall, front wall, aiming very close to the corner.
Cross Court Drop, Reverse Angle and Short Angle-Pairs
A feeds easy straight shot from behind, B on T plays X-court drop, short or reverse angle.
A plays straight drive, B plays X-court drop, continuous rally.
A plays X-court drive, B plays X-court drop or reverse angle.
A serves, B plays boast, A plays X-court drop, B plays drive, A plays boast, etc.
A feeds short straight shot from front of court, B plays short angle.
A serves, B boasts, A plays short angle, B drives, A boasts, etc.
A serves, B boasts, A plays short angle, B plays short angle, A plays short angle, etc.
A plays long X-court, B boasts, A plays short X-court, B plays short angle.
A plays boast, B plays drop, A plays short angle, B plays drive, A plays boast, etc.
A plays straight length or short, B plays boast.

Cross Court Drop, Reverse Angle and Short Angle - Conditioned Games
Both players can only win a point if they win the rally with one of these shots.
One or both players must always play a short shot after the boast.
Apart from the serve, game to be played only in front of short line.
Players score a bonus point if they can win the rally with a short shot.

Forehand & Backhand Lobs
Ball should be aimed high on front wall.
The ball should land behind the service box, so that it dies into the back wall.
Cross court lob should be high enough over the T so that it cannot be intercepted on the volley.
Straight lob should be close to side wall.

Lobs-Solo
Feed short shot, lob straight to drop in back of court.
Feed short shot, lob X-court.
Boast from in front of short line, lob straight or X-court.
Boast from in front of short line, drop, lob straight or X- court.
Boast, lob X-court, straight drive, boast, lob X-court, etc.
Boast, lob straight. straight drive, boast, lob straight, etc.

Pairs
A feeds short straight shot from behind, B on T plays straight
A feeds short X-court, B plays X-court lob.
A plays boast from back, B plays X-court lob.
A plays boast, B plays straight lob.
A plays boast, B plays straight or X-court lob.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A lobs straight B drives straight, A boasts, B lobs straight, etc. (Have option to play another boast after lob, if lob too good to drive).
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A lobs X-court, B drives straight. A boasts, etc. (Have option to play boast if lob too good to drive).
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops straight, B lobs straight, A boasts, etc.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops straight B lobs X-court, A drives straight, B boasts, etc. (Boast if lob too good to drive).
A serves or plays drive, B boasts, A drops straight, B lobs straight or X-court, A boasts, etc.
A serves or plays straight drive, B boasts, A drops, B lobs straight or X-court, A drives straight-t, B boasts, etc. (Boast if lob too good to drive).
A serves or plays X-court drive, B boasts, A drops, B drops, A plays X-court lob, B boasts, etc.
A serves or plays straight drive. B boasts, A drops, B drops, A plays straight or X-court lob, B boasts, etc.

Lobs-Threes
A plays straight lobs from T. B plays forehand boast from back of court, C plays backhand boast from back of court.
A plays X-court lob from front of court, B and C take it in turns to play boast. Move to T after the boast.
A stands on T and without moving, tries to volley the X-court lob played by B, which C boasts.

Lobs-Conditioned Games
Both players can only win point if they win a rally on a lob
One player must play only length shots, mainly lobs, i.e the ball must land behind short line.
One or both players must always play lob after boast, lose the point if not attempting to do so.
One or both players must always play lob after drop, lose the point if not attempting to do so.

