The Hard Truth About Hardball Courts

Several months ago someone sent me a link to a story in a newspaper serving a Seattle-area university, in which the writer bemoaned the large number of squash courts that were always vacant. The school’s gym was not so big that the amount of space taken up by these big, dark rooms, which were allegedly never used, didn’t go without notice. Tear them down, the writer said, and put something worthwhile in there.


Well, I thought, that’s a little harsh!


Knowing Seattle to be a good squash town, my curiosity was piqued enough to email the writer, in which I gave a little summary of squash in the US, how the numbers of players are actually on the rise, and surmising that what the school needed was a decent program and perhaps a good coach. The writer wrote back tauntingly, saying that there was no way a good coach could resuscitate a dead sport, and it was time to tear the courts down!


At first I wanted to wring the little bastard’s neck, but thought it would be unduly expensive to fly cross-country to do so. Then I realized, wait a minute, it just can’t be that no one is playing squash. I emailed the Seattle naysayer and, after a few more responses, gradually ascertained that the school had a bunch of hardball courts, upon which no one ever ventured.


Those hardball courts are a bad advertisement for squash -- they are a negative to the popular conception of the sport. They are uniformly underused throughout the country; most hardball courts exist nowadays only to provide a field upon which dust balls might play. And yet almost half the existing courts in the US are hardball courts, remnants of days gone by.


Look, I started playing squash with a hard ball. I liked it a lot, but the game has evolved and the softer ball and the larger court now represent the game. There are a few clubs that still have some active hardballers, and there is still a tournament or two, so I’m not suggesting that we throw these older players out in the cold. If the courts are still used, then keep your constituents happy and leave them alone. But most courts are visited by no one. Tear ‘em down.


I am hopeful that one day ball manufacturers will come up with a ball that has the feel of hardball singles but can be played on a softball court. The quick-reaction junkies enamored with hardball could then have a great time on the wider court without shorter rallies. Hardball exists today in a thriving and thoroughly entertaining form -- doubles. Long may it prosper.

Pro Jelly

Just to reinforce my last blog, take a look at the mug of Canada's great former world #1, Jonathan Power.

Squash Canada created this effective poster starring their most famous export with the very nice line: There's a rumor going around that good players don't need eye protection: This should squash that.

Out Out Vile Jelly!

Not all that long ago I rearranged my good friend Ted Clarke's face. 

Ted is a solid A- player, straight A on a good day. I can't remember who was beating who during this match, but Ted beats me more than I beat him, and I believe in this particular match I was ahead and so trying desperately to seal the deal when disaster struck. Under some duress, Ted hit a shot that ended up in the front right quadrant, but it wasn't a well-struck shot, it was too far out in the middle of the court, and I was right on it with time to spare. I decided I'd do a little razzmatazz on Teddy and faked a drop to the right front corner, but at the last microsecond I took a vicious swat at the ball with the intention of hitting it hard to the back left corner.

Only problem was that Ted, hovering close to me, had bought my deception and was heading in to cover the nonexistent drop to the right corner. Two things make Ted a great player: his close coverage, wherein he is fearlessly close to his opponent while watching his every muscular twitch, and his great footwork, where it seems he has an extra second or two to answer the challenge presented by his opponents.

But in this case he got caught by my deception. As he was running in to intercept my fake drop shot he instead intercepted a very hard-struck racket which landed right in his face. Right in fact into the eye, if it weren't for the fact that Ted had impact-resistant goggles on. Ted went immediately down and immediately there was blood on the court. The picture is a lousy one -- sorry Ted, you are a handsome man, bub, but my cheap phone camera makes you look a little too scary -- but look carefully and you can see both a bruised eye and the tape around which he would receive stitches by a plastic surgeon. All that damage occurred even with safety glasses on; imagine the carnage that would have happened if he were not wearing glasses.

The surgeon was a good one, and he has no obvious scars. Needless to say, I felt terrible. An observer of the game -- luckily a doctor! and more about him later -- was watching closely and reported that it wasn't my fault, thank the heavens. I haven't hit anyone with a racket in probably 20 years and rarely hit anyone with a ball. Not a nice feeling!

The point of the story is this: Even among good players, stuff happens, and you can never be sure your sight is safeguarded unless you wear goggles. That the PSA hasn't mandated eye protection for pros is a shameful thing; one day we will read of some horrible accident in which some top pro is permanently disfigured or blinded by a mishap on the court. The PSA should get off their butts and make this happen, or grandfather it in and decree that any pro currently playing can do as he or she wishes but future pros must comply with goggle rules. Think hockey: they did this successfully and no one thinks twice about it now.

