Balls to the Wall: Ours, is to Reason Why by Alan Stapleton December 21, 2015
Back in my older youth, I
used to be an English Teacher. Teaching English was fun as we could
often veer way off the curriculum, and do weird and wonderful things.
But it was also quite frustrating, trying to instil a love, or at
least, an interest in poetry using ancient prescribed poems that had
little relevance to the pupils. Especially when they had been
taught, as an English Professor put it, “to tie the poem to a chair
with rope and torture a confession out of it.
One of those perennial monsters was Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light
Brigade” which, for those who have forgotten, tells of a group of
soldiers in the Crimean War, sent into battle on a mission impossible.
Three lines resonate, and are often quoted,
“Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.”
Squash players are similar to that sorry legion, riding mindlessly into
their squash battles, with no reasoning, or knowing why, in the battle
of squash, they so often “die”. Too often, squash players, caught up in
the cut and thrust, competitive joy de vivre of the game, become
totally re-active in the way they play. Little thought is put into why
they play a shot, and mindlessly they try to bash themselves out of
trouble, as they chase themselves into swearing puddles of sweat,
purely because of “stupid shot selection”
Traditionally, squash coaching has followed a routine of telling pupils
about the shot and showing them how it should be played. Little
emphasis was placed on “The Why” of a shot, and “When” it should be
played. But the times, they are a-changing and the World Squash
Federation is gearing coaches to re-focus their teaching methods
towards “What is the shot”, then “Why do you play it”, and “When do you
play it”. Once that is understood, the mechanics and technique are
demonstrated and discussed. To me, that makes so much sense. And
it is coaches, who need to lead the charge towards a more pro-active,
thinking style of play
Squash is often called Physical Chess. And Chess is the ultimate
Thinking Game where you plan ahead, and position yourself into a
situation where your opponent is forced to submit. If we as squash
players can change our thinking of the game where we out-manoeuvre our
opponent and force a mistake or a weak return, then we are heading in
the right direction. The pro-active squash player is thinking 2 shots
ahead of himself. If I hit this shot, my opponent is likely to hit that
shot, which then opens up opportunities for me to do X, Y or maybe,
even Z. The pro-active squash players seek to dictate to their
opponents, to be puppeteers, who dominate the tee and pull their
opponents’ strings.
And perhaps, like the educationalists, who see poetry teaching as a
path for opening up minds to deeper, more critical thinking, we
too, should be looking at squash, and asking, “Why?”
Why do we play this affordable, time-forgiving, all-weather, age-resistant addictive sport?
When we start, it is generally about fun and friends, and, in the
circle of life, as we head downhill, it is also about friends and
fun And those two aspects, should never be forgotten. But in
between, once the addictive bug bites, the competitive streak often
steps in and the need to improve becomes The Fun. With improvement,
comes the reward of climbing the rankings, selection for teams, playing
in leagues, and winning tournaments. Then, that drive for recognition
starts dominating. But the percentage of players who reach professional
status, or even provincial levels of squash is, miniscule. And that
road is tough, lonely, and expensive .
For many, Squash is a pill to fix the flab, and sustain a healthy
life-style. Forbes, the American Business magazine, recently rated
squash as the healthiest sport to play, based on tests done on
cardio-respiratory endurance, muscular endurance, flexibility,
strength, injury risk, and calorie burn . The psychological values of
the game can also not be ignored. Whether you are cycling, swimming,
running or gymming, the day-to-day worries and hassles probably never
leave you and while you puff and pant, they still hover on your
shoulder, scratching your brain. Climb into that sweaty little
schizophrenic squash box, and for 45 minutes, you are whisked away from
the world. For 45 minutes, you are focussed on a little black ball, as
you ( hopefully) scheme, bash, fetch and fiddle. You leave the court
drenched, tired, and win or lose, cleansed. Showered, and beered, you
are ready to start again, and possibly tackle that problem from another
angle.
Finally, an aspect, often ignored. That of networking and meeting
people. People, with similar interests who will become friends, and who
may open doors of opportunity for you. People from different worlds,
who will give you different perspectives. People, who like you, enjoy a
beer, a laugh, and value their family time. In our fast moving society,
moving towns almost becomes an imperative. And moving to a new town or
country is daunting. But squash, played in over 150 countries offers
that opportunity, to meet new friends, away from work in a healthy,
friendly relaxed environment.
So as we, like Tennyson’s men, charge mindlessly into 2016,
anticipating a battering and a beating as we fight for those
Boss-demanded targets, the self-inflicted goals and champagne-charged
resolutions, let us stop. And think. And ponder the why’s and
wherefor’s of our squash.
Having answered, maybe we will slow down, smell the roses, (and the
sweaty socks), and appreciate that we have been adopted into a
wonderful sport. And with our mind cleared, we can take to the courts
again, with a new goal of playing pro-active, thinking squash which
will bring us so much fun, reward, fitness and peace of mind in the
year ahead.
