My Hardest Squash Match EVER - 5.7 vs 4.8: THE DIFFERENCE

[@ChrispySquash]

What an experience playing someone of this caliber! I've never played anyone rated this high so it was such a fun opportunity for me. In this match, I think I made many mistakes, but I also think my opponent completely dominated me in controlling the T. Definitely disappointed I couldn't put up a better fight, but it was really fun!

[@clizzaster]

Good fight! You made him work hard in the second and third games.

[@ChrispySquash]

thanks he’s definitely a different level than me, but it was so fun

[@SantiagoOntanonVillar]

@@ChrispySquash Other than the first game, I think the match was closer than you make it sound! There are some good rallies and many were decided by just mistakes (from both sides). You definitively have a chance at getting some game out of him!

[@generalgrevious2712]

Nice match! Where do you find tournaments to play? I’m in college and want to play tournaments

[@ChrispySquash]

@@generalgrevious2712 Make a clublocker account with US Squash and you can register for events and open tournaments. They have a lot of different skill levels so it’s really fun. Only thing is that a lot of them depend on where you live- they have some good ones in NYC and Philly if you’re around there. It also can be a bit expensive- you’ll have to buy a US squash membership too (~$100) plus tournament fees.

[@tt-nm4yj]

GG man, im a 3.7 and i learn a lot from your videos!

[@ChrispySquash]

@@tt-nm4yj what a nice compliment! There’s def better instructional videos out there but I’m glad you enjoy them :)

[@alfredtu2]

I think you did decent for such a big gap in the rating. Cool to see! Lots of room for improvement!

[@ChrispySquash]

Thank you! Yes, it was an awesome experience and really cool to see the difference.

[@dmihovilovic]

I recommend you turn more your head and torso to see the other guy hitting the ball when he is behind you. I am working on this same issue :-)

[@ChrispySquash]

@@dmihovilovic thanks for the advice!

[@DoctorMarkW]

Well played. One tip: racquet up when you're on the T!

[@uu-qq5mm]

I've watched a few of your videos and if you want some general tips - watch the ball, turn your shoulders (and hips a little) on the T so you can see what's happening, but keep your feet mostly forward so it's easier to explode onto the front. - work of developing you split step more, the lighter and sharper you can move from the T, the more confident you'll be to sit there and not have to run through it using momentum guessing where the ball is going - try to lead your swing with the bottom edge of your racquet, this'll keep your strings more open. also get your left arm involved more often, you move it sometimes but I don't think you understand that it's meant to be used for balance, it'll make you a lot more stable which will make you more consistent - think about using WHEN you hit the ball to change the shot rather than HOW. you hit crosscourts late a lot of the time, forcing you to flick and hook the ball. taking the shot more in front will naturally have the ball going crosscourt - think about your first step off the T to the ball also bringing your racquet up and finally, you're not Mezan Hesham, your racquet face doesn't need to move that much mid swing If you plan on watching pros to learn, don't try to learn from talented Egyptians will loads of finesse until you're more well rounded and have better technique/movement. You wouldn't study Shaq to get better at basketball

[@ChrispySquash]

@@uu-qq5mm WOW this is awesome, thanks for the advice. I’ll take all of this into consideration when playing. Funny you mentioned Mazen Hesham, he’s one of my favorite players! LOL

[@adriantaylor365]

Definitely watch the ball. A lot of the shots that caught you were get-able with your movement and fitness but you were seeing it late.

[@ChrispySquash]

@ thanks for the advice, I agree. I have a bad habit of doing this

[@captainzork6109]

When instead of how is a very interesting tip! Do you mean thinking about "when" in the sense that you're just generally thinking about if you can volley, 3/4th depth, take it off the glass, dig it out, and so on? Or do you mean the exact point in the court at which you think it's best to strike the ball? Or something else entirely?

[@ChrispySquash]

Fun points: 7:14, 8:36, 10:41, 14:15, 16:34 BAD HOLDS: 7:31, 11:23

[@clizzaster]

That point at 16:34 really hurt him.

[@ChrispySquash]

haha I hope so!

[@ewallt]

I assume you’re the short guy. You played very well the second game, doing much better at pulling him off the T. You’re holding your racket so it’s almost touching the floor when you’re waiting for his shot. Having it in ready position will save you time, allowing you to volley shots you don’t have time to volley now.

[@ChrispySquash]

@@ewallt thanks for the comment and advice, yeah I’m lazy af haha thanks

[@ewallt]

@ You’re not lazy; it’s just a matter of habit. If you have your racket low, your opponent hits a shot, and you know you don’t have time to volley it, but if you have your racket ready, you can hunt the volley much more aggressively. You actually had a reaction shot where you quickly responded with a volley, and I thought “Wow! This guy has really quick reactions.” I think if you worked on keeping your racket ready, it would pay dividends for you.

