Author: JULIAN.ILLINGWORTH
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Tournament Squash: A Privilege and a Choice
Participating in tournament squash is a privilege that should be viewed and valued as such by parents, players, and coaches alike. As a coach, I often see families feeling confined by the US Squash tournament structure, which can create pressure to keep up, and a fear of falling behind. Tournament squash is a choice, and it can be Read more
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Looking back – my backhand technical weakness
I recently looked back at some match footage of myself from around 2011. At the time I was about 27 or 28 years old, and firmly playing at a top 30 level in the world, about as good as I ever got. Watching this video of myself years later, I have to say I don’t Read more
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Best Backhand in the Game
Since deciding that my own backhand had some issues, I wanted to turn and look at a couple players whose backhand technique is my favorite, and in my opinion have the best mechanics. I believe these players possess the backhand swings of the modern professional game. The first players backhand I’d highlight is Nour El Sherbini. Read more
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Ali Farag – best movement ever – but why?
The fact that Ali Farag is an amazing athlete, incredibly fast, agile and fit is immediately obvious to anyone who has ever watched him play for even a brief moment. However, all players at the pinnacle of squash share those attributes, and there are other players who might be faster, stronger, fitter, if tested purely Read more
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Comparing and Contrasting Racquet Sports
At the time of writing this (2021) I’m pretty obseessed with pickleball… Squash courts are closed for Covid. In asking myself WHY I enjoy pickleball so much (because I always enjoyed all racquet sports!), I began comparing and contrasting all the other major racket sports, trying to pinpoint what it is I like about each Read more
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Pickleball US Open – 2022. Thoughts and Review
Got back late last week from the US Open in Naples, Florida. Was lucky enough to get two golds, one in doubles 35+ and one in doubles 35+ 5.0. My partner Jason was solid all weekend, and we had a little more consistency than our opponents in both our draws. Looking forward to playing open/pro Read more
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my pickleball origin story (part 2)
After I’d been told I wasn’t allowed to play pickleball at the club I worked at, I was disappointed, a little pissed off, and more motivated to find better competition to play. A little searching online and I found that one of the big tennis centers had open play sessions a few times a week. Read more
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my pickleball origin story (part 1)
I’ve known of pickleball for at least 25 years, growing up in the Pacific Northwest, we even played it in PE class in middle school. Awareness of the growth of pickleball had drifted my way in passing over the past 5 to 10 years – brief anecdotes or comments, seemingly always from someone who charitably Read more
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The “Domino Effect” in Squash Recruiting
www.csinsiders.com When will coaches be able to tell me anything concrete about their recruiting spots? This is one of the most common questions we field at College Squash Insiders, and the resulting lack of clarity is one of the most frustrating parts of the recruiting process parents and applicants often endure. To understand why Read more
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Strength Training and Imbalances in Squash
Originally written in 2011 after sustaining a hamstring injury and 2 to 3 month rehab During the rehabilitation process from an injury, I always seem to discover limitations in my body that I was previously unaware of. While it is impossible to know for sure whether these deficiencies directly led to the original injury, I Read more