Forehand & Backhand Volleys
Length Volleys
General Notes
Volleying straight to a length the ball should run close to side wall.
Ball should slide into the side wall near the back of the service box.
Ball should bounce first around the back of the service box. Second bounce near the back wall.
Second bounce near the back wall.
Cross court length volleys should die in opposite back corner.
Length Volleys - Solo
Alternate drive and volley.
Volley rally, start close to the front wall, move two paces further back after hitting six or more consecutive volleys at each distance.
Start near the front wall, gradually moving back while keeping ball going to behind service box, then forward again.
Alternate forehand and backhand volleys.
Round the clock volleys - hit one forehand, one backhand, two forehand, two backhand etc up to twelve.
Two or more straight volleys, one X-court to length.
Stand close to front corner, volley alternately forehand and backhand, hitting side wall, front wall, then front wall, side wall, close to the corner
Length Volleys-Pairs
A feeds alternate low and high shots from behind, B on T plays alternate straight drive and volley.
A feeds high straight ball from behind, B on T plays straight volley. Continuous feeding.
A feeds high X-court from behind, B on T plays straight r volleys, therefore both play alternate forehand and backhand.
A feeds high straight ball from behind, B plays X-court volley; both players are hitting alternate forehand and backhand.
A plays straight ball to forehand, B volleys straight, A plays X-court to backhand, B volleys X-court backhand to A in back forehand corner.
A plays either straight or X-court feed, B must play only straight volleys.
A plays either straight or X-court feed, B must play only X-Court volleys.
Both players must play every ball on the volley, lose point if ball bounces before reaching short line. Rallies will probably be short.

Volley Boast
Ball should be aimed down to hit front wall then side wall near '
Straight volley will get there quicker and not give opponent
Cross-court short volley effective depending on position of more than straight volley.
Volley boast is played onto nearest side wall and aimed to hit wall low and nick on opposite side wall near front.
Short Volleys and Volley Boast-Solo
Set up high shot, volley straight into front corner so that ball
Set up high shot, volley X-court in-o front corner.
Set up high shot, volley boast.
Alternate ;drive and short volley either straight, X-court or
Two or more length volleys, one short volley either straight , X-court or boast.

Short Volleys and Volley Boast-Pairs
A feeds high straight ball from behind, B on T hits short , straight volley or volley boast.
A feeds high X-court ball from behind, B on T hits short straight volley.
A feeds high straight ball for B to play X-court volley.
A feeds high X-court ball for B to play X-court short volley.
A feeds high straight ball from behind for B to hit length volleys; on the fourth shot, B hits either straight or X-court short for winner.
A feeds from behind either straight or X-court, B plays length volleys, then chooses ball to hit short for winner. .
A feeds straight from behind, B plays either short or long straight volley, but loses life if ball bounces between short and long target. Play first volley long.
A serves, B plays bad X-court return, A intercepts to play short volley into nearest corner.
A serves, rally down side wall, both trying to intercept on volley, playing length volleys and choosing right shot to go for short straight winner. (It is easier to play the shot when the ball' is some distance from the side wall, i.e. nearer the middle, to give a good angle).
A plays short drive or short volley from behind, B on T must pick-up shot and play high shot straight or X-court for A to volley etc.
Continuous rally-A hits any short shot, B hits straight or X-court lengths. As soon as A hits winner, roles change.
A serves or plays X-court drive, B plays straight drive, A plays trickle boast, B plays X-court. A tries to intercept and hit short straight winning volley, if not rally continues. Boast, X-court, straight, etc.
A serves, rally down side wall, trying to intercept on volley, choose appropriate shot to try to hit X-court short volley or boast winner; if not winner, then rally continues on other side of court.
A plays a short volley or any other short shot. B returns shot to A's side of court with straight or X- court drive or lob.
A plays a short volley or any other short shot, B hits straight , drive or lob.
Short Volleys-Threes
A on T hits alternate forehand and backhand short straight volley; B and C feed a high straight shot with a ball each from behind. Make A play into target area and count number of times does so out of certain number of shots given.
A on T hits short straight volley one side, long volley the other. B and C feed with a ball each from behind. Hit 50-100 volleys, then change sides for short and long volley.

