New Mexico Squash Racquets Association 
[Prev|Home] Webified 01/27/00 by Dick Silbar (silbar@whistlesoft.com)
New Mexico Squash Racquets Association THE NMSRA
There are 37 members
in the NMSRA as of March '01. Although
this may seem like a low number, it is in fact the highest that it has been
in several years. At one point we had
hit a low of 25, and yet it is a far cry from the 80 to 100 members that peaked
in the late 80's and early 90's. There
are in fact many more players in the state than members, probably in the order
of 100 regular players and another 150 casual and part time players. The NMSRA's goal is to promote Squash in the
State. If you have any suggestions or
would like to help out in any way contact one of the officers listed at the
end of the newsletter.
Squash in New Mexico
is very active, read on to find out what's been going on…….
JUNIORS AND BEGINNERS
There are a few Juniors
playing in the State at this point. El
Gancho has had a regular program for 2 years, but there are just 3 active players,
and another part time player. The Los
Alamos YMCA has a program that Richard Hammer organizes in conjunction with
beginner and intermediate adults. Richard's group is going to El Gancho for round robin play.
Take a child out and
show them what the game is about. Dunlop
has developed training balls that are designed to make it easier for Juniors
and beginners to take up the game. Take
a look at Dunlop's ad in "Squash Magazine" to see what the balls are
about.
JUNIORS GO TO COLORADO
Parents Bill Miller
and Walter Burke took Conrad Miller, Jeremy Burke and Chris Smith to Colorado
Springs to play at Guillermo's. These
13 and 14 year olds were treated to a full day of squash playing with other
juniors on Guillermo's international and doubles court. Pochi Holderfer and Norm Hayes sponsor programs
at private Fountain Valley School and Guillermo's, respectively. Several players also came over from the Air
Force Academy. It was great to get the
New Mexico boys in the courts with other contemporaries. The doubles court was of particular interest
to all of the players. After 8 hours
of Squash the coaches vowed to get the kids together again.
NEW COURTS IN NEW MEXICO
Santa Fe
As you probably already
know The Kiva Club in Santa Fe opened the first International court in New Mexico
in the Spring of 2000. The court saw
its first tournament action in December as part of the Kiva Classics Tournament.
The Club hired Anderson Court Systems to build a classic all wood court. The wood floor is suspended and "sprung" with cushions
to so that it moves a bit with the player's movement. This lessens leg fatigue and protects our precious joints. The "on edge" wood walls play as
squash courts should, with true corners. The
court has great lighting with peach colored walls above the out lines.
Couches in the spectator area make watching the action through the all
glass back walls very comfortable.
Santa Fe
You probably did not
know that St. John's College in Santa Fe built two squash courts when they built
their Student Activity Center, completed Fall '00. They are dual duty "convertible"
courts similar to the courts at El Gancho and Midtown. The moveable wall system works great with geared
tracks that move the wall. Englishman
Allan Day is helping the College get their program off of the ground.
Las Vegas
The Armand Hammer United
World College is in the process of building two (that’s right, 2) international
courts. Colin Lanham, a professor there,
says that students from 80 countries that attend the college, as well as faculty
and staff, will make good use of the facilities when they are complete Fall
'01.
CLUB PLAY IN TEAM TOURNAMENTS
Randy Kahn put together
a team tournament in November that drew a lot of attention. The format of a one day tournament seems well
suited to people's schedule. Its often
hard for people to put aside a whole weekend for a tournament that may have
you playing at any time on 3 days.
Here is Randy Kahn's
report:
"Apparently, New
Mexico players like the idea of team competition and using only one day of a
weekend for a squash get-together. On
Saturday 4 November, 29 players from across the state gathered at Albuquerque's
Midtown Athletic Club for a round robin team tournament between El Gancho (EG),
New Mexico Tech (NMT), Los Alamos (LA), and two Midtown teams (MAC1 and MAC2).
It was an action packed day with matches beginning at 9:00 am and going through
4:00 pm, with an hour and a half pizza lunch break. Each team played each other, in ladder match style (i.e., #1 vs
#1, #2 vs #2, ect...). All matches were 2 out of 3. In the end, MAC1 had the best win-loss record at 4-0, while EG and
MAC2 were both 2-2 (EG actually earned second place by
winning more games than
MAC2), LA was 1-3, and NMT was 0-4. In
general, all players had a great time and very much look forward to the next
team event. By the way, it was great to see all of the 'ole Las Alamos players
together once again, even though Richard Hammer is held together by duct tape.
It was also a real treat to have the New Mexico Tech students involved,
particularly when they
weren't even expected. Hopefully, Kiva
will field a team next time! Lastly,
this success could not have been possible without the generous support from
Midtown Athletic Club (thanks you Jim Cameron and Scott Reardon!).
