In Squash - The Podcast

Shajahan Khan comes from a family replete with squash pedigree; father Zarak, and uncles Hiddy and Zubair all top 10 players in the world. Shajahan has been making great inroads of late, especially after his big win at the Memorial Open in Canada earlier this year which earned him a spot in the World Championships in Chicago in February. He'd really like to put Pakistan back in the thick of things, and with a great team backing him, and his attitude and game plan in place he might just be on his way.

The proof is in the pudding, and for Rob Owen the proof is that his players have been playing unbelievable squash over the past few years, and the 2018/19 campaign has been particularly noteworthy. For those of you who know Rob, then you'll likely enjoy his look back at the backstory that has brought him to where he is today, one of the top coaches in the game without question. If not, you need to a listen to this great chat about Rob's career and his thoughts on the game as it is today.

Jamie Crombie has just launched thesquashexchange.com, a personalized squash training website which brings something new and exciting to the value of online squash material that already exists. Jamie's backstory is three-pronged and nothing less than impressive; he ranks among Canada's all-time greats, he's a long-time and very successful teaching professional, and he's parlayed his athleticism on to other sports representing the US in the world duathlon on four occasions. Jamie and I break down how thesquashexchange came to be and what it brings to the table.

From brilliant professional career to putting himself on the map as one of the top coaches out there, Nick Taylor's squash resume speaks for itself. Nick and I talk about the early glory days when he was winning European Squash Championships and getting to the finals of the British Nationals. The passion of course was there, but Nick's passion for coaching might be even more palpable. We covered so much ground here including his new role as Director of Squash at Infinitum Squash, what it takes to build a program from scratch, junior development, masters squash, and use of the red-dot ball in our training and solo practice.

The 2018/19 campaign couldn't have gotten off to a better start for Raneem El Welily; 3 finals, 2 victories, and a real look at regaining the #1 world ranking. Raneem and I talk about her summer training in Egypt where she worked hard with her coach Haitham Effat. We also take a look back at that memorable 2015 season when she took the number 1 spot from Nicol David (who held top spot for over 100 months in succession) and became the first ever Egyptian woman to achieve world #1 in professional sport. We also discuss a recent TedTalk she gave and her feelings on driving in Cairo.

SJ Perry is off to a flyer this 2018/19 campaign, defending her San Fran Netsuite title and reaching the final of the Carol Weymuller Open. After a successful 2017/18 season, she didn't rest on her laurels; knuckling down over the summer with a few tweaks here and there have laid the groundwork for this season. SJ also talks to us about the impact that her coach Robert Owen has made on her game over the past few years, and an unfortunate incident that she came home to after spending over a month across the pond.

From US child prodigy, to US collegiate squash national champion with Princeton, to a world ranking of 48 and rising, Todd Harrity has sunk his teeth into life on the PSA tour. The 2018/19 campaign has gotten off to a very promising start for Todd, but that's not without plenty of groundwork, hardwork, and changes to his game along the way. Todd seems ready to take that next step in his rise up the PSA rankings, and we talk about what it took to get to where he is today, and the changes he believes are needed to take that next big step.

The winningest coach in collegiate squash history, US Squash Hall of Fame inductee, and US National Squash Team head coach, Paul Assaiante's squash journey has been nothing short of impressive. For the past 20 years he's led the Trinity Bantams to countless national titles and mind-blowing unbeaten streaks whilst having to compete against the Ivy powerhouses. Equally as impressive is the current upsurge in US men's and women's squash in which he has played a leading role in. His look back at this and his squash insight comes through a great deal in this episode. Enjoy!!

The Canadian sun rises first in Cape Spear, the eastern most point in North America, and home to a place that we should all take the opportunity to visit, Newfoundland. Today's episode takes a look at Newfoundland's unique squash history which dates back to shortly after it entered confederation with Canada in 1949. Its squash history is rich and well told by Steve Gardner and Dave Feder in a nostalgic, light-hearted look back at the game in this beautiful province.