The excellent Will Carlin, a top US player who nearly lost his sight under similar circumstances, has written about this in several effective articles. Take a look at this one, from Squash Magazine: http://www.squashmagazine.com/vcm/squashmagazine/COLUMNS/close_your_eyes.html

The International Brotherhood of Squash

And sisterhood....

Above, a Wiki map of countries around the world currently experiencing significant deaths from wars or internal strife. The numbers are unfathomably huge, and with each number comes the sadness of families and friends and, often, a grim resolve to get even.... And so this testosterone-fueled cycle of violence goes on.

I've found that countries all over the world are packed with a lot of great people who are often shackled by mediocre governments. Or worse, criminal governments. 

Personally, I hate it when others think I am somehow representative of what my government might be doing or saying about some crisis point in the world, and I try not to make the same mistake with others. I like the fact that, in one sweaty room, an American can play a great game with a resident of a nation that might not like the US government a whole lot, but there they are, having a game, and a respectful one at that. (They can discuss politics while having a beer together later on.) How about a Pakistani playing a great match against an Indian rival, an Egyptian beating the tar out of an Israeli, but shaking hands after the carnage, a Serb congratulating a Croat after a tough 5 games.... It's sport, a common language that levels everyone to the same plane. It's a beautiful thing. 

Here's a quote to ponder -- Philo of Alexandria, an important philosopher of the first century AD who melded theological ideas from the Jewish tradition with Greek philosophy, came up with what many consider a precursor to the Golden Rule:

Be Kind, for Everyone You Meet

Is Fighting a Great Battle!

Live that rule, on court and off, and watch that map of strife whither away.

Respect Attained

I mentioned it briefly before but it is worth highlighting again that the US Team did very well at the Men's World Team Championships at Odense, Denmark. They were seeded 12th and ended up at 12, but they lost a close match to South Africa and a tough match to Malaysia, both of which might easily have gone the other way. If it only were easy! 

US squash has struggled to gain respect on the international circuit and I think, this time around, it finally has won it. Chris Walker, the US Men's National Coach and a great pro player in his day, is to be congratulated, as are the members of the team: Illingworth, Lane, Gordon and Quick.

An Old, Bad, Tortured Story

Today's the day when golf and rugby 7s have formally achieved member status into the Olympic club. An old, bad, tortured story for us in squash, now, of course, so sorry for bringing it up yet again.

I have to just mention that I was impressed with a CNN blog, written by Digital Sport Producer Paul Gittings, that called out the IOC for the money-grubbing fat-cat schmucks that they are. The blog, found here, http://worldsport.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/13/money-money-money-should-be-new-olympic-motto/, includes a nice shot of golfer John Daly smoking a cigarette. Now there's an athlete! 

Gittings reviews the other sports that had been up for inclusion and saves the best review for squash: "Most people believe that squash is already in the Olympics because it’s the sort of sport that should be, requiring immense skill, stamina and courage, played by some of the fittest sportsman in the world and in most countries in the world."

Thank you Mr. Gittings, and if by chance you are a squash player and based in New York, I would be happy to play a game--beer afterwards is on me!

Je Crois Que C’est Stupide, Alors….

I believe Squashsite.co.uk is the principal source of squash news and commentary on the internet at the moment, and I’ve had it bookmarked for years. One reason I think the site is successful is its commentator, Framboise. (Like Madonna, she uses only her first name.) She displays a cheerful disregard for relating the news using an unbiased, classically journalistic approach, instead offering a much more personal look at the game and its players. She is unabashedly both pro-squash and pro the players who try to make a living playing the game, who she describes with obvious enthusiasm. As a result of her efforts, the players seem awfully human, as does Framboise.

Her wit emerges through her writing, and her reporting gives her an earth-mother quality, as when she notes that so-and-so is very very cute or that so-and-so looked a bit sad today. The result of all this is that Framboise is herself a ‘player’ in the world of squash – she has become one of the interesting personalities that one associates with the game.

She’s biased towards France, but cheerfully so, and ready to admit it should anyone ask. (Squashsite is an English-language site but has a subsection in French.). But she’s more likely to say she’s rooting for France because Thierry is soooo cute or Gregory is soooo adorable than for any other reason.

