John Musto Squash

2014 Big Apple Open 6.0

I played the finals of the Big Apple Open 6.0 division today, one day after Nicol David lost in the semi-finals of the World Open to the defending World Junior Champion, 11-9 in the 5th.  It was in her home country, with all the the fans rooting for her – actually the whole country rooting for her. I remember thinking before the tournament how it had the makings of a classic upset opportunity, as the country was treating the tournament more like a coronation for Nicol, but all of the top women had her directly in their target. I am a big fan of Nicol’s, and consider her a living legend of squash, but this result is a reminder that all opponents are potentially dangerous, no matter what your past record is with them, or what everybody says is going to happen, or whether everybody is rooting for you. I am quite sure Nicol will come back from this tournament stronger than ever, and it is worth noting that she was incredibly gracious in defeat despite how disappointed she must have been.

I thought a lot about this before my finals match today – which was at my home club, in front of many friends, and against a good player but one against whom I have had a good record. I remember Joe Frazier saying he respected every person who got in the ring with him, and boxing history is full of evidence of what happens when one does not properly respect their opponent.

So I got myself well warmed up as I listened to music that I really like, and got myself both physically and mentally ready for the match. I took the ball early, hit with pace to both back corners, and then started to attack to the front especially with the backhand volley drop. The court opened up and I was able to run him to the corners and create opportunities for myself. I am happy to say that I won in three and played the best I had all weekend.

So I was chatting with the SL Green finalist who happens to also be a former Intercollegiate Champion (he will obviously go unnamed), and I was surprised by his somewhat stunning lack of squash knowledge. I’m not talking arcane squash trivia, but basic, if-you-play-squash-there-is-no-way-you-don’t-know-this type of facts.  I’m talking who is Hashim Khan?  Who’s that guy who went undefeated for 5 and a half years?  Who is that other Pakistani guy who then started beating Jahangir? I was floored.  Really? Really?? And you are the guy I have predicted will make it to the world’s top 20?

So I got to thinking about what are the basic squash facts that all players really need to know to actually consider themselves squash players. Its like if you are an American you should know your States, capitals and Presidents. If you are English, you should know your Kings and Queens. If you are Italian, you should know your opera composers. If you are Canadian, you should know your hockey players. If you are a squash player, dear god you must at least know who Hashim Khan is.

So in preparation for the Friday or Saturday evening cocktail party at your next squash tournament, here are 20 things you must know or be able to comment upon intelligently:

1. Who is the godfather of modern squash, born in Peshawar, and head of the greatest-ever family in squash? Extra credit #1: What is the name of his book? Extra credit #2: What is the name of the documentary about his life? Extra credit #3: How old was he when he won his first British Open?
2. What are the two basic theories about where squash was first played? Which one is probably true?
3. Who is the squash player who introduced serious physical training to the game and wrote “Murder in the Squash Court”? How many hip replacements has he had?
4. Who was the great Australian who won 8 British Opens between 1969 and 1981? What happened to squash in Australia?
5. Who went undefeated with the softball for 5 and a half years? Extra credit: What was the brand of his squash racquet? Extra credit #2: How old was he when he won his first British Open? Extra credit #3: Who ended his streak? Extra credit #4: Did this player lose any hardball matches during this time? Does that affect the significance of the streak?
6. Who went undefeated for 18 years? How many individual games did this player lose during this stretch?
7. Who was the top-ranked hardball player from 1983 – 1995? Extra credit: What was his record in hardball against Jahangir Khan? Extra credit #2: How many professional tournaments did he win?
8. How many consecutive matches did Trinity win? Is this a collegiate sports record? Extra credit: Who is their coach? Extra credit #2: What is the name of his book?
9. Tricky one for you to show off a bit: Who won the most combined British Opens and World Opens between 2001 and 2008?
10. Who comprises the top-ranked hardball doubles team? Who individually has been the most successful doubles player of all time? Is softball doubles actually a game that is played outside the Commonwealth Games?
11. Who is the Tournament Director of the Tournament of Champions? Where is it held?
12. What is the name of the legendary Harvard squash coach who wrote Winning Squash Racquets? How much should the fact that he coached at Harvard be counted against him?
13. Who is the great French-born American player who beat Hashim Khan in the inaugural US Open in 1954? Hint – he also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1958.
14. Who are the top three women players of all time? As long as your answer includes Sarah Fitzgerald, Nicol David, and Heather Mackay, any answer is acceptable.
15. Who is the greatest male player of all time? As long as your answer is Jahangir Khan, there is no wrong answer.
16. For how many years has squash tried to get into the Olympics? Is it time to cut bait and put the money into something more productive?  Like building courts?
17. Who will be the first American-born to make it into the top 10 in the world? Is her little sister really better than her or was she just exhausted from winning the Intercollegiates, a pro tournament and playing the US Nationals all in the same week?
18. Who is the best player in the world right now? Will he ever take enough time off to let his various injuries fully heal? Please?
19. How many former World Junior Champions played intercollegiate squash this past season?
20. I think that is enough squash talk.  I’m going to get another Guinness.  Anyone want anything?

