New Mexico Squash Racquets Association 
January 21, 1995
New Mexico Squash Racquets Association
January 21, 1995
The article "Worrying About Failure Can Keep You From Enjoying Success" is a very interesting look at the psychological aspects of competing in tournaments. No, this is not just another "get-tough-and-win" article, but rather, some words of experience encouraging a focus on doing our best, rather than a preoccupation with being the best. This may sound simplistic to players who take competing in stride, but the article may offer the advice needed to pull our "low-profile-tournaments-are-not-for-me" players out of hiding and into some very enjoyable tournaments.
More advice on getting (and keeping) your head together in competition can be found in Randy Kahn's and Jonah Barrington's articles on their respective concepts regarding winning strategies.
Very fitting guidance on the timing and mechanics of the "let" call comes from World Squash Federation (W.S.F.) International Referee Rod Symington's article. The question of what situations constitute a legitimate "let" is a frequent and timeless one. Even more mysterious to most of us amateur players is whether a stroke should be awarded in a given "let" situation. This article provides answers to these questions in the words of one of the world's best squash referees. Also, a related, late-breaking news item: Albuquerque squash pro Chris Lang has set up a refereeing clinic with Rod Symington, coming up soon--see the special article on this subject for the details.
As for special local news items, thanks to Charlie Perkins for his excellent write-up on the Kiva Classics tournament, held in December. Notice that the tournament includes doubles, a spectacle that many "New-Mexico-born" players have never had the opportunity to witness, much less participate in, since the Kiva has the only doubles court in the state. If this interests you, check with Kiva Club pro Aziz Khan regarding future doubles events at the Kiva. The Kiva Classics also included singles. Hearty "congratulations" go to Frank Wolak of Albuquerque for his winning the 70+ singles--a well-deserved reward for all of his diligent practice and preparations. Congratulations also to Santa Fe's Bill Jones for taking second place in the 55+ A singles and to Dave Matthews, also of Santa Fe, for taking second place in the 55+ B singles.
Another successful Albuquerque tournament was conducted by Chris Lang. Read all about it in the article covering the match results of the 11th Annual Albuquerque Open, held in November. This tournament found Randy Kahn and Chris Lang in yet another tough battle in the Men's A finals. Chris eeked out a win (OK, I'm a little biased--congratulations, Chris). Yours truly and Hal Hudson made it to the semifinals in our respective pools of the Men's C round-robin competition (please send your congratulations in the form of cards/letters only, as our phones have been ringing constantly). And let me reiterate Chris' words of thanks to all of the Socorro and Tucson players who come out to play--please come back for our next event!
Speaking of future events, check out the NMSRA calendar for some unique tournaments, including the Women's Open Squash championships, to be held in Houston, January 27-29 and the Mardi Gras Open in New Orleans, February 17-19. Fun! Also, the annual Dallas Open is coming up March 3-5. Two weeks later, Chris Lang will host the soon-to-be-famous "You Name It" Tournament--unorthodox, to say the least; see the details in this issue. And do make plans to join TEAM NEW MEXICO as we continue our "tour of terror"--this time in beautiful San Diego during the second weekend in April. Randy Kahn is making the arrangements with the host club and yours truly is the social director--should be a blast. Finally, mark your calendars for a fine New Mexico squash tradition, the Los Alamos Open, to be held April 28-30.
JULIE KAHN
With the sponsorship help of the NMSRA, and early participant pledges, NM Sports and Wellness Pro Chris Lang has arranged for W.S.F. International Referee Rod Symington to provide his highly acclaimed referee and certification clinic here in New Mexico.
Most of you already know Rod Symington from our continuing rules articles in the "Tell Tale". He is a Canadian from Vancouver, the author of Squash Rules For Players, and an internationally renowned referee.
The clinic will begin at 9:00 AM, 18 February, at the Midtown Athletic Club in Albuquerque.
The cost for participating in the clinic is $30. This is a good value when you consider it INCLUDES LUNCH, and you also get your own copy of Symington's book, Squash Rules For Players, a copy of the International Rules of Squash, and the Certification Manual. And if that's not enough, to make all this even more fun, an informal Round-Robin competition will begin at 10 AM Sunday.
In order to help Chris, please sign up by February 5th. Call Chris at 505-888-4811.