But, all that aside, she also knows her squash, offering very nice summaries of the action, often zeroing in on the psychological battle that is transpiring on the court in front of her.

However, her knowledge of squash doubles is a bit soft. In her recent blog during the Men’s World Team Championships, she spent some time interviewing Chris Walker, the US Men’s Team coach, whose guys played a very good tournament that just missed propelling the team into the top-10. Framboise talks to Chris here:
http://www.squashsite.co.uk/worldteams/en_bref.htm

In this discussion she reveals that she is either unfamiliar with or uninterested in hardball doubles. She notes that Chris Walker still plays squash in the US, “but on the Doubles circuit, for a Hardball Doubles Team, I understand. I’m sure it means something for our North American friends, beats me though….” And with that throwaway line, hardball doubles is dispensed with.

Framboise, dear, I love you, but hardball is a MUCH better game than softball doubles. Mon dieu!

The Heraldic Crest of the Squashist

When you get to be a famous squash bloggeur, good things start to happen. One such thing is the creation of my very own heraldic crest, with the words of the old family motto emblazoned thereon. 

I'd like to thank Shawn Patton for getting this done, and Eric Zaremba, his graphics guru, for actually doing the artwork. Shawn is now rolling out from beta-testing an impressive new website, www.squashZAG.com, about which more later. Erik the guru is available at Erik_Zaremba@hotmail.com should you need a talented graphics guy.

Here's the logo:

Go Ask Urtak

Here's an amusing diversion for you. Go check this site out:

http://urtak.com/u/squashaddicts

Urtak is a new site that presents what they term 'collaborative surveys,' where anyone who participates is allowed to ask a question. The site covers whatever in the world anyone wants to ask, but it is clear that the owners have a fondness for squash, since there are many squash-related questions.

There is an engaging mix of serious questions and some silly, often funny questions ("Do you ever dream of playing squash outdoors on a beautiful day?"). They are all of the yes-no variety, so you can bang through them quickly, yet the overall findings from these surveys are undeniably important. If you want to know how many players wear safety goggles on the court, Urtak can give you a decent approximation. If you want to know how many people think of themselves as sore losers, go ask Urtak. Obviously, the more responses the more accurate the findings.

Squash, the Original Extreme Sport

‘Extreme’ sports are all the rage, so much so that there’s even a regular circuit for these X games. I’ve often mused that squash might fit into this category well. Compare the caloric demands of all the sports, below. Squash is one of only a few sports that is classified as anaerobic, in which the demand for oxygen cannot be maintained during a strenuous rally and the player must slip into oxygen debt.

Another example of the extremes in squash is the amount of time a ball is actually in play, when compared to something like tennis. The average tennis game may have 3-4 shots per rally, whereas that number is often considerably higher in squash. The time between serves, which can seem interminable for viewers of tennis, must be short in squash because of the game’s rule of continuous play. Thus the ‘match intensity,’ which is the actual time the ball is in play divided by the overall length of the match, is considerably greater in squash (and, for that matter, badminton, which tends to get short shrift from those who have never experienced it but whose intensity levels rival those of squash).

Although I’ve read a tennis player covers about 2 miles or so in actual match play, I maintain that the distance covered is often greater in squash, although I admit I can’t prove it. I can come close: On two occasions I strapped a pedometer to my waist when playing an A match, with long rallies, to see what the result would be, and in the first instance it was about 2.8 miles and in the second it was over 3. However, a pedometer is not going to give you an accurate reading in squash because of the lunging, sliding nature of squash motion, so you will have to slap a big asterisk next to those numbers.

Caloric demands of squash

About.com has a service called Calorie Count, available here:
"http://caloriecount.about.com/activities-sports-ac15"
It has figured out the caloric demands for a 150-lb person playing one hour of the following sports. Here are their findings:

Badminton, competitive:  476

Basketball: 544

Bowling: 204

Boxing, match in the ring: 816

Cricket: 340

Curling: 272

Fencing: 408

Football, competitive: 612

Frisbee, ultimate: 544

Golf: 306 (don't hurt yourself, Tiger…)

Gymnastics: 272

Handball: 816

Ice Hockey: 544

Jai Alai: 816

Judo: 680

Lacrosse: 544

Orienteering: 612

Paddleball, competitive: 680

Racquetball, competitive: 680

Rollerblading, inline: 816

Rugby: 680

Skateboarding: 340

Soccer, competitive: 680

Softball or baseball: 340

Squash: 816

Table Tennis: 272

Tennis, singles: 544

Trampoline: 238

Volleyball, competitive: 544

Volleyball, beach: 544

Wrestling, per match: 408


I was surprised by a few of the higher amounts, particularly inline rollerblading, for which one’s momentum is usually directed in one direction and thus removes the stress of shifting one’s movement, and handball, which I have played, and which the slower nature of the game (compared to squash) argues, as far as I’m concerned, for a lower caloric intensity. Golf, once again, has revealed itself to be a sport for the indolent.