[@ChrispySquash]

@@ewallt I rewatched some of my videos and you are so right, I have a bad habit of keeping the racket so low… I’ll work on it haha will be hard to break habits but thanks again!

[@kenyankush]

Unfortunate that your lobs were off today. Alex has great movement hard to get anything by him!! Was honestly still quite a close match lots of good rallies. Just gotta keep the unforced errors down and tighter rails. Could def get some games off him

[@ChrispySquash]

haha you are optimistic but thanks kenyan kush!

[@ChrispySquash]

I also really like his flick whenever I dropped (8:10 and 15:34) - I really struggled to read it.

[@Orbituation]

You played pretty well in the second game. He lost a bit of focus after he stomped the first game, and you capitalized on those rallies. I think you should try an earlier racket preparation, you seem to be making your back swing a little before hitting the ball, which might cause some timing issues sometimes. You can compare with your opponents', it might also give you a bit more time to volley.

[@ChrispySquash]

@@Orbituation interesting advice, thanks! I appreciate the feedback and will look out for that in future matches 💪

[@swingeasyguy]

Nice match to watch. I'm around the same rating as you (4.6.5) and have played players of that calibre. Biggest difference is in pressure shots and retrieving better from the back corners and returning with interest. You played well though. You didn't put enough of your mid to front court opportunities away when you had the chance though. (low hard cross courts skipping to the back)

[@ChrispySquash]

@@swingeasyguy Nice! Do you play any tournaments in the northeast (Philly/nyc)? Yeah I’ve never played a match with a person this level so it was a great experience, he moved better than I expected!

[@swingeasyguy]

@@ChrispySquash I play up in Toronto. Was going to play in the masters in Philly, but going down to Florida to golf. Want to get down to the Spectre Centre sometime, looks awesome! A guy at my club is that level, he just toys with me! (and I'm over twice his age). but we always try and improve, makes this sport amazing. cheers David

[@ChrispySquash]

@@swingeasyguy Specter is a great facility. You should play in the Skills Tournament there. They have it every year in Philly. Thanks for the comment!

[@archieharris1226]

What are these numbers and decimals?

[@ChrispySquash]

It's how US squash assesses strength of a player. I'm an amateur club player and my rating is around 4.9/5.0 right now. A lot of Drexel varsity players are rated 6.00-7.00. Pros are even higher. Ali Farag (world number 1) for example is rated around a 8.00 right now - it's honestly ridiculous how good these guys are haha

[@MsShaneo]

How do the American ratings coincide with squash levels (the ranking platform)?

[@ChrispySquash]

It's just how US squash assesses strength of a player. The PSA ranks are a completely separate system for professionals. Funny enough, most pros have a US squash rating since they have played pro events in the united states before. A lot of Drexel varsity players are rated 6.00-7.00 for example. Pros are even higher. Ali Farag for example is rated around a 8.00 right now - it's honestly ridiculous how good these guys are haha

[@MsShaneo]

@ChrispySquash i understand all that. I'm from nz , we used to have our own system aswell but changed to squash levels to try and align us with the rest of the world(not many like it). I'm just trying to get a gauge of how good you guys actually play.

[@MsShaneo]

​@ChrispySquash was Christopher's last name moir?

[@zizazizi]

Nice squash! Is the ball a double yellow dot?

[@ChrispySquash]

@@zizazizi yeah normal two dot

[@ChrispySquash]

DECISION? 17:24

[@clizzaster]

Stroke, but your racquet prep in general is really lazy. If your racquet was up earlier, it would be an easier stroke call.

[@ChrispySquash]

I am just lazy all around haha thanks for the comment!

[@kenyankush]

Stroke. But gotta get that racquet up earlier like the other guy said

[@ChrispySquash]

@@kenyankush don't make me taxi you next week

[@kevinwu2171]

@@clizzaster @chrispySquash, respectfully, I disagree. really demonstrating strong racquet control here Chris!

[@petereedy6092]

Someone at the club needs to take the two spectators sitting behind the back wall aside, and explain to them about squash etiquette ...

[@ChrispySquash]

@@petereedy6092 it’s okay, they might not have been aware I was filming. I probably should’ve told them haha they were nice guys

[@kiwikiwi223]

@petereedy6092 there's seats there for a reason lol. They probably didn't know he was recording not that it matters you can still see the match fine

[@harvistwilliams6029]

Recording or not they were being so noisy when you were playing. it seems to be the American spectator culture just seems weird.