[Ed. Note: Successful completion of the test provides class D-4 referee certification]
The Premier Club is a pure squash club/state-of-the-art fitness facility. It also has four of the best 21' courts in California, as well as all the players from around the world that you can ask for. To maximize free time to experience the sites of San Diego, we will play both Saturday's and Sunday's matches at Premier, but against two entirely different teams.
We will fly non-stop to San Diego Friday afternoon, 3:25 pm, Southwest flight 846. After a light practice Friday evening, we will hit downtown San Diego's illustrious Gas Lamp Quarter for dinner and partying.
A semi-early 10 am Saturday match will allow spouses and other accompanying family members to sleep in and will leave the afternoon and evening for visiting Sea World, the world-famous San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Coronado Island, Seaport Village, or any other of the numerous attractions. Or maybe you just want to take a stroll along the beaches of charming La Jolla Village or Del Mar, followed by an elegant, quiet dinner (for two?) watching the sunset, and overlooking the crashing waves...
Sunday's match will be at 11 am, providing more morning leisure, but still leaving plenty of the day available to enjoy even more of San Diego prior to the 7:10 pm flight home.
Also, prior to the trip, player/coach Chris Lang will arrange and conduct four practices for the TEAM. These were very popular with participants in the TEAM NEW MEXICO trip to Las Vegas.
The cost for this trip is approximately $250 per person, including round-trip airfare, two nights luxury lodging, a rental car for two, and the four TEAM practice sessions. Please contact Chris Lang or Randy Kahn to "join the TEAM". Full payment is due Feb 13th. For non-playing companions, the package cost will be reduced by $30.
[The initial version of this article was published in RUNNER'S WORLD magazine. However, as it is relevant to all competitive sports, it was edited to apply to squash. When this article was first published, Bright, a former national-class diver and gymnast, was a sports therapist in Michigan, counseling amateur and professional athletes.]
Sam, a new B player, was sitting across from me, agonizing over whether or not he should enter the upcoming tournament that was going to attract some top B players.
This was a difficult decision for Sam because he had started out as a recreational player, playing for exercise, fun and his own satisfaction.
Recently, he had entered a few of the small local tournaments, and with each tournament his results had steadily improved. In fact, he had won the C division in the last tournament. But playing in this tournament meant going up against some big names, and top club players from out-of-state (possibly A-players who were "sand-bagging") with national ranking aspirations.
Sam's frustrations centered upon the fear of doing poorly and letting himself down. I decided the moment was right to tell him what a former All-American player, who's now in his 60s, had told me 18 years ago about competing and being a champion.
Naturally, the All-American talked about the hard work and dedication that are associated with athletic success. But when he started talking about what really constitutes a champion, he caught my attention. Perhaps it was because I didn't understand what he meant. He defined a champion as"someone who is as good as the best and better than all the rest."
As the years unfolded, his definition began to take on special meaning. One of the things I began to realize is that in order to be a champion with any kind of longevity, one must strive to not merely be "the best." Because once you are on top, the only way for you to go is down. Therefore, the goal is to be "up there with the best."
A further understanding of this definition came about when exploring the idea of "the perfect individual." Most people are unable to identify anyone who is perfect. How does this notion apply to the former All-American's definition of a champion? An athlete cannot win every time he competes, but a champion must be someone who wins more often than he loses. "As good as the best and better than the rest" also means that you are able to perform even when you don't feel like it. Athletes have days when they don't feel like performing. The champion, unlike every other athlete, is able to rise to the occasion and do his best.
Johnny Bench, one of the finest catchers in the history of baseball, attributed his ability to perform optimally to "pride." He said during a recent interview that he looked at playing his position as "a job." He took great pride in doing his job well because he had obligations to his fans, to his teammates and to himself.
There's no need to worry about whether you are going to win or lose. The odds have taken care of that. You've got to accept the fact that you are going to lose occasionally. What you want to do each time you compete is your very best. What more can you expect from yourself?
Both the world of sports and the world at large have come a long way since the Vince Lombardi era, when winning wasn't everything, it was the only thing. As the sphere of athletes has enlarged to include the courts as well as arenas and stadiums, so has our conception of victory and defeat enlarged. The everyday athlete need not consult the score sheets to judge his performance - he can examine himself. By looking inward, he can discover whether he rose to meet a challenge or retreated to avoid one; whether he extended the same generosity to his opponents that he did to himself; whether he acknowledged his limitations as readily as he displayed his prowess.
