Thank you so much for the tip, Phil. I practiced this daily for a month, and have already gotten praises from other club players. Striking has improved markedly.
The timing of your comment is such a coincidence. I am a week into doing daily shadow swings for a month with my left hand to demonstrate their effectiveness. I plan to make a video at the end of the month. With your permission, I will show your comment in the video.
Great video. Answers a few questions I had in mind. My hearing is not as fantastic as it used to be, but I think I got the general idea . I hope I didn't miss any nuggets of wisdom. Off to the courts
Great video, as also the others are. I remember having a set my first squash lessons - i have expected my teacher to show something like that, but he didn't. These are really helpful exercises, i will definitely try them!
Obviously, I can't say exactly why your coach didn't show you these, but sometimes I didn't used to do this on the first lesson. Sometimes, I just want to see what a student can and can't do and have a general understanding of their timing, movement etc before deciding how best to approach teaching them. Anyway, I am glad you like them. Good Luck!
As you have mentioned in the videos, you expect that people come into the court already sweating after good workout. I guess that's the reason, why there are stationary bikes in front of the courts (saw in your videos). Well let me tell you a joke - in Austria where I am from and where squash sport is really unpopular there is no opportunity to do such a warm up. Just yesterday i called my fitness center to ask if i could do some 15 minutes warm up before playing squash - 13€ they said.. 15 minutes.. :)
Well, in my case, I am very lucky in THIS aspect of my courts. The bikes are NOT there for the squash players but are part of the gym, but once a person has entered the sports centre, they can be used. Today, for example, they were all used, so I had to warm up but running and jumping and at the very least, that's what I expect players to do. 13 Euros to warm up is crazy, but I suppose that for using some equipment. I'll be making a video soon about warming up without equipment, so that should help.
Hi Phil, loving the advice, feels like you are talking to 'real' club players. I've learnt more in half an hour viewing than a few years on court. Looking forward to checking out more vids. keep them coming. Dave
Great to see you back Phillip, I always enjoyed your relaxed, down to earth manner in your videos. Having been recording my practices and games over the last few months, my technique has improved considerably. However, it's interesting that once you fix one aspect you start noticing others. I'm currently working on rotating my shoulders more on the backhand and eliminating the very circular nature of my forehand, which this video in particular should prove invaluable in correcting! Thanks for your hard work!
Hi Jon, thank you for your kind words. One important aspect of coaching and skill acquisition in general is identifying the weakest link in the chain. Turning your shoulders can make a huge difference in power and making it harder for your opponent to guess where you plan to hit the ball.
Great video - serve is very complex and many instructors don't know how to break it down into manageable pieces. additionally- many videos online assume you know how the basics so people are building on a poor foundation. great video - exercises that I can do at home a few hundred times (even shadow swings) to isolate pieces of this movement and focus on key checks to build muscle memory before involving the tennis ball on a court are great and would be a wonderful focus for future videos.
I assume you mean "swing" not "serve". Or did you really mean "serve" and were thinking you were replying to a different video because later in your comment you mention "tennis ball". Anyway, I plan to make a complete breakdown of both forehand and backhand swings in the future.
My apology- I did mean swing. In many ways the squash swing is more nuanced and complex than a tennis swing and it would be great to see how to break this down (as you responded above) into isolated pieces which can be practiced alone and then stitched together. Many squash videos start off assuming that the player has a basic level of capability rather than building from raw bedrock and creating solid fundamentals - so there is possibly a niche here for you if this is an area that enjoy (building the basics right to avoid having to unlearn later) Sorry for the confusion in my garbled comment (mixing serves and swings, tennis and squash balls - it is the product of a tough week. Appreciate you being so graceful in your response)
Hi coach Phillip Your videos have definitely helped a lot in improving and understanding the mechanics of different shots. You mentioned the kill shots in the response to touch. It also can be added the the 5 swings mentioned here which can be done without a ball and observing the racket position (open) and take the ball early etc... Also the footwork video posted today is good and I am expecting that it improve the game as well, and looking foreword for part 2 Thanks again
Yes, you are absolutely right about the sound. I am sorry. I have fixed the sound now and all the videos are much easier to understand. At some point in the future, I may remake the ones with the bad sound. Thanks for subscribing.