Short Volleys and Volley Boast-Conditioned games
Both players can only win a point if they win the rally with a short volley or volley boast.
Players score a bonus point if they win the rally with a short volley or volley boast.
Play game in restricted area of court, either using only a channel either side the width of the service box, or a short channel from the service box to the back wall on one side and from the short line to the front wall on the other. These areas allow quite a wide variety of shots to be played, and can therefore be used as conditioned games for other shots.

Do send me a mail for more info, tips and drills to hone specific strokes

A bit of thought goes a long way

2005-04-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

When you have confidence you game can reach new heights, here are some pointers to enable you to build and maintain your confidence:

-Improve your preparation routine: The more prepared you feel going on court, the higher and more stable your confidence level. Make everything precise and predictable, your practices, your diet, your pre-match preparation etc..

-Make a realistic plan with challenging, measurable goals: The goals could cover physical development, strokes, fitness, diet, training etc.

-Get fitter: The fitter you are the more stress you can take mentally and emotionally, thus increasing your confidence.

-Think positive: Confidence is powerfully influenced by what you think, say to yourself and act. Learn to try to be positive, no matter what the situation.

-Learn from your failures and then forget them: If you have had a bad loss, learn any positive lesson and then forget it. Don't carry mistakes with you in the future, correct them and move forward.

Fitness Formula for Squash

2005-04-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

Squash is an attritional battle, i.e. strength, fitness & endurance count.
Most attacking shots do not result in winners, i.e. they are returned thereby prolonging the rally.

Fitness Formula for Squash consists of a number of items:
1. Cardio-respiratory fitness
2. Muscle endurance, a combination of the ability to deliver appropriate anaerobic and aerobic power together with the ability to recover
3. Muscle strength, which is more important in tennis than the other racket sports
4. Muscle speed, an important component of power in all the racket sports; 5. Flexibility
6. Low percentage body fat.

As mentioned above, a squash player must have the Endurance to play a five set match. This means that you must have the heart/ lung strength, as well as muscular capacity, to sustain a lengthy session of exercise. For the average person, endurance translates into a store of daily energy that isn't depleted by stress or illness.

Aerobic exercise builds endurance, and jogging is one of the easiest forms of aerobic exercise. Your endurance goal should be to complete a 30 minute jog, either in place, indoors or outdoors. Endurance development isn't achieved by forcing your body to a one-time, beyond your capacity test. Beginning developing your endurance by developing your personal fitness in a consistent, moderate manner.

Flexibility refers to the ability to perform a movement over a wide range of motions. Improved flexibility will lead to :
-Greater ease in execution of rapid complex movements
-Enhanced performance of technical skills
-Reduction in the number of injuries due to over stretching of muscles, tendons and ligaments surrounding joints

Flexibility training should precede all other aspects of training to prevent injury. Flexibility is joint and location specific, and aspects of speed, strength, endurance skill are interrelated.

Neck - Forward /Side bends, Rotations
Shoulder - Arm circles/ rotation/ overs/ reaches, Shoulder circles, Pull through
Elbow - Tricep stretches
Lower arm - Wrist bends
Trunk - Forward bends/ Twists/ Side bends
Hips - Quad/ Hamstring stretches, Front /Lateral strides
Ankles - Achilles stretches, Ankle extenders
Knees - Quad stretches, Hamstring stretches

Do remember to do exercise very gradually and do not over do any activity. Please mail me for any additional info

Building the perfect squash player

2005-04-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

The development of leg and arm strength involves two steps.
1-Increasing the strength of the muscles that are used during the squash game
2-Increase overall muscle speed and endurance

Breathing and mental concentration at all times is very important. Always exhale on exertion and as you inhale imagine you are bringing in energy.

The first step can be achieved by using conventional weight training programs. For squash, the strength training relates strictly to the upper body since leg power is developed in the anaerobic on court program.

Players should start any strength workout with the flexibility warm-up. Using light weights such as dumbbells or ideally pulley weights, you should do 3 set of weights (20 times, 10 times and 5 times) increasing the weight after every set. The 20-10-5 routine will build up strength and local muscle endurance with little bulk. For each set use a weight which makes the last few repetitions difficult.