More on US Squash ...

A lot more!

I received two interesting comments from my most recent blog bemoaning the fact that more enthusiastic squash players don't join the national squash association. (If you are reading this from outside the US, I'd be interested to know if similar problems, or attitudes, exist elsewhere. One reader, from Canada, listed with apparent satisfaction the benefits he or she receives from his or her regional squash association, all for $35 in Canadian bills, which last time I looked was worth more than the anemic US dollar...)

Another reader raised an interesting point, saying that not being on the East coast meant that he or she just didn't get enough value for his membership. It's definitely true that historically the East coast, from where I write, has been more involved with the game, so I wondered whether perhaps there is an ingrained regional specificity that has biased the national organization and its dispensation of energy and funds.

What exactly does the USS organization do, anyway? I decided to call and ask Kevin Klipstein, the capo di tutti capo of the organization itself, and ask. He told me that the list was long, and that USS did indeed provide abundant value for those outside of the East coast, but that this was a lingering perception. I asked for some facts, which he supplied later that day in an emailed list, as below. I pass it on, while reminding everyone that I am not a paid writer for USS and believe I am an unbiased observer of the game and its politics. However, I reiterate as strongly as I can that I believe supporting your national organization is a must for all lovers of the game, including those in Canada, Sweden, Egypt, England, etc.... Below, Klipstein's list:


What Does U.S. SQUASH Do for Me? Well, That Depends, Who Are You?

Squash Player/Fan/Enthusiast
Host website with information on every aspect of squash in the US
Provide online listing of tournaments and leagues run in the US
Provide comprehensive list of clubs in the US
Provide technology infrastructure which allows players to enter scores from everything from a challenge ladder match, box league, team league or tournament which count towards ratings calculations
Provide the online tools to teaching pros, coaches, tournament directors and districts to manage every type of competition with results counting towards players’ rankings
Generate regularly updated rankings at the club, district and national level
Annually offer tens of thousands of dollars in seed money for new middle, high school and college programs nationally
Provide all administrative support and technology infrastructure to schedule, report results and generate ratings and rankings for College Squash
Provide all administrative support and technology infrastructure to schedule, report results and generate ratings and rankings for Middle and High School Squash nationally
Field our National Teams: Junior Women, Junior Men, Women’s Men’s Teams across a host of competitions including the World Championships, Pan American Federation Cup, Pan American Games and the World University Games
Run the U.S. Open Squash Championships
Host over 20 National Championships across juniors, adults, singles and doubles
Host 8 Regional Championships and 5 Junior Championship Tour events
License, host, co-host or facilitate financially

• 2 men’s professional tournaments (NAO, US Open)
• 3 women’s professional tournaments (Texas Open, Weymuller, Greenwich)
• 3 doubles professional tournaments (Johnson, Kellner, NAO Doubles)
• Two annual international competitions (Lapham-Grant, Copa Wadsworth)
  

U.S. SQUASH Member
Provide regularly updated national, district and club-level ratings and rankings
Offer a full-year subscription to Squash Magazine
Send monthly e-newsletter with national squash updates and links
Offer discounted fees for participation in U.S. SQUASH sanctioned leagues and ladders
Provide 35% discount for U.S. Open and other event tickets
Facilitate discounts at Hilton Hotels
Enable the Life Time Fitness “Be Our Guest” program which allows current U.S. SQUASH members a free “guest pass” to Life Time Fitness Clubs when traveling outside of their home region. Other clubs are being added to this network.
Provide ability to email other members of the Association via online system, and ability to “Find a Match” using online system, screening by location, skill level and availability
Host U.S. Championships for qualified junior, adult skill, adult age, and doubles players
Allow access to official U.S. SQUASH Coaching and Referee Certification programs
Offer Scholar-Athlete Program which recognizes junior squash players with a 3.5 GPA (or higher) and a Final Season Ranking
Offer Coaching Certification Courses to improve the skills of the teaching pros and coaches in the US
Offer Referee Certification Courses to improve the skills of officials in the US and encourage fair play nationally
Send a personalized membership card and other mailed updates throughout the year

