With the upcoming season fast approaching I have been thinking about what best practices for health I would want to share. I came up with these 5.

1. Build slowly over the next 6 weeks. Don’t try to rush back and play 4 games in 1 week. Mix it up – gym, fitness, game, drills, rest. If you play 5 games, finish it there, have a stretch and allow your body to rebuild for your next outing. Just as many injuries occur at the beginning of the season because of a rush of over training as they do at the end (this is true in professional sports as well).

2. Do drills to condition your body to the demands of squash without the uncertainty of a match. Knowing where the ball is going allows you to work on your footwork.

3. Pick one area of the body you want to improve and work on it every day. My achilles are prone to flaring up so I work on them every morning. Mobility and strength. Do you have a history of back problems, knee problems, wrist, etc? Identify and work on it.

4. If something hurts, try not to push through. The body heals wonderfully if we give it a window of opportunity. Sometimes this means more than just rest…you can ask me for more advice:)

5. Get in the habit of doing a really good warm up – watch the videos for ideas.

Thanks for reading – yours in health
Dave Carter