My first experience of NY squash was the finals of the Boodles Gin Open – Sharif Khan vs. Mike Desaulniers at the Uptown Racquet Club exhibition court in November of 1980 for my 12^th birthday. I started playing tournaments in NY a month later. I lost to George Polsky at the Harvard Club in the 12-and-unders at the Ivy Club Classic. I loved NY squash. I played all the tournaments, followed all the pro players, and read the yearbook cover to cover, over and over.

My dream starting at age 12 was to be a pro squash player on the hardball tour. I didn’t know that softball even existed except as a different sport in a far away land.  But when I graduated college, there was no more hardball tour. It had basically disintegrated during my senior year.

I therefore set out to play on the pro “softball” tour, and tried to learn how to play this game while traveling and playing the best players in the world. I actually made it through the qualifiers in my second tournament in LA, but got trashed in the 1^st round by the World #13.

I stationed myself in NY during this time – I trained, played practice matches, and played the local tournaments. But NY squash had changed dramatically. Everything had gone softball. Most of the hardball guys (those who couldn’t play good softball, couldn’t stay in good enough shape, or just didn’t like softball) retreated from the scene and started playing just hardball doubles or stopped playing altogether. A rift developed between the people who ran NY Squash and the private clubs and there was clear animosity. The league that was once vibrant, fell way off. A fraction of the previous tournament players entered tournaments. Long standing tournaments stopped being held. People stopped coming to watch tournaments because the softball game just wasn’t as exciting.

It was, looking back, a very depressing time for squash in NYC. There was a small group of us that were very serious about our squash and we really just kept on going despite what was happening to the NY squash scene. But it was hard not to notice that the number of excellent players entering NY squash tournaments was very small. It wasn’t hard to get to the finals. It wasn’t that way before.

I have thought a lot about how squash in NY declined, and how, in my mind, it has been making a slow but steady comeback over the last 10 or so years, and I have a couple of thoughts about the current state of squash in NY:

1. NY Squash is currently in the best shape it has been in since the “rupture” in terms of tournament and league participation and attendance at NY Squash social events.  Every year it seems to get a little bit better.
2. The league has rebounded significantly and now has over 800 players. In the top division the level of play is very high and good players can count on getting a good match each week.
3. Junior and High School squash is bigger than it ever has been.
4. Doubles has caught on and new players have joined the old, and both are playing tournaments and are playing in the relatively new but thriving doubles league.  The Century Doubles has become a major tournament on the NY calendar.
5. StreetSquash and CitySquash are very much a part of NY Squash.  Many players give their time and money, and the two organizations are generous in allowing NY squash to have events at their facilities.  The CitySquash Bash and the StreetSquash Cup are two of the greatest events on the NY calendar.
6. The Tournament of Champions week is the highlight of the year and very much is the anchor to the NY squash calendar.
7. The wall between the Private Clubs and NY Squash is slowly coming down. While few private club players play in NY squash tournaments and several of the private clubs do not participate in the singles leagues, the doubles leagues have been an excellent bridge to getting them more involved.

