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November 3rd, 2009 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General | Comments »
“Uniting squash fans around the world” is Canadian squash buff Shawn Patton’s new website SquashZag.com. Featuring the first edition of ZagMag, an “e-zine” of sorts for the squash fan and a very slick production (click the image below for full screen, requires a flash enabled browser):
February 27th, 2009 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General, Press, Video | Comments »
Former Rochesterian and GVC player, Jim Moore is the squash coach at the prestigious Blair Academy boarding school in New Jersey. His student, Manuela Peres, a graduate of CitySquash was featured in this wonderful clip that aired on the Today Show this morning. The segment focused on CitySquash, a free youth enrichment/mentorship based urban squash program in Bronx, N.Y. Incidentally, Tim Wyant, Executive Director of CitySquash, also played in the first ever Rochester ProAm seven years ago in 2002 when it was a challenger event with six entrants! (Thanks for the info, Jim!)
More information on the national urban squash movement at www.nationalurbansquash.org.
More inspiring videos on just two of the many growing urban squash programs across the country:
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City Squash, Bronx, NY: Program video by by Rachel Luskin and Greencard Pictures |
SquashSmarts: Philadelphia based urban Squash program |
February 20th, 2009 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General | Comments »
By Kevin Klipstein, CEO, US Squash
“Since the conversion to an online system in 2004, the Association has been focused on improving the accuracy of the Adult ratings and rankings. The Junior ratings and rankings had initially received more attention than the Adults due to the large quantity of data and large tournament playing base. When the rating structure was converted to an online, more dynamic system, there were still many gaps for Adults. The skill level ratings for most players had been assigned by rating “verifiers”, some more accurately than others. All of the playing data in the system was from tournaments, which means there was not much data. There were also limitations in the system, such as if a player did not have an assigned rating, there was no rating exchange with a player who did, reducing the opportunities to increase the accuracy of the system. Finally, since some ratings were way off, either too high, or too low, the inaccuracies persisted, and in fact got worse in some cases. A player who was initially “over-rated” skewed every other players’ ratings in the calculation since it was inherently an inaccurate predictor of the outcome of the match…….”
November 3rd, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General | Comments »
Stretching! That ever important ritual before (and after) a hard match. Some of us do it, some do not but eventually it catches up with all of us causing injuries we could do without – especially in a sport like squash which has our bodies lunging and twisting in all directions. Some interesting excerpts from an excellent NYT article that explains the virtues of combining static and dynamic techniques into a sport specific stretching routine.
…Stretching muscles while moving, on the other hand, a technique known as dynamic stretching or dynamic warm-ups, increases power, flexibility and range of motion….
Dynamic stretching is at its most effective when it’s relatively sports specific….
…Athletes who need to move rapidly in different directions, like soccer, tennis or basketball players, should do dynamic stretches that involve many parts of the body….
…While static stretching is still almost universally practiced among amateur athletes, it doesn’t improve the muscles’ ability to perform with more power, physiologists now agree. “You may feel as if you’re able to stretch farther after holding a stretch for 30 seconds,” McHugh says, “so you think you’ve increased that muscle’s readiness.” But typically you’ve increased only your mental tolerance for the discomfort of the stretch. The muscle is actually weaker….
Read the entire article (with video) from the New York Times.
October 29th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General | Comments »
Sign up and encourage your friends (think Christmas gift!) to join this beginner squash program at Midtown Athletic Club.
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“Squash In No Time” is a truly innovative four-week session that transforms beginners into players and is taught by certified squash professional, Mark Banford. Encourage a friend to be a player! Midtown Athletic Club is inviting members to ask their friends to join in on the fun. Fee: $60 per four week session. Note: Midtown membership not required Signup: Download registration form here |
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UPCOMING SESSION DATES (4 Weeks): SESSION III 10/28/2008 – 11/24/2008 SESSION IV 11/25/2008 – 12/22/2008 SESSION V 1/4/2009 – 1/31/2009 SESSION VI 2/1/2009 – 2/28/2009 SESSION VII 3/1/2009 – 3/28/2009 SESSION VIII 3/29/2009 – 4/26/2009 |
CLASS SCHEDULE:(pick any one day) Monday 11:00 – 12:00 pm Tuesday 11:00 – 12:00 pm Wednesday 9:00 – 10:00 am Thursday 8:00 – 9:00 am Friday 9:00 – 10:00 am Saturday 10:00 – 11:00 am |
October 23rd, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General, Video | 1 Comment »
The Egyptians are famous on the pro circuit for their flamboyant shots and racquet skills. Check out current World #25, Hisham Ashour explaining a gem from his collection up close – the Mizuki shot, a backhand-forehand volley drop to the nick! Trivia: This is unverified but my theory is that the origins of this shot possibly lie in a popular Japanese manga called The Prince of Tennis and that it is a derivative of the “dangerous Twist Spin Shot” taught by the character Mizuki Hajime. |
Okay so The Mizuki may be just a bit much to practice and perfect. If you’re the regular social club player, you want to make sure you have the basics right – the rails, the drops and the boasts. Here are some words of wisdom from Kim Lee Wong on the #2 ranked Princeton squad:
“…If you are truly a beginner, and you are playing with other beginners, resist the urge to whack away. Instead, try to play the ball high, deep and to the corners….”