Squash Clubs
Provide insurance coverage for sanctioned tournaments
Offer membership retention tools such as use of online software for hosting tournaments, leagues and ladders
Provide access to database of players to be used for communicating with club membership about club activities
Offer club rankings for players of every level
List clubs on website and promotion of all tournaments, leagues and ladders to help support membership retention
Support teaching professionals via Squash Professionals Affiliate (SPA) program (see Club Pros)
Offer a full-year subscription to Squash Magazine

Club Pros
Offer Coaching Certification Courses to improve skills as coach
Allow use of online software for hosting tournaments, leagues and ladders, also used for communicating with club membership about club activities
Access and support via the Squash Professionals Affiliate program which offers….

• Personal liability insurance coverage for coaching
• Access to a pre-screened, preferred network of health insurance providers
• Eligibility for U.S. SQUASH Membership Incentives
• Discounts on tournament sanctioning fees throughout the season (up to 20%)
• Waived sanctioning fees for annual Club Championship
• Waived sanctioning fees for use of U.S. SQUASH Leagues & Ladders
• Free admission to the U.S. SQUASH Professional Development Conference
• On-court performance apparel from U.S. SQUASH
• A Squash Professionals Affiliate recognition certificate
• Discounts up to 50% on Coach Certification Courses offered by U.S. SQUASH
• Free entry into the SPA Championships
• Eligibility for U.S. SQUASH Lifetime Achievement Award, Rookie of the Year and Most Respected Professional Awards

Coaches
Provide all administrative support and technology infrastructure to schedule, report results and generate ratings and rankings for College Squash
Provide all administrative support and technology infrastructure to schedule, report results and generate ratings and rankings for Middle and High School Squash nationally
Access and support via the Squash Professionals Affiliate (SPA) program (see Club Pros)

Playing Pros
Run the U.S. Open Squash Championships
Financially responsible for prize purses for approximately

• 30% of men’s professional tournaments in the US
• 50% of women’s professional tournaments in the US
• 20% of professional doubles tournaments in the US

Provide direct support to the US’s top six players through program called TOPS which includes

• Direct financial support over $10K annually total
• Mechanism for athletes to raise funding support on tax deductible basis
• Athlete health insurance
• Performance bonuses from the USOC
• Reimbursement for PSA/WISPA dues
• Waived entry fees at U.S. Squash Championships

Urban Squash
Offer discounted membership with full benefits
Provide 2 for 1 entry into Regional and National Championships
Waive junior charges and event sanctioning fees
Annually offer more than $30K in funding grants to National Urban Squash and Education Association and new and emerging urban programs

Districts
Provide liability insurance for sanctioned play reducing costs
Supply a centralized membership database with membership fee collection service and robust reporting tools at no cost
Offer tournament, team and box league management software at no cost
Provide regularly updated District ratings and rankings

Other things U.S. SQUASH Does
Represents squash as a Member of the United States Olympic
Represents United States as a Member of the World Squash Federation
Maintains the Rules of the Games for Squash in the United States

Cheap, Stupid or Uninformed?

There are many regular, enthusiastic squash players out there that, for one reason or another, are not members of US Squash. Now I concede that the occasional squash player, who plays a few times a month, may not have the well-being of the sport’s national organization uppermost in mind. But regular players, even thoroughly addicted ones who can be found beating the living hell out of a black squash ball 4 and 5 times a week -- why aren’t they members?

Players fitting that description, and there are a lot of them, may conjure up all kinds of excuses. One may be that they are cheap and don’t see the value in joining. There is no denying that we are living in tough financial times, so there will indeed be players out there who feel they simply can’t afford to pony up $55 for an annual membership -- which reduces to $50 when you automatically renew. (There is an additional but considerably smaller fee for membership into the local squash association, some of whom – I’m thinking of the MSRA in the New York area -- do an excellent job and run some great programs.)

So to those people, I say, fine, keep playing and join when you can. Those people are not cheap, they just can’t afford it; that’s different. But there are also a lot of cheap-o players who can afford membership 50 times over, and yet still don’t join, and these people may even while away some of their free time with bellicose complaints about various pro-squash things that “for some inexplicable reason, the morons who run US Squash haven’t done!”

