 Better
Late
than Never
Part 11
Graham Ryding
was
interviewed by
Martin Bronstein
in the February Issue (2005/1)
of the Squash
Player
Magazine.
Ryding
who is from Winnipeg,
talks of how he got started, his younger days, the decision between school and
squash, the help from Bruce Wright, the first trip to South America, his ability
to move on court, ‘smart squash’, working with Mike Way and the upward curve.
To obtain a copy click here.
In part 11 on the squashplayer site he tells how he made
major changes to his game and his life to climb back up the rankings from a low
of 28.
Ryding
in Conversation
“My improvement over the last year is
probably due to the fact that I am more at ease with everything. I made a couple
of adjustments to my game in the year that I spent in Amsterdam. I didn’t have
the resources there that I had in Toronto, so I had a chance to look at my game.
I am now hitting the ball more consistently – I’ m not making so many errors
because I changed my grip and my swing.
“That was a big adjustment, but I was
watching other players and liked the way they were hitting the ball, and decided
to close my grip on the forehand which opened it on the backhand. It felt right
and gave me a lot more options and made more sense of the backhand. No-one
advised me on that although I’m always talking to Mike (Way) on improving
technique.
AMSTERDAM
“I never went to Amsterdam to get away from Jonathon Power as some people wrote.
I wanted to mix up my training environment. I felt it was getting stale because
I was training with the same players and felt it time for a change - and my
girlfriend was interested in taking a year off.
“ I wanted to freshen up my squash, go
to Europe and play European leagues. There I would play Lincou, Palmer or Kneipp
every Tuesday in the leagues whereas in Toronto we just trained a lot and
played practise matches and then get thrown into a tournament that meant a lot.
Sometime I felt I wasn’t ready to compete.”
THE RANKINGS
“Everybody had been telling me my ranking has dropped but I was playing better
when I was 18th than when I was 12th. The game goes
through cycles and I think the depth is pretty deep right now. Possibly my
improved results and rise in the rankings this last year is due to, I think,
I’ve got a pretty good balance right now. I’ve got some studying on the side,
doing a commerce course at the University of Toronto. I started that about
three years ago and I feel I have a balance in my life where I can throw myself
into squash and then pull back and throw myself into school. It stops me getting
stale. Also on court I’m more mature now and ready to deal with the situations
and the pressure. Together with my better hitting and a little more fitness work
– my legs are a bit stronger now and I can recover from hard matches.
“I try to do hard work outs three days
in a row either on court or on the bike, trying to simulate a three or four day
tournament where you have three or four hard days. Some players drown their
sorrows after losing or fly home the next day. I like to stay around and have a
hard match, pretending I won, so I get used to four hard days in a row. I also
went back to some old time ghosting but this time less volume and more
intensity. With this new fitness I feel confident going into the fifth game.”
IN THE SHADOW OF
JONATHON POWER
“In the beginning I was trying to figure out who I was at 19 or 22, trying to
be a squash professional and how to do it. There was an adjustment period when I
was getting used to being in Power’s shadow. And then I got to terms with it and
enjoyed the fact that Jonathon got the attention and limelight and I was left to
my own devices to do my own thing. That suited my nature a bit more; I am not
uncomfortable in front of peoples’ eyes but I don’t relish it.
“We first met when we were eight or nine
and even though we lived in different cities, right from the beginning we
befriended each other. And then we met at tournaments and we would play the
finals of Canadian tournaments. We would be buddies up until the final.
Then I moved to Toronto and we started
to train together. And when I moved downtown we’d train every day.
“The last person you want to play in a
tournament is the person you train with every day. You try to support each other
at tournaments and then you have to play each other, which is hard. You just
have to deal with the situation. The other players make fun of me because I try
not to hang out with anybody I’m playing that day. They say: “Just tell me what
time I have to stop hanging out with you” It’s just a frame of mind.
After a great rally and prolonged
applause, sure, you recognize the applause and that the people are having a
great time, but you have another rally to play. I make an effort not to get
ahead of myself especially if the score is tight. You cannot afford to revel or
enjoy your last rally.
FITNESS
“I’m fitter now than I’ve ever been. I was always a later bloomer. I didn’t
develop as a teenager until I was about 19. So instead of getting to my
physical prime at 25 or 26 for me its 28 or 29.
“We train differently now than they did
20 years ago. I don’t see why we can’t all be Chris Walker and play until we’re
35 if we want to. I don’t have any ongoing injury, so when I stop squash it
will be because I’m tired of squash not because I’m physically exhausted or
unable to compete.
LARGE CROWDS
“It doesn’t take long to get used to crowds. I don’t play differently on the
glass court in front of large crowds. Once you opponent has started dragging
you around the court, you soon forget the crowds and just concentrate on the
ball.
The way to avoid boredom with the tour
is to bring something else into your life. If your whole life and existence 24/7
is squash, and you don’t have a lot of other things to get away from it, then
you’re going to burn out.
THE
FUTURE
“I don’t like to plan too far ahead, but I have been thinking about what I
shall do at the end of my career. I haven’t come up with too much yet. I think
I’ll stay in squash. I’d like to work with high performance Canadian squash
players, as a national coach. The people at Squash Canada will run me through
the squash coaching courses when I’m ready.
I would like that to be part time, even
in my own leisure time outside my day job.”
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