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NICK MATTHEW
08-Aug-06:
Nick's Blog ... Issue Two
 The
past couple of weeks have seen a shift in my training emphasis.
The Mamut English Open is fast approaching now so the emphasis has shifted
to getting as fast and as sharp as possible off-court, and then
implementing that on-court in numerous practice matches.
We are so lucky in Yorkshire at the moment to have so many world class
players in the region that quality practice matches are available at the
drop off a hat. Not only do we have the likes of Lee Beachill and
James Willstrop in Pontefract, but Anthony Ricketts has just
recently relocated to the area, and Adrian Grant is in Halifax.
There's a great group in Harrogate
under the watchful eye of my coach David Pearson, that includes Ong
Beng Hee, and just outside the region, Stewart Boswell is based
in Manchester.
 What
a fantastic bunch of players to have around to get you sharp in the build
up to a major tournament! And I haven't even mentioned the younger guys!
It's fantastic not only to have the top guys around but also younger
players like Chris Simpson in Harrogate and Alister Walker
in Leeds, who are rightly champing at the bit to play, and beat the top
guys, and that helps to bring out the best in you.
With the World
Open a week or so after Sheffield, everyone is ready to hit the ground
running at the start of the new season, and this has shown in the
intensity in some of the practice matches!
Off-court, my trainer Tommy Yule has been working with me to
develop my explosive speed and power to complement the strength and
fitness base that was put in place at the start of the summer.
Sessions in the past couple of weeks have involved a lot of plyometric
drills, including box and drop jumps, and sprinting and dynamic work out
on the track. I love these sessions because you can see the transfer
almost immediately when you go back on court, but they definitely wouldn't
have been as effective without having done the horrible fitness work
earlier in the summer.
Over the weekend I attended the
wedding of EIS video analyst Stafford Murray down in Ludlow, which
was a welcome distraction from training.
Stafford was British junior squash champion at U14 many moons ago and
worked for England Squash before taking up his current role at the EIS,
and the turn out of so many stars from the world of squash, including the
legend that is Peter Nicol, is a testament to the esteem that Stafford is
held in by us all.
I'll update you on the final week of my preparation next week and
hopefully see you all down at the Crucible from the 15th onwards!
Nick Matthew
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Nick's Blog ... Issue One
Training's going well. It's as simple as that. There's one or two things
that can be improved on, mainly on-court, but with the first tournament of
the season, the Mamut English Open, still some four weeks away, there's
plenty of time.
 I
love the summer; it's the only time in a squash professional's year when
you can get a solid, consistent period of training in and really eat away
at some of the weaknesses in your game that you identified the previous
season.
Having said that it's been pretty hard and it still comes as a shock to
the system how sore, stiff and tired you constantly seem to be at this
stage of the year!
Not that I mind that though; “If you're not feeling like you can't get out
of bed in the mornings right now, then you're not training hard enough,”
says my trainer Tommy Yule. And he's dead right.
There's plenty of room for rest and relaxation during the season when
tournaments all around the world come thick and fast. The phase of my
training I’m in right now is all about improving your base fitness and
strength.
In the gym we'll do a lot of body maintenance with specific emphasis on
the core and hip flexors which are both so important in squash, and
strength exercises such as squats and high step-ups.
Off-court most sessions at the moment have a particular emphasis on speed
endurance, which is basically training me to be as quick off the mark in
the fifth game as in the first, with sessions including fartlek running
and interval bike sessions.
On
court I've been working with my coach David Pearson on a lot of technical
and tactical aspects. The draw was released this week and I'm seeded six,
with a potential quarter final match-up against number two seed Thierry
Lincou from France on the horizon.
I don't have a particularly good record against Thierry, so there's plenty
of work to be done.
Outside of my training, I attended the
retirement announcement of Peter Nicol in London on Tuesday. It was a
lovely event, although wearing a suit and tie didn't particularly agree
with me on the hottest day of the year!
What Peter has achieved in the game has been unbelievable and the manner
in which he has done so has been even more special. I've been lucky to
have been involved in the last few years of Peter's career and I can
safely say there are few better role models in any sport.
Peter's last ever appearance on British soil will be in the Crucible
Theatre and I'm sure he'll want to go out with a bang.
I trained with him on Wednesday and he was in as good shape as ever, so
even with the stronger field this year, don't rule out a repeat of last
year’s final!
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25-July, Birthday Boy!
Nick is writing a blog for
replaymagazine over the coming weeks as he prepares for the
season’s first major event ... |
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