My biggest concern is the dwindling number of commercial courts, and my hope is that the NY Squash organization will focus a large amount of their efforts on “selling” squash to existing and new sports clubs in the City.  The economics of commercial club squash are very challenging in Manhattan.  Real estate prices have gone through the roof in the last 20-30 years and sports clubs have a harder and harder time justifying keeping squash.  While private Clubs and some schools have steadily added courts over the past 15 years, the City desperately needs more commercial club squash courts if we are to continue to grow. If this isn’t figured out, the potential of NY Squash will be severely limited.

Squash in New York is nowhere near where it was in the roaring 80’s, but it has developed a solid foundation and is long past the life support years of the 90’s.  Many, many New Yorkers are devoted to the game and are determined to keep it growing. We have the players and we have the passion. We just need the courts.

US 45+ Nationals Finals

Finals of the US 45+ Nationals were today. Going into the match I knew that I would need to take the initiative in order to beat him – he is a very solid player who is at his best camped out on the T. However, right into the first game he took control of the center of the court, and I was not able to dislodge him. And then he started hitting nicks – off the forehand, off the backhand. He took the first game. Then he took the second game. I stayed very much in the moment, and my goal was to figure out how to dislodge him. I started taking the ball earlier, putting more pace on the ball and hit more cross-courts. I started to get my chances at the T and started attacking with authority rather than pushing the ball. I got a lead and started to increase it. I kept pushing. I won the third. I kept up the tempo in the 4th and got a lead and extended it with a good mix of attacks to the front and attacks to the back. At times I reminded myself to stay in the moment and not worry about the score or about winning or losing – just be in the moment and hit the ball well and hit the right shot. I won the 4th

With 45+ champ Steve Wren after 5 grueling games

and felt good heading into the 5th. He came out of the gates in the 5th with tremendous pressure, got a few nicks and a few good bounces and suddenly he was up 5-0. I stayed calm, kept pushing, but the nicks kept coming. He increased his lead and was hitting the ball really, really well. He got to match point, and ended it with a fantastic hard forehand nick. Final score: 11-7, 11–7, 5-11, 7-11, 11-3. I don’t like to lose, but if I am going to lose it better be to someone playing fantastic squash – and I better never give up. Both of those things were true. So I’ll try not to be too hard on myself, try to learn as many lessons as I can from this tournament, train hard, and be ready for the next match.

My semifinal opponent today was an excellent athlete and smart squash player. He is the kind of player that can cause all sorts of problems if you get into a rallying match with him – so I did everything I could to avoid that. My goal was to put pressure on him and hurt him with every shot. In the first two games we had long points but I was able to limit the amount of running I did and inflict a fair amount of damage. After two games he was pretty beat up and I was up 2-0. Going into the third I made a conscious effort not to rush the points by attacking to the back, and I

US 45+ Nationals semifinals

started off by inflicting a fair amount of damage and got a solid lead. Midway through, however, when I should have picked up the pace and gone for the kill, I kept the points long and he started to get into a bit of a groove and won a few points (including an interesting stroke call). I took this as a bit of a wake-up and picked up the pace and rolled off the last few points to win 11-7, 11-8, 11-8.

I am looking forward to the finals tomorrow. My opponent is a very experienced, strong player from Quebec who had a great 3-2 win today avenging his loss in the finals last year. I look forward to going head to head with him and giving him everything I’ve got.

Its a beautiful day in Charlottesville and we took a drive into the historic downtown to visit the original home of the Dave Matthews Band: Miller’s Downtown. To me there is no better way to spend time before a match than to put your mind into something you enjoy that has nothing to do with squash. There is no set thing – just do something you enjoy and your mind and body relax and you conjure pure positive energy. Then go to the courts and go through a short pre-match routine.