The second step involves introduction of specific drills to allow the player's strengthened muscles to do fundamental squash movements at progressively higher

Push ups
Target muscle group Shoulders, chest, triceps
Variations
Regular (from toes)
From knees
Up from knees, down from toes
Hands wide
Hands out front
On fingertips
Head stand push up on wall
One hand
Incline

Sit ups /Crunches,
Target muscle group Abdomen, hip flexors
VariationsHand and shoulder curl
Bent knee
Legs bent, in air or on bench
Incline curl ups
With twists

Chin ups
Target muscle group Shoulders, biceps
Variations Overhand
Underhand
Rope climb (with / without feet)

Weight routines Target muscle groups
Chest/ bench press - Pectorals, triceps, deltoids
Hamstring curl - Hamstrings
Half squat / leg press - Quads, gluts, hamstrings, spinal erectors,
deltoids, abdominals
Bicep curl - Biceps, brachialis
Lateral pulldown - Lats, biceps, traps, rhomboids, deltoids
Calf raise - Soleus, gastrocs
Tricep press - Triceps, lats, pectorals

Motivation

Remind yourself why you play: To have fun, to improve and progress and to be with others who enjoy the game

Analyse your mental strengths and the areas in which you would like to improve. Approach each practice and match as an opportunity to learn

Effort is the key to learning and improving. Evaluate your level of effort and constantly seek to raise to a level of effort

Develop goals that you work on daily. Process goals have to do with HOW you play, rather than the result or outcome. Emphasising the process will lead to the strongest performance. The strongest performance will produce the highest possible results.

Learn very simple relaxation exercises to help you calm yourself when you need to before or during your match. Such as :
=Taking a series of regular deep breaths and slow exhaling
=Having a word or phrase that you associate with feelings of calmness and relaxation
=Alternating squeezing and relaxing your hand as it grips the racquet
=Focusing your eyes on the centre point of the strings of your racquet

Think of concentration as a skill. It is closely connected with the abiltity to stay relaxed in competition

Analyse what you say to yourself as you play. Identify the things that you think or say to yourself that are not helpful and replace them with words or phrases that are positive, encouraging and conductive to strong play. Analyse your posture, physical appearance, and expression when you play. Adopt and practice a look of confidence, strength, energy and toughness.

Develop a plan that helps you prepare mentally and emotionally to play. Analyse its effectiveness each time you play and refine it periodically. Identify moments of challenge or potential distraction that may occur during your matches. Plan your ideal response to these challenges and practice them daily to prepare for match play

Approach competition as an opportunity to measure your play and progress against your own standards. Keep a performance journal, analysis of the mental and emotional aspects of your play.
For any assistance do send me an email

Commonly asked questions

2005-04-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

Q: Which racket should I use?
A: The ideal racket would be the newer models due to their light weight and strength. A lighter racket is easier on the wrist, provides excellent racket speed, which helps in retrieval and deception. However a beginner could start with a slightly heavier racketwhich is strong enough to survive hits on the wall and not too costly.

Q:How do I generate more power in my shot?
A: Power is generated by the racket speed from back swing to point of contact. Other factors include grip, string tension, timing, body posture etc.

Q:At what age should I start weights?
A: Kids under 12 should only do free hand exercises such as sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, crunches. They could use a very light weight of 1-2 pounds (0.5 - 1 kg) for simple biceps curls. Older kids could do 3 sets of 20-10-5 repetitions with weights of 5-7-10 pounds respectively.

