In Squash - The Podcast

Countless PSA tour titles, 3 World Open titles, 3 British Opens, 3 Commonwealth golds and 10 British National Championships: Nick Matthew left the game as an all-time great. Nick and I chat about his character building junior years, what it means (for us across the pond) to be a Yorkshireman, and how competing during the Power/Nicol and Shabana/Gaultier/Darwish eras was different from today's play on tour. During that later era, his rivalry with James Willstrop took shape, and Nick lays out the backstory. Currently, "the wolf" is at the Tournament of Champions, and he gives some incredible insight on the event, the players, officiating issues, and most importantly, the Champions Lounge.

Riding a bit of momentum heading into 2019, Sam Cornett has her sites set on the Tournament of Champions in NYC and the World Championships in Chicago this February. Having reached 3 of 4 Challenger Tour finals since November, winning 2, is proof that she's ready to roll in 2019. Ranked 31 in the world currently, Sam's only a few spots away from her personal best of 28, and at this rate she is poised to make inroads beyond that.

Elite Squash founder and director Hadrian Stiff says the key to enjoying our squash and ultimately to performing at our best is through the harmonization of body and mind on court. How do I bottle those occasions when I go out there, enjoy my squash and play the game without thinking? When you listen to him lay it out, you'll be inspired. Hadrian's unique approach to coaching has obviously proven successful when you look at the players under the Elite Squash umbrella. He goes deep into his philosophy behind squash and we take look at his backstory which explains how his philosophy towards the game came to be.

With the 2018 Irish Open title under his belt along with several very strong performances in 2018, Tom Richards enters the new year on a high. Perhaps playing the best squash of his career, Tom and I chat about the influences during his early years, namely St. George's own Danny Lee. Throughout his professional campaign, Stephen Meads, of "who is Meads?" fame has been tremendously instrumental, and Tom is very excited to have Jesse Englebrecht on board more recently as well. We talk about what each of them have brought to the table for Tom. We also discuss some of his playing heroes, including both JP and Peter Nicol. At any rate, all of this has him playing very good squash of late, and this bodes well for 2019.

Shajahan Khan comes from a family replete with squash pedigree; father Zarak, and uncles Hiddy and Zubair all top 10 players in the world. Shajahan has been making great inroads of late, especially after his big win at the Memorial Open in Canada earlier this year which earned him a spot in the World Championships in Chicago in February. He'd really like to put Pakistan back in the thick of things, and with a great team backing him, and his attitude and game plan in place he might just be on his way.

The proof is in the pudding, and for Rob Owen the proof is that his players have been playing unbelievable squash over the past few years, and the 2018/19 campaign has been particularly noteworthy. For those of you who know Rob, then you'll likely enjoy his look back at the backstory that has brought him to where he is today, one of the top coaches in the game without question. If not, you need to a listen to this great chat about Rob's career and his thoughts on the game as it is today.

Jamie Crombie has just launched thesquashexchange.com, a personalized squash training website which brings something new and exciting to the value of online squash material that already exists. Jamie's backstory is three-pronged and nothing less than impressive; he ranks among Canada's all-time greats, he's a long-time and very successful teaching professional, and he's parlayed his athleticism on to other sports representing the US in the world duathlon on four occasions. Jamie and I break down how thesquashexchange came to be and what it brings to the table.

From brilliant professional career to putting himself on the map as one of the top coaches out there, Nick Taylor's squash resume speaks for itself. Nick and I talk about the early glory days when he was winning European Squash Championships and getting to the finals of the British Nationals. The passion of course was there, but Nick's passion for coaching might be even more palpable. We covered so much ground here including his new role as Director of Squash at Infinitum Squash, what it takes to build a program from scratch, junior development, masters squash, and use of the red-dot ball in our training and solo practice.

The 2018/19 campaign couldn't have gotten off to a better start for Raneem El Welily; 3 finals, 2 victories, and a real look at regaining the #1 world ranking. Raneem and I talk about her summer training in Egypt where she worked hard with her coach Haitham Effat. We also take a look back at that memorable 2015 season when she took the number 1 spot from Nicol David (who held top spot for over 100 months in succession) and became the first ever Egyptian woman to achieve world #1 in professional sport. We also discuss a recent TedTalk she gave and her feelings on driving in Cairo.