My quarterfinal opponent was a good player from Toronto. Willie Hosey is the pro at his home club, and any player coming out of Willie’s club is going to know how to play good squash. I hit the ball better than yesterday and felt very much in the moment as I played. Aside from a few unnecessary errors to start off the third game, I played pretty good squash and won 11-3, 11-4, 11-6. It was my kind of match – not one disputed call and maybe 3 or 4 lets or strokes the entire match. I play my semifinal match at 5:40 today.

I like to watch a good movie when I have a few hours to kill at a tournament.  My type of movies are inspirational sports movies – movies like Chariots of Fire, Miracle, and any Muhammed Ali fight.  To my girlfriend’s horror Rocky was in the discount movie bin at the 7-Eleven and I couldn’t resist.  I’m not sure though if I have the heart to inflict it on her.  Maybe just a few scenes . . .

I am in Charlottesville, VA at the US Nationals, the most important tournament on the calendar (I am in the 45+ division). As in Italy, I have been seeded #1, and as before I would prefer not be seeded first. When you are not seeded first, you have a chip on your shoulder and you feel that you have something to prove. When you are the top seed, it is sometimes hard to shake the dangerous feeling that you have accomplished something. Because being seeded #1 means nothing. The key is to be in the moment, hitting the ball well and hitting the right shots. Everything else takes care of itself.

My first match was against a good player from Salt Lake who had flown in on the red eye and already played a match today. I put a fair amount of pressure on him and hit the ball pretty sharply for a 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 win. Sometimes a first match can be a bit choppy as you are getting used to new courts and there is a bit of anxiousness as you get into the swing of the tournament. I did a good practice session this morning but I was still a bit rushed when I played today. But I am glad to have the first match out of my system and am excited to play tomorrow.

This afternoon I did something that meant a lot to me. One of my favorite people, Gary Crimi, is a great squash buddy who coached me a lot when I was in high school in New Hampshire and moved to the Charlottesville area 25 years ago. I last saw him 20 years ago and today I went on an adventure to find him. Gary is pretty much off the grid, and hours of internet searches gave me nothing to work with in terms of contact info. But I knew he was in Nellysford, a tiny town 20 miles SW of Charlottesville. So we drove into town, and I tried to figure out who would know him and know where he lives. I saw a pizza place which reminded me of a place we used to go to in New Hampshire and I just knew they would know Gary. Sure enough, they knew him really well. He has an account there and stops by all the time. They showed us how to get to his house, and we showed up, rang the bell, and had a tremendous time catching up with my old buddy.

I love squash and I love to compete, but at the end of the day the friendships are what last.

A student told me the other day that he was having a tough time controlling his nerves before a match and that he was getting so worked up that he couldn’t think while he played and it was feeling all like a blur. He was hitting the wrong shots at the wrong time and felt like he had no control over the outcome. I am getting ready to head down to Charlottesville, VA tonight for the US 45+ Nationals, so the subject of how you prepare for a match is very much on my mind.

There are several keys to focusing yourself effectively for a match, and there are several things to avoid:

1) Focus on your strategy.  A key component of “nervousness” is focusing on things that you cannot control, so don’t get consumed by what your opponents may or may not do. Instead of thinking of how you will respond to an opponent, think about the game you will impose on them.

2) Realize that your nervous thoughts are just that – thoughts. Thoughts are not reality, and you have the ability to pay attention to them or not. Great champions don’t pay attention to nervous thoughts – they realize that the brain will create these thoughts whether of not you want them and they just tune them out.

3) Develop a pre-match routine. This might involve light drilling, stretching, a good steam, healthy food and plenty of sleep – figure out what works best for you.  Again, focus on your own preparation and don’t worry about your opponent.  They are probably more nervous than you anyway.

