MSquash Specialized Squash Coaching and Training Programs in Westchester County NY and Fairfield County CT. Offering Squash coaching services from junior, adult to professional.
Junior Squash Training
Adult Squash Training
MSquash Specialized Squash Training Programs in Westchester County NY and Fairfield County CT. Offering Squash coaching services from junior, adult to professional.
Cheeky Monkey Squash is the brainchild of Damien Collins. The idea is simple, to promote and build the game of squash by focussing on juniors, after all, the juniors of today are the seniors of tomorrow. To do this Damien realized he had to make the program fun and affordable. The 10-week long program uses a variety of games and activities designed to improve kids confidence, coordination, and fitness levels, whilst learning the game of squash and developing new friendships. To make the program affordable the Cheeky Monkey Squash program will be registered through the Office of Sports, Active Kids Program, in addition to this Damien has sought out sponsorships to further reduce the cost of running the Cheeky Monkey Squash program. Damien has negotiated with iMask Protective Eyewear, for iMask to provide enough protective visors for each child to wear whilst participating in the program, this is to help ensure all participants are safe at all times. So what’s Damien’s history in the sport? To answer this fully we would need to write a book, but to make a long story short, when Damien was about 5 his parents purchased a rundown squash center, that would later become extremely popular, and host a number of large tournaments a year. Due to this Damien took an interest in the sport and in turn, learnt the game of Squash. As a junior Damien travelled all over competing at a state and national level, before taking a break away from the sport for a few years to focus on other endeavours. Upon returning to the sports Damien noticed the decline in the number of youth participating in the sport and in turn the number of senior players participating in the sport. Damien currently competes are a state/open grade level, and coaches a number of players every week. in order to do this Damien has completed a number of sporting and management courses, including his Squash Australia “Club Development” Squash coaching certificate. in closing, Cheeky Monkey Squash is a fun, cheeky, energetic brand, designed to build the sport of squash!!! ;)
Squash can be a fast-moving, sport that provides an excellent cardiovascular workout.
Squash is an indoor racquet sport, played by two or four players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. Squash can be a fast-moving sport that provides an excellent cardiovascular workout.
Foam rollers have become popular amongst squash players - from club level right through to the professionals. Some players use them as part of their warm-up and warm-down routines, while some use them on recovery days to deal with tight and fatigued muscles.
The idea behind foam rolling is to use body weight against the roller to deliver a compressive massage to soft tissues that are perceived to be tight and painful. Some recent research has shown that using foam rollers can result in physical performance improvements that should be of benefit to squash players, such as improving mobility of the hips, quadricep, hamstring and calf muscles, and of reducing muscle soreness that follows tough bouts of exercise. The improvements in flexibility, however, tend to be short term.
Despite the favourable experiences of many squash players who use foam rollers and of the scientific studies that point to useful physical improvements, many questions remain. Two obvious ones are how often and how much foam rolling is needed to achieve the best results, and whether or not foam rolling has any potential down sides?
Regarding the last question, I have concerns about what could be viewed as excessive use of foam rolling. This could be obsessive daily use or sessions that involve very strong self massage. This type of foam rolling is sometimes used by people who have particularly painful and stubborn areas of soft tissue pain and stiffness. My concern in such cases is that aggressive and frequent use of foam rolling could result in soft tissue sensitivity, and actually become something that perpetuates the problem.
To get the benefits of foam rolling and to avoid some possible downsides, I recommend following these dos and don’ts:
Do:
● Use foam rolling alongside traditional warm-up and warm-down exercise routines
● Expect flexibility improvements to be short term
● Foam roll for 10-20 minutes (total session) to reduce post-exercise muscle soreness
Don’t:
● Substitute warm-up/warm-down exercise sessions with just foam rolling
● Become obsessive and over-reliant on foam rollers
● Cause pain, as regularly doing so could result in hypersensitivity and damage
Meet Ronny Vlassaks, the international squash coach often likened to rock legend Rod Stewart
BY MIKE DALE
Ronny Vlassaks is one of Europe’s most highly-reputed and much-travelled squash coaches. He gets recognised wherever he goes – or rather people think they recognise him.
“People really think I am Rod Stewart!” he says. “They often stare and whisper. It’s happened for 25 years, in airports and at tournaments. It doesn’t bother me at all, but whoever I happen to be travelling with usually finds it strange. I like his music, but you won’t find me at any of his concerts!”
Just like the world-famous crooner, Vlassaks spends plenty of time on the road. He lives in the village of Bocholt in Belgium and commutes every week to his two jobs – firstly 200km to Hoofddorp near Amsterdam, where he is head coach at the Dutch Squash Federation 24 hours a week. Then onward a further 390km to Germany, where he is head coach at Paderborn Squash Club, the eight-time European club champions.
In various capacities he coaches some of Europe’s finest players. When we speak, he has just finished a session with world no.12 Simon Rösner, whom he describes as “in very good shape and very motivated”, having just returned from his first ever PSA World Series semi-final in Qatar.
Vlassaks has coached Belgian sisters Nele and Tinne Gilis since they were juniors, describing himself as “like a father” to them.
Swiss no.1 Nicolas Müller and Germany’s world no.41, Raphael Kandra – both based at Paderborn - also receive his tutelage, as well as Latvia’s Ineta Mackevica (WR88), a recent civil engineering graduate whose squash career is flourishing.
However, Vlassaks highlights Fleur Maas – European no.1 at under-17 level despite being only 15 – as one of the most promising juniors in the Dutch Squash Association Academy he runs with Tommy Berden, the PSA’s chief commercial officer.
The 53-year-old squeezes in one more role – Belgian national coach, although as there’s no national programme, this involves only a few coaching sessions per year and leadership at international team tournaments.
The Belgian’s background is not that of your typical elite-level squash coach. He didn’t hit a squash ball until he was 26, having spent his formative years as a professional cyclist.
He won 176 races at junior and amateur level, and earned many podium finishes on the Andalusian and Mediterranean Tours, as well as victory in the 1988 Veenendaal-Veenendaal Dutch Classic.
However, disillusioned by the way professional cyclists were treated by their teams and by the widespread doping in the sport, he changed career completely after meeting a woman who at the time managed a squash club in Holland. He quickly fell in love with the game (and her – they later married).
“It was the physical side I liked most. You have to go for it full-paced,” he says. “In the beginning, there were 65-year-olds with big beer bellies who beat me really easily. I thought ‘This would never happen in cycling!’ It annoyed me so much that I had to do something about it!”
He travelled to England to do his coaching courses and took just three years to get to UKCC Level 4, mentored by former England coach Paul Wright. He then got a job on the junior programme at the Dutch Squash Federation, before working in his native Belgium for 13 years. He then returned to Holland as national coach in 2010, as well as working privately with many top players.
He started at Paderborn in the summer of 2015 and his liking for the place, managing director Norman Farthing and chairman Andreas Preising is palpable. “It’s the best squash club I ever saw in my whole life,” he beams.
“Everyone breathes sport in the city and they support squash tremendously, even the mayor, who I have met four or five times.”
Those receiving Vlassaks’ expertise know the importance he places on perception. “Many players’ problems come from seeing the action of their opponent too late,” he explains. “Poor perception loses them time, making their racket preparation and ball-striking too rushed.”
The cream of Europe’s squash talent are fortunate indeed to benefit from the skill, enthusiasm and dedication of the man with the rock-star hair. Some guys have all the luck!
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