Q:What should my diet consist of?
A:Your diet should mainly consist of carbohydrates like whole wheat, bread, pasta, rice, cereal, pulses, apples, bananas etc. Proteins like cheese, milk products, meat & fish are also important. Vegetarians could increase the quantum of milk products in their diet. You must remember that during a tournament the body uses up the carbohydrates stored over the last 2-3 days, not what is eaten before the match. Reduce the intake of fried & fatty foods as much as possible.
Tips
=If you eat healthily, you will train harder, and be in better physical and mental condition.
=There is no perfect diet as everyone has different needs and requirements. The best diet is one that provides adequate fuel and is balanced with nutrients in the required amounts.
=Water and proper hydration are very important. Unreplaced fluid losses can impair performance. Please drink water as required by your system during training and tournaments.
=Eat well before tournaments, preferably carbohydrates.

Q:How much time should I spend on exercise?
A:It has been proved that running slowly for over 20 minutes burns fat as well as carbohydrates. Short, fast sprints burn only carbohydrates and not fat. Therefore a gradual level of exercise is preferred. Please excercise consistently and increase the level of exertion gradually.
Tips
=Correct warm up procedure is very important to improve your game as well as reduce the chances of future injury.
=Balance your on and off season training with a mixture of flexibility, aerobic, anaerobic and strength training. Training must be combined with appropriate diet and also provide adequate recovery periods for your body to rebuild and develop.
=Keep to your training schedule. Avoid short, hectic training and concentrate on longer and systematic training.
=Everyone needs as specific training programme. Your genetics, physical shape and training history will determine how much training you can do now and how your body's response to that training.

Q: How do I add variety to my game?
A: Deception is brought about by sleight of hand, wrist, arm, foot or body. It is the hallmark of every great squash player and can be made effective by using it judiciously.
The most common form is using your wrist to change your shot at the last instant, sending your opponent the wrong way. Common combinations are Cross court instead of a straight drive, boast instead of a kill, drop instead of a drive. Deception using the arm consists of modifying your backswing to play a different shot e.g. full backswing resulting in a drop, full blooded drive with minimal backswing.Your opponent can also be deceived by playing a shot of the wrong foot. Your body can also be used to hide the shot being played at point of contact by playing a shot with the follow through of another e.g. crosscourt played with a down the line follow through.

Q: How can I move faster around the court?
A: You movement on court is dependant on your body strength, speed, stamina as well as footwork. As a general rule it is better to take medium strides to the ball keeping your balance. You may however be forced to take a longer last stride, but you must ensure that you are able to maintain adequate balance to play your shot & recover for the next one. You must also not run into the ball or wall too fast or play the shot of the "wrong" foot. Good movement starts at the T, where you should be maintain good stance and also ensure that your racket head is up. The first stride is often the most important and quick movement off the T should be practiced by shadow training to all 4 corners.
Tips
=After every shot move to the 'T', your eye on the ball and opponent always.
=Generally take long strides to the ball so the body is in recommended position when playing the stroke, and can also recover quickly for the rally. Practice correct movement by on court shadow (ghosting) routines.
=Fluid movement is achieved by reading your opponents game and watching the ball at all times.

Q: I am unable to focus and concentrate during a game, what should I do?
A: However fit & strong you are your state of mind plays an important part in your final success. Pre match pressure and match pressure due to a bad shot, crowd, incorrect referee call etc. can take its toll on every ones game. You must learn how to handle pressure by setting yourself attainable goals and avoiding creating some of it for yourself. If thing are going against you the simplest thing to do is to take a few seconds between points to calm yourself and try and reduce the tension.
Tip
=Try and spot your opponents strengths and weaknesses by watching their previous matches. Use this info to frame your game plan. Also learn from the pros by studying their matches on TV or video for tips and traps.

Q: What are the basic strokes?
Drive
This is the most basic and important of all shots. The drive played at different speeds and angles has to be the bread & butter shot of the squash player. Practicing the drive on both sides, keeping the ball as close to the wall is the starting point for any player. All players should practice drives for atleast 5 minutes before the start of any match.

Volley
The volley is taken early (before it bounces) and is can be used as an attacking stroke. Mainly played from the front of the court mainly at the T and is used to open up the opponent's game. The volley to the nick is risky but can be an excellent attacking shot.