Proud resident of Paderborn (not Paderhorn), Simon has a lot to look forward to both at home and on the PSA tour. Recently married and expecting a baby boy in December, he'll be relishing time at home. Meanwhile, he's also playing squash of the highest level, and that bodes well for a great 2018/19 campaign. Simon gives us his thoughts on all of the above in what was a very enjoyable conversation.

With a victory in Nantes under his belt and a very respectable 3rd round showing at the US Open, Declan James is out of traps with the bit between his teeth at the start of the 2018/2019 campaign. His recent rise into the world's top 20 seems a fitting way to kick off the 2018/19 season, but he's under no illusions that the rest will take care of itself. Declan discusses his recent run of form, what he needs to do to keep on top of things, his relationship with coach Philip Whitlock, and he pays homage to some of the players that he looked up to over the years.

Sharif Khan was instrumental in developing the broad appeal that squash had in North America back in the late 70s and early 80s, and without question he's in the greatest of all time conversation. Sharif dominated the North American professional squash scene throughout the late 70s and early 80s, and Rob Dinerman's new book (co-authored by Karen Khan) looks back at his life and legendary career. Rob goes into Sharif's backstory including the family's shock decision to send him to boarding school in the UK, his relationship with his father Hashim (a legend himself), and so much more.

Jesse Englebrecht and Gary Nisbet (ep. 28) lit it up in a big way on our first dual guest episode. The questions for this episode came from the In Squash listeners and they spawned one of our best episodes to date. Jesse hit the ground sprinting and didn't look back with great intel on everything from junior development, the evolution of ghosting patterns, and how to teach deception, and then Gary joined in to tackle such things as the importance of the pre-game warm-up and dealing with in match fatigue. Not to be missed, episode 48.

The proof is in the pudding, Jenny Duncalf is without question a super talent both on and off the court. Having reached and spent several years at world #2 behind the recently crowned GOAT of ladies squash Nicol David, Jenny continues to play at the highest level and looks to return to the court soon following a summer hip surgery. Jenny took us inside her life on tour which is three-pronged these days as a player, women's president of the PSA, and as MC for several major PSA events.

Daryl Selby has remained one of the most exciting players on the pro tour for over 15 years, and at age 35 he's got his sites set on playing more great squash and enhancing his brand along the way. Father of 3 youngsters, Daryl expounds on his career to date, the joys of parenting while playing professionally, and we have a great discussion on the variables in play that dictate our best squash, a topic he and Cameron Pilley dove into on their own podcast, Comments from the Couch. Enjoy!!

Recently elected as Squash Canada's President, Steve Wren's appearance on this podcast highlights exactly why he's the right person for the job. As a player, parent, coach, business person, you name it, Steve has achieved great results. Exciting times are ahead for Squash Canada, and Steve lays out his vision following a fun look at his backstory on ep. 45.

Looking to hit the ground running after a very good 2017/2018, Hollie Naughton and I talked about her progress over the past few years, and what it will take for her to make deeper runs into the Super Series main draws now that she's successfully qualified for these events. We also talked Squash Canada a bit, specifically about the exciting additions of Martin Heath running the high performance program and Steve Wren as President.

2018 saw the unthinkable: husband (Ali) and wife (Nour) winning the US Open on the same day. Ali takes us inside the ropes on that special week and the years in the lead up. Interestingly, he almost decided to forego professional squash for a desk job with the hopes of developing Egypt's solar energy industry, but, thankfully for us, representing Egypt and making a living out of his true passion has taken precedence.

Newlywed Olivia Clyne (Blatchford) had a storied junior squash career and has recently made inroads into the top 15 in the world women's rankings. We had a great chat which covered several interesting parts of career, dating back to the days her father would drag her to the courts, dealing with lofty expectations, touring pros who just happen to be husband and wife, and a great little anecdote about receiving a police escort to a quarter final match in Colombia.

Tom Ford has taken time off from his PSA career in an attempt to overcome a battle with chronic fatique syndrome. In doing so he's attempting to find balance which has manifested itself in his great podcast Finding Balance. Tom talks about these recent struggles and the inroads he's made of late.