Absolutely fantastic to hear from you Simon. Oh, how I miss my Lansdowne days. I went back a few years ago to record my interview with Tim and it almost brought a tear to my eye. I don't get to London very often and I don't know if you still do either but I'd love to meet for a coffee and a even a hit, if you still play!
Hi Ian, You are absolutely right, the sound of this video is atrocious. I have bought a lapel microphone but it's not actually that much better. I am now working on plan C.
Hi Chris, no, sorry I don't currently have a better version. I fully accept that the sound is terrible and this video was the catalyst for me to stop on-court recording in favour of over-dubbing. I plan to remake this, and quite a few other videos with bad sound, as soon as I recover from my hip replacement operation - I promise.
@@BetterSquash thank you Phil and get well soon. Fyi, I love squash and am just getting back into it having played u16s...I'm now 45! Ouch. Your videos answer so many of the questions that haunted me as a youth as someone without an experienced squash parent. Very grateful to have the videos now. Best wishes, Chris. Squash and sailing have been the 2 loves of my life.
I improved drastically my racket control and shots are much more powerfull. Therefore I have to deal with backpain do you have any recommendation to prevent that?
Sorry for the delay in replying. Giving medical advice via the Internet is not a good thing and it really depends on why you have backpain. Are you sure it is related to more control and power? I would suggest warming up properly before going on court and doing squash movements without the ball first. In addition, don't try to hit the ball too hard at the beginning. Besides that, I wouldn't want to say anything else in case I make the situation worse. I would say that if it persists, go see a professional physio or doctor. Remember, you are nooot a professional.
Thanks a lot Phillips for your advices it happens sometimes when I hit the ball too hard and I feel that there is something wrong with my coordination or when I need to rush and strech to catch a ball in the front court. i m pretty sure that with more warming up and better technic I would have less low back pain. I was asking that because i got lots of friends who have same recurrent back pain problems while playing squash. Last workout session video is amazing coach great job ! don't worry i don't forget : I m noooot a professional indeed. Ps : Sorry for my poor english I try to improve my english nearly as much as my squash !
Hi Phillip. Should I be worried about overdoing these practice swings? I can usually make it to the court 2-3 times a week, but have been doing these most other days. If it's a problem, do you have any other videos or recommendations for exercises I can do at home to improve my technique/fitness? Love your channel, thanks!
Hi Henry, honestly, unless you have any injuries, I would say that it would be fine to do them most days. The only one I would be wary of is the service returns, simply because raise our arms above our shoulders can cause stress, so limit that one. That said, there are still plenty of things you can do at home to improve your fitness. Mental Imagery, Swiss Ball balance exercises, core strengthening (planking) and stretching come to mind. I do plan to make an "off-court guide to exercises", but it's not at the top of the list.
L of a lot...Of course I am still playing! (Remember the chap at the Lansdowne who was training for over 80s World Championships.... there were only 2 entrants and he came second). Would be just wonderful to meet up. I do go to London a couple of times a month at least so we must arrange somethIng soon. How do I best get in touch with you? All very best Simon
You can email me at coachphillipnet@gmail.com In case you don't know, I now live in northern Spain and generally only get to London once a year, during the summer.
Hi Luuk, so sorry it's hard for you to understand. As the text says on the video, I have ordered a digital microphone, so that should help. I also hope to add the subtitles as soon as I get time.
Hi! Thanks so much for all your videos. But can you do as much audio off camera as possible? Between gym echo and its twist on your accent some lessons are almost impossible to to understand. Thanks again.
Hi Mark, I am glad you enjoy my videos. I apologise for the bad sound and have tried lots of various mic set ups to solve it, but basically without spending a lot of money I can't. Any new videos will almost exclusively have me narrating from in front of my PC, so the sound should be much better.
you always say "do something everyday to improve your squash" - i have a free room in my cellar and a flat wall. would you recommend practicing there even though they don't represent the real court conditions or better not? (since I am a total beginner i was practicing racket control, swings, some typical court exercises for backhand and forehand). Thanks for the reply!