Drop shot
Another attacking shot mainly played from the front. The drop is intended to move your opponent to the front on either side. A more difficulty variation is dropping from the back of the court, to catch your opponent off guard. The drop can also be made effective by using the side walls and nick.

Boast
This can be played from any where in the court and uses the side walls to change pace and direction. Boasts from the back court are mainly to retrieve the ball, even thought they can be used as an alternative to the drive for variation. The tickle boast is played from the front and uses the side wall to modify the speed and direction.

Q: How should I practice while playing against another player?
A: When playing at you club try and do the following:

a) Hit your basic length drive at 75-85 percent of maximum power for more control. Also hit the ball higher on the front wall to maintain depth and take your time over the stroke. Don't rush!
b) Attack only when you’re balanced and you can play the shot to best effect.
c) Conserve energy. Most attacking shots are returned – especially in the early games.

Against stronger players measure your success not only by the score but by how long the match lasts. Try and extend the rallys, you may win more points.

Against weaker players practice the attacking shots you don’t normally use. Try variations of serve, return of serve, drops, boasts, lengths, x-courts. However, please do not get carried away.

Against players of your level
Develop you game plan and put it to the test. Establish good length, attack only when necessary and play your favourite attacking shots. These matches often create the most mental pressure. The very fact that you have a plan will occupy your mind and help alleviate nerves.

Feel free to send me an email

Ten tips

2005-04-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Squash - A battle of wits, speed & stamina

1. Hit to a good length
Stroke the ball to the front wall with sufficient judgement to make it bounce at the back of the court behind the service box. The ball should never hit the back wall on the full or fail to hit the back wall, ideally after one bounce and die. Develop it, as a reflex action with practice, by hitting hard below the front wall service line, or soft above the service line. The objective is to confine your opponent to the backcourt, moving him out of the dominating position at the T.

2. Aim for the back corners
As well as good length the standard shot should be played to the back corner. One can see the opponent's options are reduced when you play in the back corner. Thirty feet away he can't attack and his swing is restricted. While playing a cross-court you should hit should hit wide so that he cannot reply with a volley.

3. Keep it close to the sidewall
As a routine, keep the ball straight, in the corners, along the sidewall (easier said than done). This will cause your opponent to move away from the T and hinder him from attacking or volleying. He will be on the defensive and there may be a possibility of a weak return.

4. The importance of the 'T'
Moving to the T after playing your shot is most crucial. This will allow you to move and pick up your opponents shot, be it a drop to front court or a shot to the back court. Generally take long strides to the ball, so the body is in the recommended position when playing the stroke, and can also recover quickly for the next rally. The player controlling the T will invariably control the point. Even after playing a drop or front wall boast you should move back to the T, to await your opponents stroke. Practice correct movements by on court shadow (ghosting) routines and shot specific drills.

5. Watch the ball
Some players find it hard to watch the ball, especially when the ball is hit behind the player, they just watch the front wall. Players also tend to lift their head to see their opponent's position, before playing their own stroke. Make it a practice to watch the ball unto impact on your and you opponent's racket. This will give you the extra milliseconds, to respond and can also avoid injuries of being accidentally hit by your opponent, his racket or ball.

6. Move your opponent around
It sounds simple, but most players tend to play strokes mechanically without relation to their opponent's position. Strike a balance between trying to hit winners or just defending and returning every ball. Try and spot your opponents strengths and weaknesses by watching their previous matches and also during knock up. Use this info to frame your game plan. Move your opponent to all four corners and especially if they have a weaker side, which should be exploited.

7. Eat smart
There is no perfect diet, as everyone has different needs and requirements. The best diet is one that provides adequate fuel and is balanced with nutrients in the required amounts. If you eat healthily, you will train harder, and be in better physical and mental condition. Water and proper hydration are very important. Unreplaced fluid losses can impair performance. Please drink water as required by your system during training and matches. Eat well during tournaments, preferably carbohydrates.

