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But what happens if the big league matches or tournaments start and all the success from training seems to go out of the window?

If this has happened to you, needless to say, it’s frustrating. So we’ve put together some tips for staying calm and nailing the competition at your next game.

Remember why you love it

Even passions turn sour sometimes. It can take work to keep the love of the sport alive so remind yourself why you started playing in the first place.

What do you love about the sport? How does it make you feel? Remind yourself of all the things that make squash so special to you.

This will help give a fresh outlook and a new-found spark at your next match.

Try visualisation

Visualising a game before it happens can actually help with performance.

It ups your confidence and cultivates a positive mindset which are both key when trying to dominate the court.

Before your next game take a few minutes to imagine the game clearly in your mind. See that winning shot or everyone congratulating you at the end of the match.

Get some sleep

This may seem completely random but it’s proven that lack of sleep impacts on vision quality, hand-eye coordination and reaction times.

For a successful game, your body needs to be rested and functioning at it’s best. Catch a few early nights in the lead up to an important match to ensure your body and mind is well rested.

Believe in yourself

A deep belief in your skills and ability is vital for success. If not, that could be the reason why you lose out to that one opponent, have trouble closing matches or don’t play as well as you can.

Most of us have reactive confidence, which can easily be influenced by how well rested you are or how well the warm-up is going.

However, fuelling your mind with healthy thoughts on an ongoing basis will boost self-belief so that you can feel a deep level of confidence going into every game.

Use relaxation techniques

Ever noticed how some of your best shots are scored in practice? It’s probably because nothing’s at stake. You’re calm, collected and more relaxed.

It’s completely normal to feel nerves ahead of a competition and especially as you’re about to step onto the court, so it’s important to know how to manage those nerves so that they don’t take over.

Meditation or deep breathing apps provide great relaxation exercises for beginners. And better yet, you can track your sessions to see your progress which is music to any sportsperson’s ears.

Try it for yourself and discover squash at Warwick Sport.

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