Good luck!

After a week on the road playing tournament squash it is good to get back on the court with my drilling partner and re-groove my strokes and shots. While tournament squash has many benefits, it can actually have a strangely detrimental effect on technique since when you compete the focus tends to be exclusively on strategy and mental toughness. It is nearly impossible to compete effectively while focused on technical issues with your game. Since I want to be sharp for upcoming tournaments and league matches I was quick to get in touch with my friend Eli Slyder, a fellow teaching pro in NYC, and to set up a drilling session.

There is a somewhat annoying saying that goes “Practice doesn’t make perfect – perfect practice makes perfect.” It is true. Watching students of mine practice sometimes makes me cringe. So I was thinking about a few keys that I follow to make drilling the most effective it can be.

1) Find a good drilling partner. Some players really don’t enjoy drilling, so don’t try to drill with them. They will not put in the necessary effort to make drills work and it will be a waste of time. Once you find someone who loves to drill, is willing to try new drills, and is good enough to keep the drills going, hold on to them. They might end up doing more to improve your game than anyone else.

2) Be a good driller. Don’t just put effort in when it is your turn to hit the shot – put just as much effort into making good feeds. For example, when hitting the boast in a boast/drive, don’t hit the tin. If the drive is too tough, pick up the ball and hit the boast out of your hand. It is beyond frustrating to be waiting to hit the drive and the other guy keeps tinning. I will never drill a second time with a bad driller.

3) Make the drills mimic game situations. Get back to the middle after shots. Throw in variations that keep the hitter honest. Put 100% focus on each shot.

4) Develop a drill routine. Instead of standing around after each drill trying to decide what to do next, create a progression of drills that flow one to the next. This will make the session more productive and really allow you to get into a good groove.

5) Spend enough time on each drill. I sometimes see students do a drill for 30 seconds and move onto the next one. Give yourself 2-3 and ideally 5 minutes per person on each drill to really give yourself not just time to get into it, but time to analyze, make corrections, and then groove the corrected stroke.

6) Be open to comments your drilling partner might make. It is hard to know everything you are doing when you strike the ball. But your drilling partner is there watching you. Be open to comments or suggestions they might make. Sometimes one little observation can lead to a major breakthrough.

I suggest drilling at least one time per week as part of your weekly squash schedule. If you do it right you will very quickly feel your game get sharper and sharper, and at least for me it makes me that much more hungry to get on the court and compete.

In many matches, there are points in which you become aware that this is not just any point – you have to win this point. Maybe it is when you sense that your opponent has gained a second wind, or maybe a newfound confidence. You have to shut them down now.  In these points you must be even more disciplined than ever and be sure not to take any shortcut to winning – keep playing the right shot over and over and whatever you do do not make an error. If they are going to win this point make them pay for it.

In my final match today, I won the first game pretty comfortably. I was playing well against a strong opponent. But I started out in the second with three straight lazy errors. Then the match next door finished and the crowd came over and saw that my opponent, who is local to Bari, was up. The crowd swelled and the cheering started. I sensed this could be a turing point – he could ride this wave of enthusiasm and overcome the fatigue that I had inflicted in the first game. He started playing better and I realized it was time to tighten up my game.

With my finals opponent, Pierluigi Morelli

With Tournament Director Dino Ranieri

Champion of Italy with my prize

I slowly began to come back and managed to win it 12-10.  Now up 2-0, I knew that if I stayed focused then I could achieve my goal.

I won the third and the match 11-6, 12-10, 11-7.  I was very satisfied that I played determined, focused, and good squash throughout the tournament.  I’d like to thank Bari Squash Center owner and tournament director Dino Ranieri for a well-run tournament, the Italian Federation for organizing the event, the refereeing crew for being very professional, and my opponents: Massimiliano Veracini, Ruggero Illuzzi, and especially my finals opponent Pierluigii Morrelli for a clean, hard-fought finals.