8. Think about your game
Squash is a mental as well as a physical sport. Analyze your strengths and weaknesses and try and improve upon them. Even if you do not have a coach take the advice of a friend. Also learn from the pros by studying their matches on TV or video for tips and traps. Check out the squash sites on the net.

9. Keep in shape
"You have to be fit to play squash, not play squash to get fit". Balance your on and off season training with a mixture of flexibility, aerobic, anaerobic and strength training and conditioning. Training must be combined with appropriate diet and also provide adequate recovery periods for your body to rebuild and develop. Stick to your training schedule, avoid short, hectic training and concentrate on longer and systematic training to avoid injury and build up your body's reserves. Everyone needs as specific training program, dependant on your genetics, physical shape and training history. This will determine how much training you can do now and your body's response to the training.

10. Have fun
In the end -it's just a game

World Squash Day

2005-03-19T01:46:00.000-08:00

World Squash Day celebrations at the ICL Squash Academy, Chennai

SRFI clarification

2005-03-05T23:46:00.000-08:00

SRFI clarificationReferring to the SRFI press note of June 28, 2004, Mr. Ramachandran asserted that, "the statement that the SRFI has ignored Ms. Joshna Chinnappa is incorrect and not factual."

Joshna, Saurav head Indian challenge at Asian Juniors

2005-01-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

India fields a younger team

Boys Team 4th, Girls Team 3rd
indiv Joshna Chinappa bt Annie Au 5-9, 3-9, 9-0, 9-5, 9-3 (54m), Amir Atlas Khan bt Saurav Ghosal 9-1, 4-9, 9-3, 9-3 (45m)

Joshna Chinappa admits she trained at the academy before the British Jr Open in Jan 2005

2005-01-18T15:06:00.000-08:00

Joshna who stated that she has never coached with me admits that she trained at the academy before playing the British Open in Jan 2005
"How did you train?

I was training on my own for a while at the Madras Cricket Club, and the last two weeks before I left for UK, I went to the SDAT squash academy, for some training, and workouts."

Article on The ICL Squash Academy/ Sr Nationals

2005-01-06T02:03:00.000-08:00

The launch of the ICL Academy in Chennai has been the best thing to have happened for squash in India. From a club preserve, squash today is a vibrant sport and with the structured training being given there under Maj. S. Maniam, the Consultant Coach from Malaysia and the National Coach Cyrus Poncha, results have begun to show at the international level. Names like Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa are right there at the top at the Asian level and they happen to be the prized trainees at the Chennai Academy....Tamil Nadu dominates Nationals 2004...

Saurav and Ritwik runners up at World Doubles

2004-12-17T05:36:00.000-08:00

Ritwik Bhattacharya & Saurav Ghosal lost to Australia's Byron Davis and Cameron White 4-9, 3-9, 9-8, 7-9 in 100 minutes, the longest match of the championship. Australia also won the women's doubles and mixed doubles finals. India Runner up at World Mens Doubles at Chennai

Curtain RaiserN. Ramachandran, Secretary-General, Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI), said Chennai is one of the few places in Asia to have facilities for playing doubles. The ICL-TNSRA academy has five doubles courts as per WSF specifications, he said. The championship would be formally inaugurated on Sunday by Jehangir Khan, President, World Squash Federation

TN win Men & Women Doubles

2004-12-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Saurav -Harinder/ Joshna - Dipika win National Doubles

India host for 2007 World Men's Team Squash Championship

2004-10-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

India will host the 2007 World Men's Team Squash Championship, the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI)October 13, 2004 The academy, which has eight courts, including an all-glass court, had already hosted many WISPA and PSA events besides Asian Junior and World Junior championships.