Another possible explanation for not joining US Squash is that you are stupid. But that cannot be the case, because there are no stupid squash players. (They play racquetball! Oooops, sorry…)

A much more likely explanation for not joining is that you are uninformed. US Squash has a lot of programs, some of which are explained on their site, but they are many and varied enough that you may not know about them. Programs like their regularly updated rankings, discounted tickets available for sanctioned tournaments, the informative e-blast that goes out each month, coaching and refereeing support, discounts at Hilton Hotels, and even a credit card.

Plus, US Squash gives vital funding in support of Squash Magazine, the journal of record for our great game. Would the magazine like more funding? I bet they would, but the organization would need more members in order to fund more support. And I also bet that the ad director of Squash Magazine would like to be able to tell potential advertisers that the magazine goes out to a greater percentage of US squash players.

Recently US Squash announced a deal with the Life Time Fitness chain, in which US Squash members can get a free guest pass to play squash on any of the chain’s 122 courts. And finally, US Squash just unveiled their ‘Play Squash’ program, which provides software that club pros can use to set up ladders, box leagues, and intra- and interclub competitions. And there is more, go check it out.

All great stuff, and much of it done with sweat equity till late at night for nothing, because the funds to back our sport are underperforming the level of enthusiasm that supports it, indeed is allowing it to thrive. Ask your playing partners if they are members, and make it an issue if they are not. Bug them, cajole them, because it is time to step up.

I know the folks down at US Squash would dearly love to get their hands on more revenue from membership fees, because all those pro-squash things that the cheap-o’s are angry they haven’t done yet are on their list of things to do when they have the funds to do them.

Journalistic Myopia

How can one explain the squash myopia that rules triumphantly over the sports editors at The New York Times? As we all know, the NYT, together with The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, represents the journalistic sine qua non of the nation’s information-seeking masses. The NYT has a justified reputation for being a fine organization, is often fearless, and is packed with some of the best journalists in the game.

Which is why I remain baffled by some of the choices it makes in its sports coverage. There seems to be a pervasive ophthalmologic disorder that has run amok at the NYT’s sports desk in which no one over at the ‘Gray Lady’ sees the game of squash for what it is, an important minority sport whose players are particularly suited to NYT’s demographic: educated, professional, urban readers of news. It’s been very frustrating in years past when the Tournament of Champions has come to their own hometown and the NYT hasn’t given it a single line of copy. (A search of the NYT website comes up with two squash articles this year, far better than year’s past: one on Trinity’s astonishing success in college squash and another on StreetSquash.)

During the run-up to the recent distressing Olympics decision, the NYT mentioned squash only parenthetically (while claiming that it was probably not international enough!), and afterwards ran a post-decision article that opined about how the decision was a terrible blow to softball fans the world over but failed to even mention squash and its response.

And it’s not like the NYT has a policy of only doing articles on major sports. They have run articles on polo and breathless updates on skeleton, and just last Friday ran a long article on the new sport of ‘beach tennis,’ in which the sport’s founders discuss their hopes for Olympic inclusion! Please god don’t let it be so. That article is here:
The New York Times

The journalistic blinders are still on over at the NYT!

These bad choices may partly explain why people in search of sports coverage in the New York City area greatly prefer The Daily News or The New York Post. Meanwhile, on most days the sports pages of the NYT have retreated from a section of its own to a few pages within the business section. And those pages seem to be diminishing…. Too bad, because in most areas, the NYT remains a journalistic paragon.

Sakhi Khan Lays It All Out For You

I have yet to come across a better overall summary of things to think and work on to improve your squash game than the 27 tips found here:

The Squash Site

This is a great page to bookmark. The tips were penned by Sakhi Khan, head coach at Colby College, of the sainted Khan squash dynasty, now in its fourth generation. I refer to this list regularly, sometimes ruefully wondering why on earth I don’t do this tactic better, and sometimes just to remind myself of the tactics enumerated so I can go out and practice them next time I’m on court.

If you are a new player, the list will seem a bit overwhelming, but get a good pro to give you some lessons and keep plugging away at it. If you are an experienced player, some of the tips will seem too easy, but no matter what your skill some of the tips should be reviewed again and again. For instance, Khan’s discussion of the drop shot is worth a re-look from time to time. Like right now.

If you are a squash player and can execute these tactics and learn these tips, then you got game. This is your bible...

World Exclusive: First Pics of FULL-CONTACT ROLLER-SQUASH

Rumors of the existence of this rare doubles sport have persisted, so your intrepid squashist was able to track it down and catch some of the action. Don’t forget to wear a helmet and mouthguard when you play.