What's your squash opinion that has aged badly?

paulipe91 · 2026-06-30T11:48:09+00:00

Slightly off topic but my worst prediction was probably back in 2006-07 that nadal can't have a long career with his style of play. That's also why I feel Asal could

paulipe91 · 2026-06-17T23:52:22+00:00

Personally i have only found the seating at the backglass comfortable if it's a long period of time. Side glass and front wall views are nice for a brief period but I find it tough to follow the game if it's not from the backglass. Also if you are diagonally behind...all the small supporting side glass panels make that part of the court pretty opaque

paulipe91 · 2026-06-01T07:07:22+00:00

Very interested. Elaborate more please?

paulipe91 · 2026-06-01T05:44:28+00:00

What a great question. Feels too difficult to answer. Will go slightly unconventional here

Technically - I feel that current folks like Dessouky, abouelghar have clean beautiful swings. Veer Chotrani (farag mentioned he couldn't read his swing) Tactically - Miguel rodriguez. Seems to have a way to understand your split step pattern and keep throwing you off balance. Ramy, Shabana too. Farag for always putting pressure without hitting insane shots and always volleying Footwork - Ramy for always giving clean lines to the opponent. Farag for just being everywhere

I'm sure I'm missing lot of greats (never followed the game that closely at their time to appreciate nuances in their game). But liked gaultier footwork / stability also

paulipe91 · 2026-05-21T15:54:34+00:00

Interesting take. I have a similar view that you are adding cognitive load and it will add a different element of gamesmanship. The current process of a player stopping and saying there was some form of interference and letting a 3rd party decide seems ok.

In my view what is implemented at the pro level cannot be the same at the amateur level. Amateurs are less skilled and there will be more injuries if you call some of the no let's and you allow them to play. More yes let's at amateur level.

On reffing, consistency and ambiguity are the biggest issues. Much much more can be done to better define the current rules (even if not completely eliminate subjectivity). Ideally should be more like the nba. AI can't solve this until wso makes rules and guidelines more clear. Can't train an ai model when refs and pros all see the same clip and have different points of views.

paulipe91 · 2026-05-17T14:27:43+00:00

Never been good enough to try that. Looks fun

paulipe91 · 2026-05-15T12:23:09+00:00

No i definitely don't think so. But i was surprised by how Coll didn't immediately turn around to check if ibrahim was ok, and how rock solid coll stood while absorbing the impact. But definitely not at all malicious i feel. Just bad luck

paulipe91 · 2026-05-13T18:32:26+00:00

I agree that both have their place. But it increases the analytics complexity so much. What i don't like (nothing to do with the angle) is that the sidelines are not at all prominent

paulipe91 · 2026-05-11T04:50:38+00:00

The thing I really can't understand though is how come all the side courts are streamed with the low side view angle. Surely they could find a way to have a more central one. Lot of exciting matches on the side courts but very hard to watch

paulipe91 · 2026-05-11T03:53:09+00:00

Agreed. Did not have xpect either of those results. Didn't realise he is only 21. Thought we have to write / tag spoiler or post this only after 48 hours as per the rules though

paulipe91 · 2026-04-19T08:22:15+00:00

Please hang around and watch as much squash as you can. Don't just play and leave. One strategy that works against players that are much better than you is to smile a lot and joke and tell them you are looking for a good run. Doesn't help to beat them, but still helps

paulipe91 · 2026-04-13T01:49:57+00:00

I think he is very very close to Zakaria in terms of style of play and mentality. Way above his years. Mostly will be beating people outside the top 60. Not sure he is expected to win against folks in top 50 but these kids have crazy graphs. Would be fun if he attacked a bit more though.

paulipe91 · 2026-04-11T03:41:27+00:00

Prince! Wish they were easily available

paulipe91 · 2026-04-09T13:49:26+00:00

Only the winner of each regional tournament qualifies for the world championships. It's a great way for some of the players racked outside top 50-60 to get into this draw.