TN wins Indian inter-State Championships, 2004

2004-10-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

TN Men Beat Delhi 5-0, TN women A beat TN B

Sourav Ghosal to lead Indian challenge

2004-08-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

India's world No 1 Sourav Ghosal will lead a six-member team in the World Junior Squash Championship....These players have undergone training sessions for tactics and strategy, physiological training which included on court runs and strength training at the gymnasium, psychological sessions, skill refinement sessions and match practices/overload sessions.

It was all under the guidance of Consultant coach, Major S Maniam of Malaysia and national coach, Cyrus Poncha.....

India win gold, silver at SAF Games

2004-04-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Indian women win win gold, men win silver at SAF Games apr 4

Saurav wins British Jr Open, Joshna runner up

2004-01-10T05:39:00.000-08:00

Saurav Ghoshal has won the British Junior Open squash title, while Joshna Chinappa was the runner-up in the under-19 girls......The performances of the two are a feather in the cap of the India Cements Academy where they train under Maj Maniam and Cyrus Poncha. They have the latest facilities and made the most of them. The Squash Rackets Federation of India headed by N.Ramachandran, deserves kudos for their efforts...

Indian Express article on Saurav's win at the British Open....India has never won a British Junior Open title since its inception in 1980. The Chennai-based Saurav, who is 17 years old and trains at the ICL Squash Academy in Chennai. He is a talented youngster, whose work ethics at the squash court is any coaches dream, according to a press release from SRFI.....

Saurav wins British Jr Open

2004-01-06T05:06:00.000-08:00

Squashtalk article on Saurav's British Open win.....Ghosal, a small fast-footed 17-year-old from Calcutta, has won only local junior events until now, but has been training with Cyrus Poncha on the new championship courts at Chennai over the past year. He hits the ball with ferocious technically based power and speed for such a slight character and tonight quickly established himself as the dominant force on the court against an opponent of considerably more height and width......

Hindu Article - Saurav does India proud...A pupil at the ICL Squash Academy in Chennai, this talented youngster's work ethics can be a coach's dream. His hard work paid off last night, as he outran and outplayed his six-foot tall opponent who was caught on the wrong foot time and again...

India win three gold, two silver and two bronze at Scottish Junior Open 2003

2003-12-30T11:41:00.000-08:00

Sidharth, Ramit, Dipika win goldAnwesha and Joshna silver and Harinder and Saurav bronze

NDTV article on Parthiban

2003-12-25T11:18:00.000-08:00

16-year-old Parthibhan of Chennai who is slated to be the next big thing in the world of squash....He fought all odds to reach the position he currently holds. A school dropout, he moved from a village in Kancheepuram to Chennai where he secured a job as a ball boy at the famous Madras Cricket Club......

Dipika won the girls U-13 title at the Belgium Junior Open.

2003-12-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Dipika Pallikal, a trainee at the ICL squash academy, won the girls U-13 title at the recently concluded Belgium Junior Open....

Squashbuckling

2003-08-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Indian's enter the world circuit...And now, thanks to the Squash Racquets Federation of India (SRFI), three teenagers are turning professional. Chennai prodigy Ghosal, Mumbai’s Supreet Singh (18), who debuted on the PSA tour, and Joshna, who takes her first steps on WISPA (Women’s International Squash Players Association) tour. While the three are being sponsored in their first year by SRFI, another talented youngster, Delhi lad Gaurav Nandrajog (18) is digging into the prize money he earned ealier this year to pursue his PSA dream...

India in world jr women's squash semis

2003-08-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

Joshna, Vaidehi and Supriya take India to world jr women's squash semis and continue to improve our world ranking.

Sweating it in preparation for the World Juniors

2003-08-07T00:43:00.000-07:00

Squash coaching under way at the SDAT (From left) Maj. S. Maniam, Supriya Balsekar, Alisha Mashruwala, Cyrus Poncha, Joshna Chinappa and Vaidehi Reddy in preparation for the Jr Women World Championships to be held in Cairo

Saurav, Dipika win at the German Jr Open

2003-05-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Saurav, Dipika win Joshna runner up at the German Open