This new conception of victory can be liberating, but it carries with it a heavier responsibility. When achievement is judged subjectively it frees the athlete both from the score sheets and others' opinions. At the same time, it demands great honesty.
After I finished talking, Sam leaned back in his chair and gave a sigh of relief. In a calmer voice, he said that he'd gotten something special from what I had told him. He realized that he didn't want to be the kind of player who is just out to win tournaments. His life was too involved in other worthwhile and satisfying activities. Instead, what he wanted to achieve with his playing was the feeling of knowing he did his best - something that only he could define.
Sam's fear of playing in the big tournament wasn't as great as before. He simply looked at the tournament as another opportunity to do his best. And the final judge of what constituted his best would be himself. There can be no fairer, or sterner, judge.
My definition of a "good" player is one who beats the player that he should beat, and occasionally beats someone who is better than them. Some people call that consistency.
You might wonder why these "good" players are consistent, or perhaps more consistent than you. Of course, you know that good players practice and play a lot, facilitating consistency. They keep fit, as well. But did you know that good players are aware of how they're losing points and how they're winning points? Similarly, they know how their opponent is losing and winning points. With this awareness, good players adjust their tactics to decrease their likelihood of losing points and to improve their opportunities to win points.
For example, you're playing Doug again. Last time you guys met, you beat him, though it was close. You feel fairly confident that you should beat him again. But you're already down one game and far behind in the second. You can't believe what's happening. Doug's getting your bread 'n butter forehand boast - if not, it's hitting the tin. And where did Doug all of a sudden learn how to volley-put-away your serve to his backhand?..On the positive side, you don't feel tired and Doug's catching a few tins with his forehand rails . Yeah, they're weak. Damn!...Doug just hit the luckiest three-wall nick to win the second game.
Now you're down two zip - what do you do?
How is Doug winning points? That backhand service return volley. Right. So take it away from him. How? The easiest way is to serve to his forehand when you come in (believe it or not, most people don't think of this simple countermeasure, even though they know they're getting killed by that backhand volley return) Then, when you have to serve to Doug's backhand, change your serve. Serve into his body, or lob it, etc., and be looking for that volley put-away.
How is Doug losing points? With his weak - and getting weaker forehand rail. Right again. So, even though you feel more comfortable trading backhand rails, now's the time to give Doug more chances to tin out on the forehand. Yep, you're figuring all this out.
How are you losing points? That now-failing forehand boast. It always works! Nope. But you love it. Maybe you should just hit it softer - or harder - or lower. Yeah, although he's been getting them, you'll just hit 'em better. Wrong. Give them up. That's right. Quit hitting them. That's how you're losing points!
How are you winning points? This may not so clear. You normally win your points on your forehand boast. But since you haven't scored many points in total, it's hard to say how you won what few you do have. But you feel pretty strong, and you're not tired. Try extending the rallies, keeping the ball in play. Wait until you have a really simple put-away before you go for a shot. See if you can out-run him!
You now have a four-point strategy:
[The following article was downloaded from the NMSRA Internet Home Page, thanks to NMSRA member "Face" Janton of Tucson.]
I should imagine my own thinking on court is quite similar to many other top players, although we vary considerably in the application thereof. Players at all levels should have some kind of pattern, if only to make a tricky game a little less complicated.
Everything seems to happen so quickly in Squash that even the minutest amount of method can alleviate the madness of conflict! While a great part of my thinking cannot be applied in practice to its ultimate conclusion without an especial form of training far beyond the time quota of the average player, he can at least find in my own thinking a guideline to the format of his game and even choose one point relative to himself, perhaps a weakness, which he can now try to erase.
Self-examination is more difficult for the leading Squash players than for those in other sports because they so rarely see themselves depicted on film. But a continual self-analysis is advisable and in this way one can become much more capable of learning from victory as well as defeat.
I am only interested in one objective--winning. That is my all-consuming motivation, and the most powerful stimulus. Regardless of any friendship outside, on the court the opponent is a deadly enemy and I intend to destroy him--to do so is to survive.
