We have published quite a few posts on the current Tactics First approach to developing thinking, smart squash players. The key concept is that teaching technique alone (e.g., backhand lesson, forehand lesson) and leaving the match play and tactics to the student (laissez-faire approach) in their formative years does not encourage squash intelligence. Squash is much more than striking the ball well. It is one of the most tactical individual sports and involves considerable perception, anticipation (reading the opponent) and decision-making (attacking weaknesses not strengths) on every point. I would wager that squash is the most tactical of the individual sports - with more individual player decisions per minute of play than any other sport (in team sports like football it is the coach making most of the tactical decisions). Our coaching needs to reflect this priority and we need to start training situations not strokes right from the very beginning of a player’s career.
How does a squash coach go about actually planning a Tactics First lesson or training session? Here is a template that coaches can use to plan a lesson around a particular tactical situation:
Tactics First Squash Lesson Template
Look for some video examples of Tactics First training in the coming weeks (maybe even days:). In the meantime, here is some brief background reading from the ACE Coaching site - the leading proponent of a tactics first approach for tennis:
Psychology, Dartfish Video, Strength Coach, Planning, Coach Ed., Skype, Training Camps.
$50-100/hour. tbacon@smith.edu
Skype ID: tbacon2001
July 7, 2009 at 9:19 pm |
[...] Deception: Games Approach Example Here is a video example of a coaching session using the Games Approach method to teach deception in the front court. Notice the following in comparison to a “usual” [...]
August 15, 2009 at 2:06 am |
[...] The Long Answer: The long answer really depends on your philosophy of teaching squash, which depends on your own background and knowledge of sports pedagogy. Are you teaching adults who have no aspirations of top play, or a group of talented youths who might have national level potential (in which case you can let your nation’s squash LTAD guide you – except none of them have been fleshed out and therefore contain no specific to answer your question)? Are you a technique-oriented squash coach who teaches “strokes”, or have you embraced the Tactics-First Games Approach? [...]