I would not recommend using your cellar wall for practising, but I would recommend using the space to practice your swings (as long as you have enough space). Depending on the space available you could even do some ghosting, which is moving around an area like you would move on a squash court. I plan to release a video on that soon. Perhaps you can use the space to do some stretching (After warming up - of course!) or fitness work ?
You are absolutely right and I can't apologise enough. I have the subtitles almost ready, I just need to get the timing right, which takes ages and ages.
Thank you so much for the tip, Phil. I practiced this daily for a month, and have already gotten praises from other club players. Striking has improved markedly.
The timing of your comment is such a coincidence. I am a week into doing daily shadow swings for a month with my left hand to demonstrate their effectiveness. I plan to make a video at the end of the month. With your permission, I will show your comment in the video.
@@BetterSquash Absolutely. It's my daily repertoire.
These videos are incredibly helpful. Thanks
Glad I can help.
Great video. Answers a few questions I had in mind. My hearing is not as fantastic as it used to be, but I think I got the general idea . I hope I didn't miss any nuggets of wisdom. Off to the courts
Yeah, so sorry about the sound. I promise to get the subtitles working soon. Hope you felt you learnt something.
Best squash vid on planet thanks coach..even real coaches cant teach like this..Love from PAKISTAN
Thank you for your kind words and so sorry for the poor sound quality.
Awesome video Phill thanks so much for taking the time to record and post them up. you have helped my game come on with your hints and tips.
I'm so glad to hear that my videos have helped. Keep up the hard work.
That's it lots of hard work. Thanks phill looking forward to the next one
Wow this is great! Coach Philip is the best!
Thank you for your kind words. I hope my videos are helping you improve.
Good stuff man! Unlike anything thats out there right now and really helpful
Thanks. I have a bunch of stuff that I feel is unique and can't wait to make and release those videos.
Great video, as also the others are. I remember having a set my first squash lessons - i have expected my teacher to show something like that, but he didn't. These are really helpful exercises, i will definitely try them!
Obviously, I can't say exactly why your coach didn't show you these, but sometimes I didn't used to do this on the first lesson. Sometimes, I just want to see what a student can and can't do and have a general understanding of their timing, movement etc before deciding how best to approach teaching them.
Anyway, I am glad you like them. Good Luck!
As you have mentioned in the videos, you expect that people come into the court already sweating after good workout. I guess that's the reason, why there are stationary bikes in front of the courts (saw in your videos). Well let me tell you a joke - in Austria where I am from and where squash sport is really unpopular there is no opportunity to do such a warm up. Just yesterday i called my fitness center to ask if i could do some 15 minutes warm up before playing squash - 13€ they said.. 15 minutes.. :)
Well, in my case, I am very lucky in THIS aspect of my courts. The bikes are NOT there for the squash players but are part of the gym, but once a person has entered the sports centre, they can be used.
Today, for example, they were all used, so I had to warm up but running and jumping and at the very least, that's what I expect players to do. 13 Euros to warm up is crazy, but I suppose that for using some equipment. I'll be making a video soon about warming up without equipment, so that should help.
Very good tutorial, the best I've seen so far
Glad you like it, so sorry about the sound quality.
Amazing and helpful
Thank you, I am glad you like it. Please let me know how it helps.
Hi Phil, loving the advice, feels like you are talking to 'real' club players. I've learnt more in half an hour viewing than a few years on court. Looking forward to checking out more vids. keep them coming. Dave
Thanks for your kind words. I hope to make 2017 a year where I post around 50 videos, so fingers crossed they are helpful for you.
Great to see you back Phillip, I always enjoyed your relaxed, down to earth manner in your videos.
Having been recording my practices and games over the last few months, my technique has improved considerably. However, it's interesting that once you fix one aspect you start noticing others. I'm currently working on rotating my shoulders more on the backhand and eliminating the very circular nature of my forehand, which this video in particular should prove invaluable in correcting!
Thanks for your hard work!
Hi Jon, thank you for your kind words.
One important aspect of coaching and skill acquisition in general is identifying the weakest link in the chain.