Team members: MAC1: Louis
Vogel, Randy Kahn, Gary Sanchez, Rick Rennie, Tony Nakhla, Mike Guest.
MAC2: Scott Reardon, Rick Jackson, Jim Cameron, Joe Ramirez, Ed Kyper,
Doug Campbell. LA: Bill Krauser, Ginsparg,
Richard Hammer, Bruce Takala, Cliff Unkefer,Dick Silbar, Mike Jackson. EG: Tom
Abrams, Chuck Paynter, Sean Gallagher, John MacCuish, Conrad Miller.
NMT: Umar Khan, Dexter, Parijaat Dixit, Frederick, Mohammad Islam."
OTHER CLUB PLAY
After the holidays The
Kiva Club hosted El Gancho and Midtown to pizza and play on their unique international
and doubles courts. In early March several
players from New Mexico Tech in Soccoro made the drive to Santa Fe to play at
El Gancho with players from Los Alamos. Hopefully there will be more play between clubs.
ANOTHER TEAM TOURNEY???
Its been suggested that
another team tournament be scheduled, perhaps this April or May. Several people suggested that the 5 man teams
be assembled "free form". In
other words, you put together any five players that you feel comfortable with.
NMSRA VIDEO LIBRARY
The NMSRA owns a copy
of "Power Squash." This 3
tape collection of instructional videos featuring PSA top players Jonathan Power
and Graham Ryding and their Coach Mike Way is available to NMSRA members.
Since the original cost was close to $150 it seemed like something that
the NMSRA could buy as a benefit to their members.
Everyone who has seen it thinks the information is presented well through
Coach Way's personal discussions and demonstrations, demonstration of the drills
by the players and out takes of the 1999 World Championships that display each
of the techniques. The tapes have been making the rounds in Santa
Fe, Albuquerque and Los Alamos. Contact
Walter to get on the list.
DDO????????
When I got the email
from a USSRA official asking who our DDO was I had to send a reply back asking
for a definition of "DDO."
It turns out that the DDO is the District Director of Officials. The what? Well, in a nutshell,
this is the person in charge of organizing and developing referees. The USSRA has made it a priority to have more
certified referees through out the country. Without belaboring the point, the game of Squash benefits from the
players knowing the rules. Playing in
a confined space with the potential for physical injury and the emotional distress
of vague calls screams for a clear understanding of the rules, for safe and
fair play. A committee of volunteers
has developed a complete program to accomplish these goals. I have it on my desk, and I'm looking for a
volunteer here in the state to take it over.
Interested in developing your skills for refereeing? Want to do something for the game? Give Walter a call. 505-450-5675, hrssqsh@aol.com.
TECHNICAL TIP ON SHOT SELECTION
Sakhi Kahn sends out
an email newsletter that some of you may get, since I gave him many of your
addresses. Each letter covers a different
aspect of play from a professional's viewpoint, with advice to improve your
game. I liked this one in particular.
(You can contact him though the following web site and email: www.khansquash.com sakhi@khansquash.com to get on the mailing
list.)
"Shot selection
is critical to good squash. Shot selection is not hitting winners; it's making
your opponent cover the farthest distances around the court. If we divide the
squash court into zones, we can better understand shot selection.
Let's divide the court
into front court and back court. Keep in mind that the player who stays in front
during most of a match is likely to win; and the T is the best place to be between
shots. This is a cardinal rule. The next cardinal rule is to keep your opponent
in the corners.
The four corners are
where a rally will most likely come to its end. The front court comprises two
corners, as does the back court. You should always aim for the corners when
going for a winner. Keeping your opponent in the corners while you're hovering
on the T is the best squash scenario. Once you get your opponent into a corner
and gain control of the rally, the next best shot is the corner farthest from
your opponent. For example, if your opponent were near the front left corner,
the best place to send the ball would be the back right corner.
Once you develop the
art of maneuvering your opponent, you'll discover that your opponent may retrieve
a certain shot in game one but will not be able to get to the same shot in game
three. Keeping your opponent on the run will weaken his or her ability to maintain
the fight. Your perimeter of possible winners will widen due to this constant
attack and weakening of your opponent. Patience is the key.
If you find that you're
controlling a rally, realize that there are three ways of keeping your opponent
on the run. You can send him or her horizontally across the court from one service
box to the next using crosscourt drives; you can send him or her vertically
forward and back with straight drops and hard rails or lobs; and you can send
him or her diagonally using boasts, drops and crosscourts. In each case your
opponent is doing all the running and you have a clear advantage. This doesn't
comprise all shot selections, but it does suggest what to keep in mind as a
starting reference point for maneuvering an opponent. Look for all possibilities,
but try to master these.