Before I even reach the court I am well aware of the game I shall try to impose on most of my opponents. This I can adapt in play should the situation so demand, or prior to battle should I be faced with an unusual opponent. I KNOW in the changing room that I will knock-up, while preparing myself for the wholesale destruction about to take place! I will not puncture the tin in the preparation period, nor hit with full power until well warmed up. A sensible, accurate series of placements, mainly back to the opponent, is the best foundation. I shall gauge the pace of the court, check out the brightness, or lack of, in the lighting, and systematically bring myself to the 'moment of truth'.
When war is finally declared, whether serving or not, I shortly let the enemy know that the initial engagement will be brutally fought and no quarter given. Where armies are well-matched, any military historian worth his salt will tell us that neither initially will run amok, but with tremendous determination will sound each other out playing the percentages, eschewing the gamble, until a chink is exposed and the pressure is then further imposed.
My strategy is such and I am conveniently certain of a breakthrough because I know that he knows that I am the fitter man.
The basis of my game is LENGTH. Rallies are so much easier to win when the opposition has been confined to the rear by length strokes. When I am out-of-hand (the receiver), I am committed to getting the service back, by very exact percentage play, never granting a free point with an unforced error. My opponent is going to be made to realize that he has to win the point. I frustrate him with relentless length play and only place the ball short when I have almost carried him through the door or into the gallery! I only hit short from behind when extricating myself from a back corner and then that short ball will bounce high on the front wall enabling me to recover my position.
Now I have won the service and the thinking changes. I am still applying my fundamental length method, but there will be continual harassment and a much more positive attack. If I make an error the enemy gets the service and not a point--so all is not lost. Killing strokes are still played on the percentage basis--preferably when in front of the opponent and well-balanced, using drops and nick- kills.
I can now make more use of the strokes from behind my opponent and I find the boast is increasingly effective as he tires. All variations can be used but remember the best results come with discretion. Remember too that when you come to serve, you have a simple superiority--you have the ball and he has to wait for the 'Molotov Cocktail' to arrive. Ensure that it is explosive!
A final thought. I have so often been called ultra-defensive, just a physical machine devoid of strokes. There are so many 'pretty losers' and anybody can try for the dazzling winner and on occasions receive rapturous applause, and LOSE. Those players never win big matches but the reputations are sadly glamorized by the so-called cognoscenti. The hardest strokes to play and the best are the 'clingers', where the ball is brought so close to the side walls. Points are won outright or lead to winners, because the opponent can't return or does so badly. These 'lucky, boring', frustrating strokes are a central thread in my thinking. The gallery remains mute as the enraged enemy is drawn insidiously into the spider's web.
The Kiva Classics, always held on the first weekend in December in Santa Fe, NM, attracted a record 34 vet doubles teams this year. This included 51 players from out of state, ranging from Boston and Philly to Vancouver and Los Angeles.
The 50+ doubles was the biggest draw with l9 teams entered. This event was won by George Haggarty (Detroit) and Sam Howe (Philadelphia) who beat the Denver team of Mike Tramutt and Randy Wasche in a cliff hanger that went 3-2. Haggarty and Howe won their first round against USSRA Prexy Alan Fox and exPrexy Tom Wrightson. In the 50+ semis, Haggarty and Howe defeated Dennis Driscoll (Denver) and John Campodonico (San Francisco) by a 3-1 score. In the other 50+ semis, Tramutt and Wasche won a tough 3-0 match over the Portland Mikes: Mike Oliver and Mike Davis.
The Kiva Classics also attracts a strong turnout in vet singles. Outstanding was the 70+ singles which had seven players (the Nationals at Baltimore had four). The 70+ singles was taken by Frank Wolak (Albuquerque) with a 3-0 final over Claude Cowart (Colorado Springs). The 65+ singles had five players and was won by Don Boyko (Boston) in a 3-2 final over Ed Helfeld (San Francisco). But Helfeld got revenge in the 60+ doubles as he and Ed Marr (also San Francisco) beat Boyko and Murray Smith (San Francisco) in a 3-1 finals win.
The Kiva Classics also had 16 players in the 55+ singles. Warren Young (Dallas) won the 55+A singles with a 3-1 win over Bill Jones (Santa Fe). Bob Williams (Denver) won the 55+B singles finals with a win over Dave Matthews (Santa Fe). The 45+ singles had a 12 player field. The Denver doubles team of Curt Castleman and Jamie Knowlton met each other in the finals. Castleman won by 3-2 in a well fought but friendly final.