SJ Perry is off to a flyer this 2018/19 campaign, defending her San Fran Netsuite title and reaching the final of the Carol Weymuller Open. After a successful 2017/18 season, she didn't rest on her laurels; knuckling down over the summer with a few tweaks here and there have laid the groundwork for this season. SJ also talks to us about the impact that her coach Robert Owen has made on her game over the past few years, and an unfortunate incident that she came home to after spending over a month across the pond.

From US child prodigy, to US collegiate squash national champion with Princeton, to a world ranking of 48 and rising, Todd Harrity has sunk his teeth into life on the PSA tour. The 2018/19 campaign has gotten off to a very promising start for Todd, but that's not without plenty of groundwork, hardwork, and changes to his game along the way. Todd seems ready to take that next step in his rise up the PSA rankings, and we talk about what it took to get to where he is today, and the changes he believes are needed to take that next big step.

The winningest coach in collegiate squash history, US Squash Hall of Fame inductee, and US National Squash Team head coach, Paul Assaiante's squash journey has been nothing short of impressive. For the past 20 years he's led the Trinity Bantams to countless national titles and mind-blowing unbeaten streaks whilst having to compete against the Ivy powerhouses. Equally as impressive is the current upsurge in US men's and women's squash in which he has played a leading role in. His look back at this and his squash insight comes through a great deal in this episode. Enjoy!!

The Canadian sun rises first in Cape Spear, the eastern most point in North America, and home to a place that we should all take the opportunity to visit, Newfoundland. Today's episode takes a look at Newfoundland's unique squash history which dates back to shortly after it entered confederation with Canada in 1949. Its squash history is rich and well told by Steve Gardner and Dave Feder in a nostalgic, light-hearted look back at the game in this beautiful province.

Proud resident of Paderborn (not Paderhorn), Simon has a lot to look forward to both at home and on the PSA tour. Recently married and expecting a baby boy in December, he'll be relishing time at home. Meanwhile, he's also playing squash of the highest level, and that bodes well for a great 2018/19 campaign. Simon gives us his thoughts on all of the above in what was a very enjoyable conversation.

With a victory in Nantes under his belt and a very respectable 3rd round showing at the US Open, Declan James is out of traps with the bit between his teeth at the start of the 2018/2019 campaign. His recent rise into the world's top 20 seems a fitting way to kick off the 2018/19 season, but he's under no illusions that the rest will take care of itself. Declan discusses his recent run of form, what he needs to do to keep on top of things, his relationship with coach Philip Whitlock, and he pays homage to some of the players that he looked up to over the years.

Sharif Khan was instrumental in developing the broad appeal that squash had in North America back in the late 70s and early 80s, and without question he's in the greatest of all time conversation. Sharif dominated the North American professional squash scene throughout the late 70s and early 80s, and Rob Dinerman's new book (co-authored by Karen Khan) looks back at his life and legendary career. Rob goes into Sharif's backstory including the family's shock decision to send him to boarding school in the UK, his relationship with his father Hashim (a legend himself), and so much more.

Jesse Englebrecht and Gary Nisbet (ep. 28) lit it up in a big way on our first dual guest episode. The questions for this episode came from the In Squash listeners and they spawned one of our best episodes to date. Jesse hit the ground sprinting and didn't look back with great intel on everything from junior development, the evolution of ghosting patterns, and how to teach deception, and then Gary joined in to tackle such things as the importance of the pre-game warm-up and dealing with in match fatigue. Not to be missed, episode 48.

The proof is in the pudding, Jenny Duncalf is without question a super talent both on and off the court. Having reached and spent several years at world #2 behind the recently crowned GOAT of ladies squash Nicol David, Jenny continues to play at the highest level and looks to return to the court soon following a summer hip surgery. Jenny took us inside her life on tour which is three-pronged these days as a player, women's president of the PSA, and as MC for several major PSA events.

Daryl Selby has remained one of the most exciting players on the pro tour for over 15 years, and at age 35 he's got his sites set on playing more great squash and enhancing his brand along the way. Father of 3 youngsters, Daryl expounds on his career to date, the joys of parenting while playing professionally, and we have a great discussion on the variables in play that dictate our best squash, a topic he and Cameron Pilley dove into on their own podcast, Comments from the Couch. Enjoy!!

Recently elected as Squash Canada's President, Steve Wren's appearance on this podcast highlights exactly why he's the right person for the job. As a player, parent, coach, business person, you name it, Steve has achieved great results. Exciting times are ahead for Squash Canada, and Steve lays out his vision following a fun look at his backstory on ep. 45.