If I Could Do It All Again, Here’s What I Would Do Differently
If you love the game of squash or are a youngster curious about some of the hurdles faced by a professional squash athlete, this article is for you.
I spent three years as a professional squash athlete before the PSA (Professional Squash Association) introduced the tiered tour structure, two years ago. Under the three-tier model, the top players play the PSA World Tour series of tournaments, mid-level players compete under the PSA Challenger Tour, and lower-level players compete on the WSF & PSA Satellite tour.
In the new scheme of things, I would have been relegated to the PSA Challenger Tour. That didn’t work for me.
The bright side is that I learned a few lessons along the way. If I could do it all again, here’s what I would do differently.
Start young and early
Truthfully, I joined the PSA to live out a dream. The fact that I was thirty did not deter me.
I was already competing at the Canadian national level and felt that if I didn’t give PSA a try, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. So, at thirty, I left my bank job to join the PSA. In parallel, I coached high-performance juniors. I’ll share more on that in another post.
I quickly found out that it takes a LOT of time, experience, and effort to simply get a spot in events. Overcoming nerves and getting used to the pressures of competition was harder than I expected. My three years on the tour and the dozen or so tournaments I played were a mere drop in the bucket. Much more experience was needed to truly begin to play up to my potential.
Researcher Anders Ericcson has shown us that experts are made, not born. Even the most gifted performers need a minimum of ten years (or 10,000 hours) of intense training before they win international competitions. Assume a rigorous training schedule of approximately 4-5 hours each day!
The math is simple. If we don’t begin logging the training and competition from a young age, it’s very difficult to reach that elite level.
Find a small-business sponsor to cover some expenses
All the costs that add up may not be clear upfront. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of money in professional squash. Be ready to pay to play till you get to top-50 or higher.
In addition to the small entry fees charged by lower-level tournaments, there is an annual PSA membership fee, equipment costs, travel, and boarding costs that the prize money from the smaller tournaments will not cover. It is a fact that even at the highest level, professional squash athletes make far less money than their peers in other individual sports such as tennis and golf.
An open-minded sponsor who is willing to invest in your future will go a long way in alleviating some of your money pains. You will find those typical businesses that sponsor squash tournaments have a stake in the local community.
In the first year, go for quantity vs quality
There is a new school of thought: Quantity breeds quality. If squash is a career choice for you, I would suggest that you suck it up and get as much financial assistance as possible from family, sponsors, etc., and travel far and wide to compete. Play in as many tournaments as possible to establish a rank. Doing so will give you the much-needed ranking points essential to gain entry into events closer to home. In time, you can begin to get selective with your tournament entries, factoring in convenience and cost
As I mentioned above, I joined the PSA at the age of 30. I was already married. Since I had ‘real’ expenses, I needed to coach to earn some money. I couldn’t afford to travel halfway across the world to play a tournament for some ranking points. A pinch of fear and doubt also played into this. We can discuss mindset another time though.
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If possible, arrive a few days in advance and practice on the tournament courts
If you aren’t used to travelling, or are uncomfortable in new environments, I would absolutely recommend travelling to your destination 2-3 days in advance to familiarize yourself with the city, the club, and the courts. Practicing a few times on a court gives a sense of confidence, and can be a psychological advantage.
On the flip side, arriving too early involves higher costs. Tournament organizers offer accommodations only just before the start of the event. It may also mean that there’s no one to train with. It will bode you well to figure out such things in advance.
Follow your own schedule and routine
We all tend to look at others and copy them if we think they’re more successful. I would caution against this, especially during tournament times. There is no need to do what everyone else is doing.
Just because Mohamed El Shorbagy is on the court the morning before his match doing X, Y and Z doesn’t mean that you should be as well. Definitely, watch and learn. Better yet, if he’s available, take two minutes and even talk to him or his coach to understand the purpose behind the session. If it makes sense, incorporate it into your routine after the event. Professional squash athletes differ in age, experience, and expertise and often train differently. Athletes are aware (or, should be aware) of how their bodies respond to their unique training routine. Leave the experimentation to the off-season or gaps between events.
I hope that you found value in these five tips.
If you have questions, please reach out to me at ahad@arproformance.com, or leave a comment below. Also, feel free to message me if you are interested in hearing about my training system or other squash and mental fitness-related topics.
