Coaching the Entire Squash Shot Cycle

USSRA Coaching Conference September 2000

Tim Bacon,Smith College

Gail Ramsay, Princeton University

Ice-Breaker!

• Turn to the person next to you and briefly tell each other (less than 15 sec.): based on your past

coaching experience what is the MOST important thing to teach to that C/B player (or young

junior/or no. 7 player on your team ladder)

Overview

• Shot-cycle

• Open skill process

• Global Approach to Error Correction

• 3 Coaching Principles

• Example Coaching Topics

The Shot Cycle

• Watching-Ready-Position (Perception =

anticipation + ball judgement)

• Movement to the ball

• Stroke

• Recovery

The Open Skill Process

• Perception

• Decision

• Action

• Feedback

Global Approach to Error Correction

• Appropriatediagnosis is critical for accurate training « prescription »

• Technical Error? 4 possibilities…

Examples of « Technical » Errors

Technical-Technical bad grip wrong swing path

Technical-Perceptual/Decision-making

doesn’t watch –arrives late

late startTechnical-Physical insufficient speed

poor enduranceTechnical-Mental choking

focus too narrow

Global Approach to Error Correction

Type of Error Type of Practice

Technical-Technical Stroke lesson

Technical-Perceptual/Decision-Making

Perception-Decision-making drills

Technical-Physical Physical training

Technical-Mental Mental Skills Training

Examples of Perceptual/Decision Errors

• Pays attention to wrong cues

• Focused on too small an area

• Focused on too broad an area

• misjudges path, speed, direction of ball

• miscalculates time/place of arrival of ball

• selects wrong movement to ball

• selects wrong instance of correct movement

The Psychological is Important too!

• Attention=concentration

• Nideffer ’s model of concentration

• attentional errors

• « choking »

Four Types of Attentional Focus

WIDTH

DIRECTION

Broad

Narrow

External Internal

Attentional Problems

Attending to past events (e.g., what was?)

Internaldistractions

Attending to future events (e.g., what if?)

Choking under pressureOveranalysis of body mechanics

Fatigue

Choking An Attentional Problem

Three Teaching Principles

• Progression not correction

• Respect learning styles - especially kinesthetic

• Integration - bridge the gap between practice and match play

Example « Shot-Cycle » Topics

• Watching - Anticipation

• Watching - ball judgement

• Movement - split-step

• Hitting: Decision-Making - drop or boast?

• Hitting - kinesthetic approach to teaching the grip

Anticipation in Racquet Sports

• Abernethy: « A » players initiate movement before the ball is struck - « D » players do not!

• Expert players rely on shoulder and racquet head cues - novices don ’t

• Differences between world-class and national-level players

Progression for Anticipation• Identify pre-impact cues

• train the perception

• train the decision

• train skill 1

• train skill 2

• alternate skills

• randomize skills

• competitive-conditioned game

• evaluate in match play

Brainstorm Other Anticipation Examples

• Groups of 3-4 coaches

• 2 minutes to find other examples (hint: most common situations, easiest to teach, beginner-intermediate-advanced topics)

• take up 1 example from several groups

• turn in examples - we will distribute

Teaching Ball Judgement

• Train the perception: straight or cross• Train the decision: « fore » or « back »• Train skill 1: forehand• Train skill 2• Alternate execution of skills• Randomize execution of skills• Competitive game• Evaluate in match play

Brainstorm Other Ball Judgment Examples

• Groups of 3-4 coaches

• 2 minutes to find other examples (hint: most common situations, easiest to teach, beginner-intermediate-advanced topics)

• take up 1 example from several groups

• turn in examples - we will distribute

Teaching the Basic Split-Step by Progression

• Verify split-step

• split to shadow stimulus

• split to coach self-rally

• split on coach feed - return to coach

• split during rotating rails

• split in game situation

• evaluate in match play

Decision-Making (Tactics) Progression

• Choose a topic: select two skills where player must differentiate

• “Sell” the decision

• Train the perception

• Train the decision

• Train skill 1

• Train skill 2

• etc.

Brainstorm Other Decision-Making Examples

• Groups of 3-4 coaches

• 2 minutes to find other examples (hint: most common situations, easiest to teach, beginner-intermediate-advanced topics)

• take up 1 example from several groups

• turn in examples - we will distribute

Kinesthetic Grip Progression

• Rally program from 6 ’: forehand, backhand, alternate, with and without a bounce, finish with short (easy) game

• « top » & « side » cues to « feel » the grip

• « méthodes de contraintes » - catch and send, contact behind, COLFing, etc.

3-min. Group Discussion

• How have you successfully changed/taught « poor » learners grips?

• What cues do you use?

• What progressions do you use?

• How can we get every U.S. junior to start with the correct grip?

Summary

• Shot-cycle

• Open skill process

• Global Approach to Error Correction

• 3 Coaching Principles

• Questions? Discussion?

• www.science.smith.edu/exersci/tbacon/home.html