From Coach Claire

Hi All.

Happy Holidays, whether you're travelling or staying at home this December.  As with all major holidays, we encourage the kids to send us a picture of themselves in exotic locations with a ST shirt and I'll put it on our Insta Story - always nice to see family adventures.

A reminder that from tomorrow our schedule changes for the next 16 days - details here - and we would not like you to be disappointed by missing out.  We have two hour Squads and one hour Performances throughout the break, so for those of you who are based at home, it's an ideal opportunity to keep up the hard work!

Best,

Claire and the Coaches

USJO Report, Winter Camp, News...

Hard to believe that 2024 is drawing to a close - it’s been a great year and has completely sped past! Well done to our players who contested the US Junior Open this past weekend and the Harlem Silver - another great weekend of squash and we're certainly very proud of everyone's efforts.

Below you’ll find a couple of MUST KNOWS, as we have some schedule changes over the Winter Break and a few reminders.  As always please contact us with questions and Happy Holidays!

2 big points!

• Our Winter Camp commences this coming Saturday the 21st and training times are different!  As always our in season camps are free to members and open to anyone, making them ideal opportunities to get some good work done over the break.

• Our next Rehearsal Tournament is scheduled for January 4 in Plainsboro (and part of our Winter Camp Schedule) - enter with Coach Claire!

Of  interest

• Over the break may be the ideal time for additional lessons or Match Play lessons with our coaches - reply to this email or contact coaches directly if you need to make any changes or are looking for additional 1 on 1 sessions.

• Coach Ebonie’s new Squash Psych Blog is well worth a few minutes of your time - “Processing the results of a big tournament”

• Our Learn-to-play Package continues to be a popular way to bring new families into the sport and may be a great idea around the Holidays!  Please pass the details to those who may be looking for that first step.  Designed for kids aged 9 and above, never a better time for U11’s to start the sport!

• Zoom coaching is available for the Sportsplex Junior Gold at the end of December - please confirm early to reserve your place as it’s a busy time of year for our coaches! :) 

See you all at training!

Squash Psych tip of the Week!

Processing the results of a big tournament 

It could be quite difficult to attempt to process the emotions and overall results after a big tournament. For many, as soon as they come back to training there is this need to work on every single thing that went wrong during the tournament.

Overwhelming the brain with multiple instructions and changes only delays improvement and progress. Even if the tournament went well some players feel this pressure to be able to perform as well as they did then all the time. Either direction can lead to an overall skill setback. Everyone develops skills and habits in squash at a different pace based on where they begin. Trying to force improvement quickly can do more harm than good. 

Being able to properly analyze how the tournament went and being fully accepting of the results is the most important first step of moving past it when going back to training.

Reflecting through journaling is a great way to logically see where you are skill wise and mentally. Setting goals based on how the tournament went and where you want to be for the next tournament can help make certain skill development attainable and realistic. 

For some it may be helpful to talk it over with a friend, family member and or a coach. Many players may not feel comfortable bringing up what they think they need to improve on based on the results of a tournament and that is okay. 

How can I help?

As a mental performance consultant that specializes in squash, I can give those who are looking to take their game to the next level mental techniques and skills that positively affect overall performance. 

Email ebonie@squashtigers.com to schedule your first session free!