Turning your shoulders can make a huge difference in power and making it harder for your opponent to guess where you plan to hit the ball.
Great video - serve is very complex and many instructors don't know how to break it down into manageable pieces. additionally- many videos online assume you know how the basics so people are building on a poor foundation.
great video - exercises that I can do at home a few hundred times (even shadow swings) to isolate pieces of this movement and focus on key checks to build muscle memory before involving the tennis ball on a court are great and would be a wonderful focus for future videos.
I assume you mean "swing" not "serve". Or did you really mean "serve" and were thinking you were replying to a different video because later in your comment you mention "tennis ball".
Anyway, I plan to make a complete breakdown of both forehand and backhand swings in the future.
My apology- I did mean swing. In many ways the squash swing is more nuanced and complex than a tennis swing and it would be great to see how to break this down (as you responded above) into isolated pieces which can be practiced alone and then stitched together.
Many squash videos start off assuming that the player has a basic level of capability rather than building from raw bedrock and creating solid fundamentals - so there is possibly a niche here for you if this is an area that enjoy (building the basics right to avoid having to unlearn later)
Sorry for the confusion in my garbled comment (mixing serves and swings, tennis and squash balls - it is the product of a tough week. Appreciate you being so graceful in your response)
really good
Hi coach Phillip
Your videos have definitely helped a lot in improving and understanding the mechanics of different shots.
You mentioned the kill shots in the response to touch. It also can be added the the 5 swings mentioned here which can be done without a ball and observing the racket position (open) and take the ball early etc...
Also the footwork video posted today is good and I am expecting that it improve the game as well, and looking foreword for part 2
Thanks again
Thank you for your kind words. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Very hard to understand you with the echoes, but thank you for your effort with your videos. Have subscribed :)
Yes, you are absolutely right about the sound. I am sorry. I have fixed the sound now and all the videos are much easier to understand. At some point in the future, I may remake the ones with the bad sound. Thanks for subscribing.
Hi Philip, really miss our sessions at the Lansdowne Club. Still the best coach ever. Simon
Absolutely fantastic to hear from you Simon. Oh, how I miss my Lansdowne days. I went back a few years ago to record my interview with Tim and it almost brought a tear to my eye.
I don't get to London very often and I don't know if you still do either but I'd love to meet for a coffee and a even a hit, if you still play!
Your information is so comprehensive and easy to access - but please get a lapel mic!
Hi Ian, You are absolutely right, the sound of this video is atrocious. I have bought a lapel microphone but it's not actually that much better. I am now working on plan C.
Sorry to ask Phil, but do you have a simular video with clearer sound. I cannot hear very well. Love your videos.
Hi Chris, no, sorry I don't currently have a better version. I fully accept that the sound is terrible and this video was the catalyst for me to stop on-court recording in favour of over-dubbing. I plan to remake this, and quite a few other videos with bad sound, as soon as I recover from my hip replacement operation - I promise.
@@BetterSquash thank you Phil and get well soon. Fyi, I love squash and am just getting back into it having played u16s...I'm now 45! Ouch. Your videos answer so many of the questions that haunted me as a youth as someone without an experienced squash parent. Very grateful to have the videos now. Best wishes, Chris. Squash and sailing have been the 2 loves of my life.
This video was a game changer for me! And remember : You are nooot a professional!
I am happy I have changed your game - hopefully for the better! Maybe one day you WILL be a professional!
Appreciate your effort , thank you
You are most welcome.
I improved drastically my racket control and shots are much more powerfull. Therefore I have to deal with backpain do you have any recommendation to prevent that?
Sorry for the delay in replying. Giving medical advice via the Internet is not a good thing and it really depends on why you have backpain. Are you sure it is related to more control and power? I would suggest warming up properly before going on court and doing squash movements without the ball first. In addition, don't try to hit the ball too hard at the beginning. Besides that, I wouldn't want to say anything else in case I make the situation worse. I would say that if it persists, go see a professional physio or doctor. Remember, you are nooot a professional.
