By Aidan Harrison, USA Junior Women’s Coach
| |
| 
Aidan Harrison
USA Junior Women’s coach |
When returning from the World Championships in Malaysia (summer 2001) I sat back and analyzed every move as a team that we did to reach fourth position. I was not content! What can we do to become better than No. 4? How can we improve? I needed answers and I needed them quick so as not to waste time.
Everyone in life has a mentor: someone they trust and who shows them the light and the way forward. I remember a tape I had from a great sales motivator, Bill Stanley. I listened carefully and by each key, I wrote down how we can as a team become better and better. But why should only the team get better? Instead, why not every single player in the US? It’s time to share and see if you can obtain unlimited potential. Read carefully and take time to focus on what I am aiming for you to do.
1. Specialized Knowledge and Skill
Learn from a better player or a qualified coach. Find out who has achieved success in your squash district and talk to them about it. Everyone loves to tell how he or she made it! Listen carefully! Secondly, find a qualified coach who loves and understands the game. As soon as you feel educated enough, go to another coach. (Coaches: Always encourage pupils to get another line of thinking. Just one small stroke explained in another way could make the player 10 percent better.) Lastly, order videos or books to gain more knowledge on the game (this includes the rules!).
2. Energy and Action
To enable yourself to play, enjoy, and further in squash, you need to be in good physical condition. This means doing other aerobic or anaerobic activities to build a strong foundation of endurance, and a weight-training program to give you physical strength. Endurance + Strength = Energy. Once finding energy, it’s time to take some action. Action is putting your state of mind into achieving what you believe in. Going forward, thinking positive 100 percent will only reward you with results. This includes setting your personal goals.
3. Time
Finding time to put all of this into practice is a personal commitment from you, and only you! Here are three small tips about time management that have been keys for my own personal achievements, and I know they will help you:
• Recognize and act on the knowledge that you can only spend time, not save it.
• Recognize and act on the knowledge that if you don’t have time to plan, you cannot work effectively.
• Recognize that your greatest asset in achieving goals is time.
4. Imagination
Have you ever visualized in your own mind how you could hit a ball better or win a tournament? We control our own thoughts. As a coach, I visualize how my pupils can incorporate a better swing or a better tactic. It’s all about using your subconscious mind, listening to it, then putting it into practice. A prime example is how did Ross Norman end Jahangir Khan’s streak? He imagined it, then believed it. The beauty of this is we all have it within us.
5. Commitment and Attitude
Attitude again comes from your own desires. We can all approach areas in our squash game with a bit more commitment to practice what our coach tells us. Here we develop a stronger attitude. We must think positive in our thoughts. Our personal drive enables us to bring confidence to our game, which with perseverance brings us results.
Now that I have given you the five keys to a better squash career, it’s time to put them into practice. Simply read the equation and perform:
Specialized Knowledge + Skill = 20%
Energy + Action = 20%
Time = 20%
Imagination = 20%
Concentration =
+ Attitude = 20%
Results =100%
You will have the results, but it’s up to you and your mind to set your goal. Good luck, but remember: to develop is a journey… |
| |
|
