How to get more pre squash energy?

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Anony-mousse

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Hi,

yesterday I played squash with a tournament player and this guy chased me all over the court making me feel like a total noob. In this 45 minutes i learned more than ever though and it was awesome.

The problem I had wasn't the technique but the endurance to keep up with him for 45 minutes.

For the first time for 10 months after quitting smoking I could feel my lungs wanting to jump out of my chest again.

My question is: What should I eat before playing with him again to get some more energy and how long before? Are there any supplements I could try?

Is there anything I can do to prevent stitches? I tried all the breathing techniques but if the game is just too intense I get stitches and that makes it impossible to run after the ball.
 
My squash playing friends tell me fitness beats skill most of the time... so a daily 5km run might get the best results.
Or a carb shake half an hour before you start will give you energy to burn.
If you get desperate you can try eating plenty a few hours before and then taking some nitric oxide on the way to the courts... useful side effects include an impressed girlfriend :D
 
Eat a banana, I heard they're good for energy. But you probably just need more gametime/practice /exercise.

Also another thing to consider is if you were a chronic smoker for quite some time, maybe your lungs have a decreased ability to function now :(
 
Random717 said:
My squash playing friends tell me fitness beats skill most of the time... so a daily 5km run might get the best results.
Or a carb shake half an hour before you start will give you energy to burn.
If you get desperate you can try eating plenty a few hours before and then taking some nitric oxide on the way to the courts... useful side effects include an impressed girlfriend :D
Click to expand...

it is indeed 80% fitness.

I'll check carb shakes. I play squash for 45 minutes at least 5 times a week and every wednesday I play with this killer guy. more workout than that is not possible for me and I am actually pretty fit, but compared to a tournament player this is nothing.

@ Blue

My lungs are of course upset from smoking, but I am a healthy 30 year old, it is just a matter of time that they can handle workout like that again. The lung test has shown that they are still perfectly fit for my age, fortunately.

I have hard about the banana already as well, will try that tonight.
 
I am quite fit been cycling and running for ages, started playing squash again about 5 weeks ago and I nearly died, but it gets better every week. If you are playing 5 times a week thats half your problem, your body needs to recover and you are not giving it time.
 
web said:
I am quite fit been cycling and running for ages, started playing squash again about 5 weeks ago and I nearly died, but it gets better every week. If you are playing 5 times a week thats half your problem, your body needs to recover and you are not giving it time.
Click to expand...

You mean 5 times a week is too often? Do you think it's too often for people who just started playing or too often in any case?
 
the only time that does not happen to me is when i'm playing at least 5 times a week, god i love this game but i need a partner, i see they are advertising cots at the northcliff corner, who be keen?
 
Anony-mousse said:
Hi,

yesterday I played squash with a tournament player and this guy chased me all over the court making me feel like a total noob. In this 45 minutes i learned more than ever though and it was awesome.

The problem I had wasn't the technique but the endurance to keep up with him for 45 minutes.

For the first time for 10 months after quitting smoking I could feel my lungs wanting to jump out of my chest again.

My question is: What should I eat before playing with him again to get some more energy and how long before? Are there any supplements I could try?

Is there anything I can do to prevent stitches? I tried all the breathing techniques but if the game is just too intense I get stitches and that makes it impossible to run after the ball.
Click to expand...

Firstly, it was his technique. I can almost guarantee it. If someone is just 2/3 leagues off you, ur prob gonna struggle to get points, no matter how fit u are.

as for eating, you need to eat around 2 hours before playing, i prefer bananas/potatoes and a small thing of pasta. hydration is probably the biggest killer, get yourself a decent drink (cytomax) and hydrate as much as possible.
Playing with a heart rate monitor is always useful, you will often find one point in a game will end you, and you will lose the match because of it. If you have blown, thats it.... I tend to know what my hr is most of the time, and will try win the point with an ambitious shot instead of blowing just to end the rally...

Also remember squash fitness is very different from normal running, most players will average around 170 for the match as a hr, with a match being around 45 minutes - hour. (unless its Bopen final this year which was 122 minutes.....) you need to get used to quick running and short breaks...

I also find cellfood helps quite a bit...

Random717 said:
My squash playing friends tell me fitness beats skill most of the time
Click to expand...