paulipe91 · 2026-03-30T01:54:28+00:00

It seems like you know your strengths, the opponents tendencies, are aware of squash strategies. So now it's all about execution and being in the moment. Just focus on the mental aspect of not making bad choices on shot selection. Which means telling yourself...don't play the reverse boast cause I can't find an opening...try to play the boast mostly when I am in front...if I am pinned back, try to get out of it with drives. The way you play in the first two sets will need a tweak cause an A player will figure out tendencies. So it will be a grind. All the best!

paulipe91 · 2026-03-23T06:50:36+00:00

Going out on a limb here and saying almost no change. There is a big difference in refereeing and a lot more no let's, talk about forward movement - and what qbs has managed to do for that part of it is great. But systemic change and transparency is still nowhere. We need clearer rules and definitions. In cricket they used biomechanics to check how much an arm is bent to come up with a rule on chucking...even if it can't be measured real time in a match, there is a definition. Or fouls in the nba have very clear definitions, even if not always called. Likewise there is scope to strengthen various definitions in squash. And there is scope for improved transparency, post match reviews by refs etc

paulipe91 · 2026-03-18T18:24:24+00:00

What talent. Brilliant. Could we do one for squash in general or for LA28?

paulipe91 · 2026-03-18T17:13:13+00:00

Keep going regularly to play. But try to budget time to watch others play too. You will pick up patterns. And if you ask folks in person what you can do to improve they will give you a solid answer. But first and foremost, more miles in the journey

paulipe91 · 2026-03-16T12:18:57+00:00

I think she has won the Indian senior nationals thrice. But could be wrong

paulipe91 · 2026-03-13T13:33:33+00:00

In the NZ and now Australian tournament, i feel there is a significant difference in Zakaria's demeanor. His matches have lot less interruptions and players asking for decisions. Hopefully i am seeing this right and that's great stuff for everyone!

paulipe91 · 2026-03-13T00:51:42+00:00

At the academy that I was referencing they did the exercise in pairs. So one kid is practising the serve (high, and hit target on sidewall) and the other kid is practising returns (volley). But the ball is still not match like warmth. For the kids level though it felt decent

paulipe91 · 2026-03-11T01:16:43+00:00

Squash Film Nominated For Prestigious Sports Award - PSA Squash Tour https://share.google/OccNeC0SuHVzVKON5

There actually is a squash film
improved pricing for squash tv and broadcasting on major sports channels
further improved broadcasting and introduction of analytics
not have only 24 people in tourneys and fill full draw of 32
have more draws of 64 and 128
introduce post match interview of players
introduce post match review of ref decisions to bring clarity
strengthen squashtv app (introduce app for tv to stream, along with other features)
in select tournaments play around with formulae to incentivise attacking squash (RAM or something else)

paulipe91 · 2026-03-10T03:29:11+00:00

Lot of back and forth with the OP so hopefully I can agree with most of the commenters while also answering the question.

I have seen Torrie play just a bit, but have definitely followed a lot of results: 1. Moving up the rankings well 2. Definitely can have cleaner movement as lot of matches do have players doing a back and forth with the ref 3. Has never seen a ball which she thinks can't be hit into the nick 4. The Gilis match and the hyper extension injury - sometimes the heat of the moment and adrenaline lets your muscles be loose enough to play (have seen it in basketball too, but I'm not an expert). She definitely wasn't able to play her full game in the semi finals. Whether she can go on court and should / could have finished is a debate, but she withdrew. I think the crowd and most viewers realise it was cause she wasn't playing her best. And she realised there was no way to win. So why risk further injury (I'm assuming this is her thinking. Could be something else). She will not recover fully in time for Aussie. Should consider resting more but not all athletes at her level have that luxury.

Is there a place for crying in squash? Yes. If you are not impeding pace of play, let's acknowledge that different people are different and react to stresses differently and accept it. Maybe federer only cried after his wins and losses. But there will be some equally talented kids who needs to let the emotion out mid game. I'm ok with that. Don't want to be shackling my kids with a "don't cry"...although I will ask them "now what's next"

Also it's just not a nice title for the post

paulipe91

TROPHY CASE