ISSUE03-2018InternationalSquashMagazine

COACHING & INSTRUCTION:
DEALING WITH PRESSURE
reduces the amount of capacity you then
have to deal with vital tasks to the ability
to perform at your very best.
The best squash players in the world will
be able to deal with this better than the
average person with their awareness
remaining a lot wider for longer as
pressure increases, and the effect of
pressure setting in is delayed.
So how do you get good at dealing with
pressure?
Everyone is different in the way they
can use certain strategies and it is
therefore important to first understand
yourself to determine what will be most
effective for you.
For some players, routine gives
confidence and takes away the pressure
as all ‘controllables’ are controlled. It
might be that lucky wristband, the lay out
of your bag or schedule of your warmup.
Others may try talking to themselves
with positive self-talk . Constant
reassurance can always help pick up your
mood and equally this can come from
a significant other, e.g. coach, parent,
teammate. Staying in the moment
can help others especially
during a match. Reassessing
the situation, taking in
smells and noises can help
re-centralise. Imagery can also
be a powerful tool, imagining
success or past success can always help
to settle pre-match nerves. The key is
finding one that works for you as these
are just a few I have come across. We are
all different, so give them a try next time
you are in a tense situation.
Both understanding this and having a
mechanism will cut it though. For the
majority it is like a straight dropshot or
drive, it’s simple but needs practise in a
live situation and constant repetition.
It can be hard for players to expose
themselves to these kinds of situations.
Within some of our squads we apply
pressure training to the environment.
This can be done simply by a prize for
the winner or forfeit for the loser. This
could be money, treats or a test of pride!
If you want to really create a pressure,
try chance cards with forfeits, situations
and rewards in them and pull them out
at random from a deck or hat during a
practice game at various stages. They
certainly spice things up a bit and help
with dealing with the unexpected!
How about dealing with the big points?
Why not put something more on them,
how about a game and if you get to
10 you have to win that game point or
if you don’t you have to go back to 5.
That certainly prevents you wasting a
key situation in a game. There are many
ways to do this in training, but these are
some of the better ones from my own
experiences.
Alongside anything like this, you also
need the support mechanisms first talked
about. Some deal with this better than
others. Some people are more hardwired
to deal with these situations. Some
players may come from a background
of another sport or high-pressured
environment and transferring this across
is more natural and it is already built in
to what they do. These people need less
support, probably more times than not
just someone to talk to or reassurance in
what they do.
Others however will need greater support
in dealing with pressure and learning
these coping mechanisms. As a coach the
worst thing we can do is write someone
off at being bad at dealing with pressure.
You need to problem solve and make it
an ok area to work on, just like any other
technical aspect or skill. The mental side
of the game is still massively overlooked
and under supported which we can see
generally from the many discussions
around mental health.
Mental isn’t mental in squash, it is just
another skill and one we need to foster,
teach and provide an environment to
deal with it. Embrace it and make it part
of what you do.
INTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE September 2018 | 19
www.isportgroup.com/InternationalSquashMagazine