[@petereedy6092]

@@ChrispySquash my comment wasn't about the filming, it was about them talking noisily and not watching the match - and not allowing other spectators to enjoy the match They should have gone to the club bar instead

[@petereedy6092]

@@kiwikiwi223 my comment wasn't about the filming, it was about them talking noisily and not watching the match - and not allowing other spectators to enjoy the match They should have gone to the club bar instead

[@okedoke1234]

OK I am a lifelong racquetballer, have never played Squash (it looks awesome!)....question on serving.....can Squash serves be offensive? they seem pretty anticlimatic to me. Serving is such a big part of racquetball

[@ChrispySquash]

@@okedoke1234 there are different types of serves: lob serves, body shot serves, but most normal serves you just want high and close to the sidewall. Most of the time it’s not really offensive but more so just trying to make sure the opponent can’t destroy the shot immediately.

[@okedoke1234]

@@ChrispySquash Thanks! Any tips for a racquetballer transitioning to Squash?

[@ChrispySquash]

@@okedoke1234 That’s a tough one… try to join some leagues or clubs to play different skill levels. The game and pace are very different… just be patient and feel it out. Squash is a great game.

[@bobjones123ism]

Not really, which makes the game better in many people's opinion, because it encourages longer rallies.

[@israelgefen2218]

need to keep the ball tight near the walls, too loose, need to improve your drop shots with better backswing for extra deception.

[@ChrispySquash]

@@israelgefen2218 yeah for sure, thanks for the advice

[@vepica2689]

your opponent definetely didnt play up to his rating

[@logx-ow1us]

I had this happen last weekend, but he’s 1.5 points higher than me. I’m a 5.1 and dartnell is a 6.6. He only hit length and beat me 11-4 11-2 11-4. It was funny but also kind of demoralizing.

[@ChrispySquash]

bruh you played alex dartnell? isn't that guy like the us jr #1? LOL yeah there's levels to this game hahahaha

[@logx-ow1us]

@@ChrispySquash yeah he’s on st Andrew’s. His team is loaded. They have like 3 6.0s and their lowest guy is a 5.5

[@ChrispySquash]

@@logx-ow1us That’s insane haha I saw Alex play at Arlen a while back. He destroyed everyone haha

[@logx-ow1us]

@@ChrispySquash lol I don’t even know how people beat him. I couldn’t get him off the T even if I lobbed

[@RisingSun0904]

Just gotta tighten up those drives more! You had the right tactics in mind though!

[@ChrispySquash]

🫡🫡🫡 working on it! Thanks for the tip!

[@CediePc]

It seems like you look at the front wall instead of your opponent when he's playing the shot, this will give you less time to react or anticipate his shots

[@ChrispySquash]

@@CediePc Yeah I think I have a bad habit of doing this! Good observation.

[@kiwikiwi223]

Pays to play low when playing tall guys. Make them lunge alot takes there energy away

[@ChrispySquash]

@@kiwikiwi223 yes he was very tall and I am very short! Thanks for the advice!

[@sash4593]

You really got into it at the end. How tall is your opponent?

[@ChrispySquash]

Haha it was super fun. I have no idea but at least 6 foot, big guy!

[@neilmccartney6573]

What the hell are those two superstars doing talking shite through the match ?

[@ChrispySquash]

They were actually very nice haha they complimented our play!

[@yelow989898]

Bro my ocd is bugging me watching your backhand

[@yelow989898]

I want to correct it very badly

[@ChrispySquash]

LOL what’s wrong with it? 😭 I’ll take any advice!

[@yelow989898]

​@@ChrispySquash First step: you need to start to turn more. Imagine your swing can only begin on your backhand where your hand is in front of your belly button. From there you can turn to get power. Do not draw you hand back. I repeat do not!

[@ChrispySquash]

@@yelow989898thanks for the advice!

[@yelow989898]

@@ChrispySquash I am top 23 in Sweden right now. But I started off terrible when i was 15 years old. But I grinded and worked diligently on my technique and now I am soaring through the ranks. Mindlessly just playing matches will be tough at your age. You need to work on the technical aspect of the game if you want to become really good.

[@petercipriano5659]

Learn to hit a backhand crosscourt

[@ChrispySquash]

@@petercipriano5659 got any advice? What did you notice

[@petercipriano5659]

@ I don’t know if you were purposely doing it, but you almost never hit crosscourts from your backhand side. You become too predictable when you don’t mix up your angles and always play straight. If I were playing you, I would just look to jump on the volley and cut the ball off quickly to take time away from you. If you’re going to play as straight as you do, at least vary the pace and the height/depth of your shots. You could attack more with hard and low stuff while still not taking a lot of risk.

[@petercipriano5659]

@@ChrispySquashI think you also need to work on your racquet preparation and your grip/technique a little bit. You could be a lot more deceptive and hit better quality shots with earlier racquet prep and a cocked wrist. You’re a good player and can definitely improve a lot more.

[@ChrispySquash]

@@petercipriano5659wow thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely try to work on varying the pace and length more. Didn’t know I was this predictable. I’ll keep that in mind for future matches. Thanks again!