But the best squash was seen in the 40+ doubles final. With ten teams competing, the San Francisco duo of John Lau and Kris Surano made it to the finals where they played last year's Kiva 40+ champs, the excellent Denver team of Bob Bush and Ed McWilliams. The match was close all the way with Lau and Surano winning in the fifth game.
In the special awards department, USSRA Prexy Alan Fox presented "The 1994 Fred Oman Award". Fox's comments were that the recipient was recognized not for his many accomplishments in squash but because he stands for the highest quality in humanity that personifies squash. All who know C. Howard Wilkins of Wichita, Kansas would agree with Fox's description of the Award winner.
The weekend of November 4-6 played host to Midtown Sports & Wellness' Albuquerque Open. Forty players, from as far as Tucson, Arizona, suited up and swung their sticks all weekend long during the fierce competition.
Large round-robins were the format for all of the divisions. There were ten players in the Men's A division. Local favorites Chris Lang and Randy Kahn managed to capture their bracket of the round-robin only losing 2 games and 1 game respectively. Playing to a crowded gallery, Chris Lang defeated Randy Kahn 3-2 in a hard fought final.
In the Men's B division there were also ten competitors. Rick Hunt, of Albuquerque, accumulated the most points in his half of the round-robin. Newcomer to Albuquerque's tournament circuit, Joe Schmeider, from Tucson, won his half of the round-robin without dropping a game! He then proceeded to beat Rick Hunt 3-1 in a well-played final.
The Men's C catered to twelve players. The draw was divided into 4 three-man round-robins, with the winner of each bracket competing in the semi-finals. Midtown's Mike Dare and Julie Kahn went head-to-head in the first semi-final. Mike won 3-1 assuring him a spot in the finals. In the other semi-final, Chad Banks and Hal Hudson, both from Midtown, battled it out . Chad won the match 3-1. In the finals Chad Banks apparently was playing with a push broom as he swept Mike Dare 3-0. (It looks like Mr. Banks will be playing in the Men's B division of our next tournament).
In the Men's D's eight players from Albuquerque, Los Alamos and Socorro, New Mexico fought long and hard in a well matched division. Midtown's Al Otero and Dave Keller competed in the final. Dave beat Al 3-1.
This year's Albuquerque Open was the best tournament since Chris Lang was hired as Midtown's squash pro in May. The round-robin format made certain all participants played plenty of squash. If a trend has been set, the next tournament, to be held in late February or early March, should see 50 entrants! Thanks to all who participated, especially the boys from Socorro, NM and Tucson, AZ. We hope to see everyone at our next event!
Albuquerque Pro Chris Lang won the Dallas Metroplex tournament held November 18-20 at the North Dallas Athletic Club. In the finals he defeated San Antonio's Ahmet Sethia 3-1. He also defeated Dallas' Ahbi Biswa in the semis 3-2, after dropping the first two games. Good job Chris!
Albuquerque's Rick Jackson also competed in the tournament, playing in the B draw.
Let's begin with the fundamental principle: a call of "let" stops play. What happens after the call of "Let" is irrelevant to the outcome of the rally. A player should never hit the ball after a call of "Let" (because of the danger of injury), but if he or she does, what happens to the ball has no bearing at all on the decision-making process - play ceased when "Let" was called.
So at the moment "Let" was called, what was the situation? Where was the opponent? Where was the ball? Was the striker in a position to hit a winning shot? Or, was the ball nowhere near the striker's racquet?
This last situation is very common on the squash court: players constantly expect to be awarded a Stroke when the ball is nowhere near their racquet. You cannot get a Stroke if the ball is nowhere near your racquet.
A common situation is the following: a player hits a drop shot; the opponent runs up to the front of the court and puts up a high lob. The player, anticipating the lob, leaps across immediately and calls "Let", expecting to be awarded the Stroke. But where is the ball at the moment "Let" is called? It is still fifteen feet in the air and only Plastic Man could reach it.
Since "Let" stops play and since the ball was not hittable at that moment, the player cannot expect to receive the Stroke. Is it then a "No Let"? No, in most cases a Let will be the correct outcome, because although the player was fishing for a Stroke, he or she also had a reasonable fear of injuring the opponent. (A second later, the ball would have been within reach of the player's racquet.)