Your friends are wrong, unless you are similar in skill level, fitness wont get u anywhere. As a note look at a player called jonathan power, renowned as a lazy git who often looked out of shape...he still hammered anyone not in the top 20 in the world...
 
>>I tried all the breathing techniques but if the game is just too intense I get stitches and that makes it impossible to run after the ball.
As the popular saying goes "'you don't play squash to get fit, you get fit to play squash"
 
Take some advice from the Indian cricket team - more sex!!! :D:D:D
 
tau1z said:
Your friends are wrong, unless you are similar in skill level, fitness wont get u anywhere. As a note look at a player called jonathan power, renowned as a lazy git who often looked out of shape...he still hammered anyone not in the top 20 in the world...
Click to expand...

They're league players, so maybe they're being matched fairly evenly skill wise in their games. Their training is more fitness then anything else though; one had a resting heart rate of 41 BPM...
 
Random717 said:
They're league players, so maybe they're being matched fairly evenly skill wise in their games. Their training is more fitness then anything else though; one had a resting heart rate of 41 BPM...
Click to expand...

Then its a fair assumption if the skills are even that fitness would prevail, but as mentioned if you are playing someone who is just 2 - 3 leagues lower than you, you will get hammered no matter how fit you are.

I have found training revolving around drills to increase the amount of pressure you can take whilst still playing decent shots. The fitness part is a given during this time. Sure, court sprints etc are done, but the racket work is usually complimented by fitness.

You can see the "pace" come into play when a fairly decent player ends up against a 1st leaguer. The 1st league player simply volleys more, hits better length and is on the ball quicker. The other player who usually lasts an hour and is incredibly fit is suddenly flat after 15 minutes because he is working that much harder and faster. Racket work along with an experience of fast paced games is what counts..
 
tau1z said:
Firstly, it was his technique. I can almost guarantee it. If someone is just 2/3 leagues off you, ur prob gonna struggle to get points, no matter how fit u are.

as for eating, you need to eat around 2 hours before playing, i prefer bananas/potatoes and a small thing of pasta. hydration is probably the biggest killer, get yourself a decent drink (cytomax) and hydrate as much as possible.
Playing with a heart rate monitor is always useful, you will often find one point in a game will end you, and you will lose the match because of it. If you have blown, thats it.... I tend to know what my hr is most of the time, and will try win the point with an ambitious shot instead of blowing just to end the rally...

Also remember squash fitness is very different from normal running, most players will average around 170 for the match as a hr, with a match being around 45 minutes - hour. (unless its Bopen final this year which was 122 minutes.....) you need to get used to quick running and short breaks...

I also find cellfood helps quite a bit...



Your friends are wrong, unless you are similar in skill level, fitness wont get u anywhere. As a note look at a player called jonathan power, renowned as a lazy git who often looked out of shape...he still hammered anyone not in the top 20 in the world...
Click to expand...

I totally agree with you. But in this case he beat me with his fitness. I only lost 2:3 so it wasn't that bad. The last 2 games I won because it took a while for me to get used to playing "real" squash. Since I usually only play with my brother I know all of his moves and became lazy in the game.

Next time I'm gonna beat him :D. A banana and electrolyte drink and up we go :p

I said he made me feel like a noob because I was breathing like a dying horse and he was still going, you know what I mean? But technique wise we were pretty much even at the end. He said so himself. But it was an amazing game. At 6 I'll play against my brother again, now I can show him what squash really means :-)
 
Last edited:
Anony-mousse said:
I said he made me feel like a noob because I was breathing like a dying horse and he was still going, you know what I mean? But technique wise we were pretty much even at the end. He said so himself. But it was an amazing game. At 6 I'll play against my brother again, now I can show him what squash really means :-)
Click to expand...

:) his technique might be similar, but he prob understands the game a bit more. I used to explain to ppl about why driving should be 90% of your game, how to dominate the T, what to play when etc. The knowledge of how the game works makes a difference, instead of jsut hitting the ball, actually realising why you are hitting there makes a difference. If u are under pressure, lob and give urself time....

Anyways, i guess the thing is enjoyment. nothing beats running around like a madman after a stupid small rubber ball...
GL for the game tonight :)
 
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