Thanks a lot Phillips for your advices it happens sometimes when I hit the ball too hard and I feel that there is something wrong with my coordination or when I need to rush and strech to catch a ball in the front court. i m pretty sure that with more warming up and better technic I would have less low back pain. I was asking that because i got lots of friends who have same recurrent back pain problems while playing squash. Last workout session video is amazing coach great job ! don't worry i don't forget : I m noooot a professional indeed.
Ps : Sorry for my poor english I try to improve my english nearly as much as my squash !
Hi Phillip. Should I be worried about overdoing these practice swings? I can usually make it to the court 2-3 times a week, but have been doing these most other days. If it's a problem, do you have any other videos or recommendations for exercises I can do at home to improve my technique/fitness? Love your channel, thanks!
Hi Henry, honestly, unless you have any injuries, I would say that it would be fine to do them most days. The only one I would be wary of is the service returns, simply because raise our arms above our shoulders can cause stress, so limit that one. That said, there are still plenty of things you can do at home to improve your fitness. Mental Imagery, Swiss Ball balance exercises, core strengthening (planking) and stretching come to mind. I do plan to make an "off-court guide to exercises", but it's not at the top of the list.
I am really learning a lot of new things, these videos are very helpful.
but please provide an English subtitle
I am glad this video is helpful and yes subtitles would be a great thing to add and I am working on some for this video.
Thanks for this 👌
You are most welcome.
L of a lot...Of course I am still playing! (Remember the chap at the Lansdowne who was training for over 80s World Championships.... there were only 2 entrants and he came second). Would be just wonderful to meet up. I do go to London a couple of times a month at least so we must arrange somethIng soon. How do I best get in touch with you? All very best Simon
You can email me at coachphillipnet@gmail.com
In case you don't know, I now live in northern Spain and generally only get to London once a year, during the summer.
Phillip, please add subtitles or improve soundquality for dutch viewers? Seems like very useful imformation!
Hi Luuk, so sorry it's hard for you to understand. As the text says on the video, I have ordered a digital microphone, so that should help. I also hope to add the subtitles as soon as I get time.
Waar speel je squash Luuk?
Tom Dordrecht. jij?
Utrecht, jammer :(
Tom Ik rij wel n keer hoor. Heb je een facebook link? Kletsen we daar verder
that lapel mic might turn out great - did you get it?
I did, and it didn't actually help that much.
Really its so great
I am glad you like it.
excellent
Thank you.
Hi! Thanks so much for all your videos. But can you do as much audio off camera as possible? Between gym echo and its twist on your accent some lessons are almost impossible to to understand. Thanks again.
Hi Mark, I am glad you enjoy my videos. I apologise for the bad sound and have tried lots of various mic set ups to solve it, but basically without spending a lot of money I can't. Any new videos will almost exclusively have me narrating from in front of my PC, so the sound should be much better.
When do we get the video on ghosting , the rest of the TH-cam world does not explain it as well as you do
Soon, I promise. I am sure there are some good videos about ghosting available though.
you always say "do something everyday to improve your squash" - i have a free room in my cellar and a flat wall. would you recommend practicing there even though they don't represent the real court conditions or better not? (since I am a total beginner i was practicing racket control, swings, some typical court exercises for backhand and forehand). Thanks for the reply!
I would not recommend using your cellar wall for practising, but I would recommend using the space to practice your swings (as long as you have enough space). Depending on the space available you could even do some ghosting, which is moving around an area like you would move on a squash court. I plan to release a video on that soon. Perhaps you can use the space to do some stretching (After warming up - of course!) or fitness work ?
Thank you for your replies. I am looking forward for the video on ghosting. WIll turn my garage into a court :)
good information and informative but maybe next time are you able to dub over a recording of the dialogue.
I'll try to add subtitles for the videos that have bad sound. I am hoping to make much better quality videos next year.
Meant Phillip
No problem, what's a single L between old friends?
Sorry but I Can’t hear a word you said..
Yes, you are absolutely right and I apologise. My newer videos all have much better sound. Have you tried turning on the subtitles?
really bad sound
You are absolutely right and I can't apologise enough. I have the subtitles almost ready, I just need to get the timing right, which takes ages and ages.