Similarly, if you anticipate that your opponent is going to hit a loose rail shot and you are standing waiting for the ball with your racquet ready, you can only expect the Stroke if you call "Let" when you can hit the ball. If you call "Let" while the ball is just rebounding off the front wall, you must time your call so that you make it at the precise moment you could hit the ball. (Of course, by then the opponent might just be out of the way ...)
So you can see that the timing of the call of "Let" is crucial. If you call it too soon, you cannot expect the Stroke. And if you leave it until the proper moment (as you should), the opponent may be out of the way - which is just as it should be.
This brings up an often overlooked procedural point - you must request a "Let". The referee isn't supposed to guess that you might want a Let or Stroke.
By Richard Hammer
Cash-Small Change 5.81 NMSRA Savings 100.84 NMSRA-Checking 1,358.80 Total Cash and Bank Accounts 1,465.45
Midtown Sports and Wellness will be hosting the inaugural "You Name It Open"
March 10-12. For this event, players are being asked to submit a name for the
tournament. The player providing the winning name receives free entry in the
event plus other prizes! The normal events will be offered including Men's 40's,
50's, and 60's. For information or questions, or to submit your idea for naming
the tournament, please call Chris Lang at 505-888-4811.
by Chris Lang, New Mexico Sports and Wellness Pro
October's tip focused on keeping your eyes glued to the ball and on hitting the ball straight and deep. This month's tip relates again to a player's dilemma; controlling the ball vs. hitting the ball with force.
All too often, while observing club level players sweating blood and tears on the court while trying to oust their opponent, they become obsessed with trying to drive the ball through the front wall with more power than the omnipotent Hercules himself.
Until players elevate themselves to that of a high B or A-level player they mercilessly beat the ball as if their life depended upon how hard they could hit the squash ball.
It is far better, smarter, and more rewarding to CONTROL the ball with a slower, better timed, more accurate stroke. Any player can smash the ball with all of his or her might; the result, usually is a ball which flies through the middle of the court.
During your next match, slow down the pace of your stroke. Think efficiently and accurately. The squash ball is not a golf ball zig-zagging all over the confines of the court. As a player, you usually have enough time to get to the ball.
With good footwork, early racquet preparation and a controlled stroke, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the result; a straight deep ball.
I hope you are all playing well, and I hope you enjoyed your holidays.
REMEMBER TO KEEP IT DEEP!!!
[From Squash Racquets, The Khan Game, pgs 20-22, by Hashim Khan, with Richard E. Randall, 1967, Wayne State Univ. Press]
Now I have morning time free and there are squash courts empty at club. Sometimes I have no opponent, no ball boy is there so early. What do I do?
One thing, I play Hashim against Hashim. I stand in back and stroke ball very soft to front. True, that other Hashim knows where ball is going, I cannot keep this secret from him. Still he runs like a hare to arrive before second bounce. Ah, he succeeds! He drives ball hard and it flies to back. Now first Hashim must turn and run like a hare also, to be in time. So I turn to back, to front, to left side, to right side, always running, stroking, running, stroking.
One day an officer comes to top of wall and watches. "Young man," he says. "You kill yourself." I do not like to worry this man. I slow down until he goes away.
It is good to run as hard as you can like this. You find out what you can do. Then you play a real opponent and never touch your limit, you are surprised, everything is more easy. But I do not know these reasons when I am a boy. I play alone because I am alone, that is all.
One way to learn fast, I know, is lessons, but one does not arrange this in a moment. Not every ball boy has a teacher. When my father is alive, he is a good friend of Abdullah Majid Khan, head coach for squash racquets at British Club. He wears a beard, he is old, and is very busy with officers. I do not like to ask him: it is not proper for such an important man to take time with a ball boy.
But Abdullah Majid has a son, Ismathullah, he is assistant, maybe 25 years, no beard. Also, he makes jokes, and he is very good in court. Before he come to work for his father, he is professional for Viceroy of India in Delhi.
One morning I say to Ismathullah, "Give me a lesson, and I give you four annas." This is my lunch money and is the same as 5c. I am lucky this day. Ismathullah needs this money.
We go into court and play ball back and forth. Ismathullah keeps close watch. "You stroke too late," he says. "Your body is too close to ball." Such things. I want to show him how I run. He does not care to see me run, there is enough wrong when I am standing in one place.
