Killingberg
is back!
I had 4
weeks of training to catch up 6 months of descending form. At that point it
seemed like an impossible task, but I knew I had all the qualities in me. Even
though I was never closer to throw away my rackets and say “Im done with this
shit”. I convinced myself to get my life back on track first, before making any
such decisions. Wise man…
Ive had 3
weeks of good training now, and I am happy to say I am fit, motivated and
playing better than I have been playing since July 2013. I don’t know if I am
back on that form yet, but I am not far away. I still lack the tournament
experience and so this weekend I am travelling further north than ever before
to puzzle the last pieces together before the European Championship. The shots
and the fitness is there. Now I need to get into tournament mode, practice my
preperations, handling nerves, adjusting to hotel food, sleeping away from
home, tactics and mental strength.
If Brian
Phillips will forward my words of wisdom to the juniors on this bit, the
message is as following:
Staying in
the own comforts of your home, eating your own food, planning your own days and
competing in a known and safe environment spoils you. And yes, you can play
your best squash, because you are mentally and physically best prepared. You
play an opponent you have played hundreds of times before and you know his game
in and out. There are no referees, crowd and you know the courts and the
conditions.
Experience
is adapting as best possible to all these factors when you are competing
somewhere else. The further away from home you go, the more prepared you need
to be. Competing in your own country means you can still find the food you are
used to, but you might need to sleep on a couch, in a hotel, on a squash court
or an air matress. How do you play squash when you are sleep deprived? The courts
are colder than you are used to, is your warm up routine adapted to this? Is
there even room to warm up anywhere? You need to relate to a referee that
barely know what squash is (a standard squash referee) an opponent who is not
as fair as your normal training partner and a crowd that are cheering not only
for your opponent, but against you. The court has a different bounce and the
air is drying up your throat. Got to be prepared kids. There are many tips I
can give to help prepare for these things, but I don’t feel like writing it
all. We start with one today. A tip given to me by a good friend and squash
player Steve Finitsis. To adjust to the court you are playing one, during warm
up on court you find your spot on the front wall where you need to hit to hit
that perfect 2nd bounce in the back” dying length. I think that’s a
good start J
Now, with
that being said, that small digression there, this is why I travel to Tromsø
this weekend to play a tournament that might not give me the highest quality
matches, but to get into the tournament routine again. Personally I have
struggled with over/under adrenalization. I need to fine tune that balance. I
need to adapt to hotel sleep and food. I need to get into the system to adapt
tactics towards different squash players and to deal with difficult opponents.
I need to get “practice mode” out of the system
Plus, I
have heard great things about Tromsø as a city and the squash enthousiasm in
the city lead by Wiggo Olsen and Hans Christian Ribe. The boys in Tromsø are
doing a superb job with sponsors, media, service and the overall tournament
experience. In addition to this I am bringing my mum up as well for some
quality time on her birthday J Looking forward to it!!!!
What
happened?
I won the
tournament without dropping a game, and I am very happy with my mental preparation
and general professional attitude throughout the tournament. The adrenalization
was balanced, and I pushed my gameplan hard down anyone I faced on the opposite
end of the court. Which means all points made against me this weekend was well
deserved.
I really
enjoyed the entire tournament and the setting they have up here. The tournament
organizors do a superb job in arranging and hosting this event. By far the most
hospitable and enjoyable tournament to play in Norway at this moment.
Thanks a
lot to the tournament sponsors (who really help a lot), Wiggo, Hans Christian,
Tromsø squashklubb, the volunteers and the crowd who made a great atmosphere. I
will return. The sky is the limit boys.
Peace out
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