The Zen of squash

Tonight was my 2nd squash outing in more than a year. More like 1.5 years. I keep thinking I'm going to play horribly, but amazingly, I've been pretty good! Okay, last week, my technique was off, the rust on the racquet took a while to shake off, but my endurance and footwork were actually really good. Tonight was 25 times better. There is still a micron-thick layer of rust, but it's peeling away very quickly. My shots were excellent tonight, even my serve. And my endurance and footwork were great. Of course not up to what they could be, but for being off for more than a year, not too shabby!

The one thing I did discover is that I am a more mature, patient, calm player than I was before. And here, I can only attribute this to learning not to be a bruiser in the ring. Muay Thai has taught me patience, to be calmer and strike when the opportunity presents itself, and not to be simply thrash about in anger or out of emotional. Cold and calculating.

All those lessons are directly applicable to squash. Before, I played squash like I spar - hard. It took me many years of playing with A-level players to learn that wacking the ball as hard as I could wasn't going to win me matches - they simply used my power against me. Same thing in the ring - simply brawling isn't going to win me fights. I have to think, plan, be smart about every punch and kick, every shot on the court.

Squash and Muay Thai - definitely a good match, physically and mentally.

I realized tonight that if I play more than just City League, say two other times during the week or the weekend, I'm going to be unstoppable on the court. My anaerobic threshold is huge, and I can run from the front to the back of the court without any effort to get shots which I would have just given up on before. This is going to be a good season. Still some rust to work off, but that's to be expected.