Many lessons I have from this man. Always I give him something, a little money, some fruit, to show him thanks. Many times Ismathullah says. "No, I want nothing."
I work alone also. Not running only. One thing I want is to make ball move properly to some mark. I stand in one place in court and make same shot many many times. Maybe one hundred, two hundred times. When ball begins to go again and again to that certain place where I aim, I go to a new position and I start again. Almost every day I do this. After a while, it is like court moves inside my head, I can close my eyes and see everything. Eyes shut, I stroke and ball goes to that mark.
All time I go to club in these years, I grow and get strong in arm and wrist. My racquet feels more light, I move my hand down on handle. I learn to snap my wrist and send ball like a bullet.
My lessons begin to change, They are not lessons, they are games, This does not happen all at once, this change. I do not remember when - maybe I am sixteen - when Ismathullah says nothing about mistakes. He puts all his thinking on his play, he does not relax, he runs and strokes hard and works for points. I go into court with him like I am opponent.
Now some British officers watch me in courts with Ismathullah and other friends, and they begin to say, "Give me a game, please Hashim" I am delighted.
Soon I do not sit on back wall to watch for ball flying out. I am not a ball boy. I an a squash player!
[Note, you can order Hashim Khan's book through the SQUASH NEWS magazine]
Rank Div. W-L Name PRO Khan Aziz PRO 16-2 Lang Chris 2 A 25-4 Kahn Randy 3 A 3-1 Mulla Rabah 4 A 18-7 Hammer Richard 5 A 13-11 Neal Dave 6 A 8-6 Kraut Bruce 7 A 3-1 Dodge Chris 8 A 10-9 Krauser Bill 9 A 10-12 Takala Bruce 10 A 0-9 Collie David 11 A 0-3 Cameron Jim 12 A 2-1 Jones WK 13 B 1-2 Fahey Brian 14 A 4-3 Ginsparg Paul 15 B 4-7 Stephenson Dale 16 B 2-8 Unkefer Clifford J 17 B 12-4 Silbar Dick 18 B 2-2 Baird Richard 19 B 9-11 Jackson Rick 20 B 1-3 Garrett Scott 21 B 5-3 Hudson Hal 22 B 5-9 Hussey Michael 23 B 1-1 Fullerton Paul S 24 B 0-2 Ballard Sandy 25 C 3-0 Ramirez Joe 26 B 7-5 Boggio Shelby 27 C 2-2 Carswell Courtney 28 C 5-9 Kahn Julie 29 C 3-4 Wolak Frank 30 C 5-6 Jackson Dr. Mike 31 C 3-3 Duffy Clarence 32 C 5-7 Anlian Edward 33 D 1-5 Perkins Charles 34 C 1-1 Dolejs Josef 35 C 3-5 Ortega Feliz 36 D 1-1 Boman Tord 37 C 1-1 Renger Harmut 39 C 1-3 Janton ChrisUnranked NMSRA Members B 0-0 Bolsterli Mark C 0-0 Cohen Joe C 0-0 Fearey Bryan D 0-0 Hamilton John C 0-0 Jones Ross E D 0-1 Leonard Aaron B 0-0 Mathews Dave C 0-0 Olson Dennis D 0-5 Oravecz Kalman C 0-0 Ortega Adam C 0-0 Rennie Richard D 0-0 Stark Stanley N D 0-0 Tubbs David C 0-0 Herman C.T. C 0-0 Klein Morris D 0-2 Simmons Dave D 0-0 Yogesh D 0-0 Hawrylycz Michael D 0-1 Dababneh Samar
Contributors: Julie Kahn, Richard Hammer, Chris Lang, and Charlie Perkins
Send articles & news to:
NMSRA Newsletter
7423 Lantern NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
or call Randy Kahn at 505-881-9840
E-mail: Kahnr@PLK.AF.MIL
Advertising Rates (Make checks payable to NMSRA):
full page - $85
3/4 page - $65
1/2 page - $45
1/4 page - $25
Business Card Size - $20
Annual membership to the NMSRA is $35, runs 1 May - 30 April, and includes membership to the USSRA. If you would like to become an NMSRA member, send your check made out to the NMSRA to:
Richard Hammer
1043 Cheyenne
Los Alamos, NM 87544
This page was last updated on Mar 30, 1996 at 09:46:54.