Managing Workload Crucial for Squash Elite

by James Skitt - 08.12.10

It’s been a busy week for England’s squash players with the countries top men taking part in the PSA World Open in Saudi Arabia and the women participating at the World Team Championships in New Zealand last weekend, finishing second.

The competitions come at the end of a hectic year which has seen the best ever medal return of any Nation in the Squash competition at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, with England winning six of the twelve medals available to one country, and Nick Matthew and Jenny Duncalf achieving World number one and two rankings respectively.  

Since the Commonwealth Games the top players have spent much of the last three months moving from one competition to another, and herein lies the biggest challenge according to their English Institute of Sport (EIS) Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Cook. 

“One of the biggest challenges is to educate players in how to manage their programmes whilst they’re going through these periods of continuous competition” says Cook, who is based at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

“Most of the competitions last up to five days, and six or seven major competitions occur in the three months between September and November. This means that the players who get to the later stages play for four or five days consecutively, often with just three or four days to travel and recover between competitions.

“On the other hand, they might be knocked out on day one or two, so it’s about ensuring that they make the best use of the time available to them.

Whilst many senior players are experienced in managing their own schedules, knowing when and how intensely to train whilst on the road is a learning curve for players.

“Everyone responds slightly differently to training so it’s a case of working with each individual as they progress through the academy system to find out what works for them.

And Cook, who has worked closely with the players when in Manchester for the last five years, ensures he remains in contact by phone and email whilst the players are away to ensure they are following suitable patterns of training.

“The players are intelligent both on and off the court and the aim is to educate them so it’s a case of the players keeping in regular contact for advice or suggestions on what to do while they are away.

“We generally work out what works best for each athlete, but even so it’s important they don’t let their determination lead them to overestimate how much work they should do for example, so we keep an eye on things to make sure their workload is appropriate and they keep on top of any potential injuries.”

After this weeks events many of the players will enjoy some well deserved time off before returning to four to six weeks of intense training in preparation for a return to another intense period of competition in the New Year.

Photography © Getty Images