“…Ideal rail shots are both deep and tight and usually find their way to the back corners of the court, where space limits both your opponent’s swing and what he can do with his return….”
…”It’s about timing,” Wong said with a slight laugh. “If your opponent is off his balance, hitting a really hard shot just about anywhere will win the point. If your opponent hits a loose shot, you can hit a hard shot that takes up a lot of space, to get him stuck in a corner….”
“…Hacking the ball is not so much hard, but hard to keep it up…”
Read the entire article from the Daily Princetonian – “Mastering the shots: a beginner’s journey” by Jake Miller.
And finally, a quick primer of the basic forehand and backhand from Shahier Razik, current World #22. (previous Razik videos on grip and footwork)
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Backhand: |
October 8th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General | Comments »
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In the month of September, the Genesee Valley Club hosted the second annual RSRA Youth Clinic, a four session clinic for kids and teens (ages 8 and older)spread over four weeks and instructed by Kate Guyer and Eric Hernady.
Clinic organizer and RSRA Junior Development board member, Troy Zarcone reports: |
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Click to see the rest of the 2008 pictures.
Photos from the 2007 Youth Clinic
And heres what they said:
“Kate and Eric were excellent teachers for the kids. They created a very positive, safe and fun learning environment. My kids especially enjoyed the drills and games they taught the kids.” – Kim (parent)
“The clinic helped me with my squash technique and the physical skills need to win games and matches.” – Scott
“I like squash because it is a fun and unusual sport!” - Taylor
“Very helpful in learning how to play squash.” – Nick
“It is a little fun.” - Luke
“Squash is really fun!” - Kyle
September 16th, 2008 Chris Thomas posted in Education, General | Comments »
Doug Bennett reports:
On Sunday, September 14th the RSRA held a Referee and Rules Clinic at Midtown Athletic Club. Led by US Squash certified referees Herb Barbehenn and Eric Hernady, with expert on-court exhibition play by Midtown’s Professional Mark Banford, the clinic taught players from beginner to experienced the nuances of the rules and on-court play.
The goal of the clinic was to teach everyone the rules that everyone thinks they know, but do not execute very well. Many of us were surprised to learn that some “lets” were “strokes”, some “strokes” were “no-lets”, and that some played points that are “down-right dangerous”.
The clinic only helped us realize that the more players who learn the rules, and play by the rules, the more fun and enjoyable squash will be. We will have more clinics in the future and encourage all players to attend. If you’d like to attend, contact Doug Bennett or your club rep.
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August 18th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, Events, General | Comments »
Rule 13.1.3: The Referee may allow a let if the Referee determines that an occurrence on or off the court distracted either. (From The Squash Official)
When: Sunday Sept. 14th 2008, 3:30 to 6:30pm
Venue: The Paddle Hut and squash courts at Midtown Athletic Club (200 East Highland Ave.). Refreshments will be provided.
Instructors: US Squash certified state referees, Eric Hernady & Herb Barbehenn
Cost: $10 for non-members (for the entire session including refreshments). Payable through cash or check at venue. FREE for RSRA members!
Questions?: Email clinic coordinator Doug Bennett (dbennett at gmail dot com).
Whats that you say? “I don’t need rules. I don’t wanna referee, I just wanna play squash!”? Well, here is what you will learn from this clinic and why you should attend:
Topics will include rules with focus on Lets and Strokes,what is interference?, how to referee and also play in a refereed match.
Also included will be an audio-visual presentation and discussion plus on-court playing along with hands-on refereeing practice so bring your playing gear for an afternoon of learning and socializing…and squash of course! So come join us as we prepare for the start of the upcoming squash season and the city leagues. Sign up online using the form below (limited to the first twelve registrants):
Note: Registration is now closed.
August 4th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General | Comments »
After a hard match this past weekend, I developed a sharp pain in the ball of my right foot. Thank God for Google, Wikipedia and WebMD, I could self-diagnose the problem without waiting to consult my friendly neighborhood orthopedist (as dangerous as self-diagnosis might sound to the URMC physicians reading this). Turns out to be a case of metatarsalgia, nothing serious and nothing a little rest can’t fix.
But as we all know, squash can take its toll on the body over time and tales of injury, pulls, sprains, knee replacements, torn Achilles tendons, tennis elbow etc. all make for great off court chitchat. Here is some time-out reading material on what to watch out for:
July 31st, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General | Comments »
Photos from the 2007 Youth Clinic |
A FOUR week introduction to squash for kids and teens (Ages: 8 and older). Maximum 8 slots available As part of RSRA’s mission to promote youth involvement and interest in squash, this is our third consecutive installment of the Youth Clinic. Sign up for your child for four fun-filled squash instruction sessions with experienced junior instructors at almost no cost. Schedule: Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 (All Wednesdays) |
February 17th, 2008 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Education, General | Comments »
| For those among us who like to get our squash news daily (or weekly or monthly), theres a new site on the block – Squash360.Com. This content-rich site offers a lot to explore so get started with a video of Shaun Moxham (coach to David Palmer) on Basic Technique Other squash dailies that should be on your list if they are not already – SquashSite, SquashTalk, College Squash News Squash education resources – Guide-To-Squash.Org, SquashClub.Org |
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