In the third instance
I describe trapping your opponent in the diagonal corner maneuver, you'll notice
that in this situation your opponent will have covered the most distance possible
and you will have relative ease hitting to each diagonal corner. Relative ease
suggests confidence in executing the correct shot with the highest probability
of hitting the kill zone. Therefore set your goal to make your opponent run
diagonally as much as possible. Furthermore, diagonal pressure keeps your opponent
stretched and off balance while opening the court for you.
Some pros can trap a
competitor in this sequence and instead of putting the ball away will hit slightly
higher so that the retrieving player will further exhaust more reserves. Younger
players with less experience and high energy get trapped in this diagonal sequence
becoming frustrated that a less fit player has overcome them. Whenever you find
that you're running from shot to shot without gaining control, break off the
pursuit immediately.
Between corners and
the T is the inevitable rail that needs to be mastered to perfection. The great
Geoff Hunt states in his book that when he started playing squash, his father
wouldn't allow any shot making other than hitting rails for a period of a year.
Geoff Hunt later became eight-time British Open Champion. Take his advice!
Let's examine the role
of the tight rail. Good length is the best neutral shot in the game. Players
exchange rails until one gets an opportunity to gain control. Good length can
help you gain the upper hand, but keeping the ball as close to the wall as possible
is by far much more effective. Get your ball tight to the wall rather than deep
into the court. Of course, the best rail sticks to the wall as it dies in the
back corner. But, this can take too much effort when off balance. A shot hit
short but glued to the wall is just as good without the physical exertion of
the deep rail. Thus, hitting shorter rails closer to the wall with consistency
will develop the openings you need without depleting your stamina in the process.
One final note regarding
shot selection is exploiting a poorly executed shot by your opponent. For example,
if your opponent hits a bad shot in the middle of the court, is it wise to select
a shot that will give your opponent a clear path for retrieval? The answer is
no! You should hit the shot that put you directly in your opponent's way. The
reasoning is that if your opponent sets you up for a winner, you are entitled
to go for the best possible winner and your opponent must be penalized by retrieving
the next shot even if it means running around you. If you find yourself in this
situation and your opponent runs directly at you and asks for a let, state that
he or she set you up for a winner. Add that it's their responsibility to make
every effort to get the next shot even if this means running around you. In
short, whenever you have the advantage, hit shots that make your opponent run
around you as a penalty.
Use shot selection to
weaken your opponent. Weaken your opponent by making him or her do all the running
while you control the T. Make your opponent run diagonally as much as possible.
Use the hidden rule of squash to penalize your opponent by making him or her
run around you when you have the advantage. Remember to try to hit shorter rails
that stick to the wall rather than deep length to help save your stamina. Both
shot-makers and retrievers can gain a valuable insight if they focus on proper
shot selection as part of their game.
Since putting this article
in our newsletter I received the following email from Shaki Kahn:
Hi Walter,
Please inform your membership
that the KhanSquash racquet is having a promotional sales campaign.
I can offer our racquet to any of your players in New Mexico for $80.
Please have anyone interested
email me at sakhi@khansquash.com
Thanks,
Sakhi Khan
ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SQUASH IN EUROPE
I recently had the good
fortune of taking a vacation in Italy. While
I was there I keep an eye out for squash activity in the papers and on television
since I did not bring my racquet. I was hoping to catch a match on Eurosport TV. No luck with the TV. They did show lots of sports that are not often
seen in the US. Cricket is talked about
as if it were Major League Baseball. The
Nordic Biathalon (cross country skiing and target shooting) got a lot of air
play, as well as ski jumping. Motocross
and Grand Prix Auto Racing seem popular. Rugby is catching on in European countries
outside of England. Soccer (as expected)
is very very popular. While looking
thru the London Times Sports section I did come across a column devoted to squash.
This is where I first read about World #1 Peter Nicol's defection to
England. He and played for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games before, he
hopes to play for England. Seems that
money is the issue, although Peter did not come right out and say that. England has a national sports program supported
by lottery money and is more willing to dole that money out to Peter.
Scotland may try to block his playing for England, since they have the
option of denying his request to switch allegiance.
As of this date I am unsure of the resolution.
There were also results of an International series match between England
and France. France won 4-1. Yes, the column was small, but it was there. Very seldom do you see any mention of Squash
in newspapers here in the US.
NMSRA CONTACTS
Walter Burke, 505-450-5675, hrssqsh@aol.com.
Sean Gallagher, 505-466-3743.
Rick Rennie 505-344-2605,
Doug Campbell 505-878-9456.
NMSRA, PO Box 914 Santa Fe, NM 87504.