If you are lucky enough to have a professional squash tournament within travelling distance of your location, and the time and money to get tickets, then I highly recommend going. It’s a great experience to get close to pro players on court and see how athletic they are. Squash TV’s coverage is fantastic, but one of the reasons I feel squash doesn’t get much attention is that TV can never show the true athleticism of the players.
Does it look beautiful? I love the atmosphere at squash tournaments
Go To Semi-Finals Day
Suggestion number one is to go to the semi-finals day instead of the final day. Now, this suggestion depends on the size of the tournament and whether there are men and women playing. In some tournaments, semi-finals day gets you two matches, in others four matches. Not always, but many times the semi-final matches are just as good as the finals. The players have a little less pressure on their shoulders, but enough to make the matches interesting.
Failing that the quarter finals are a good option because you definitely get more matches. I understand people’s desire to see the final and the ceremony afterwards, but I want to watch great squash and semi-finals and quarter-finals give the best option for that.
Video Analysis
Stop wondering how good your squash can be, and start making decisions that help you improve.
View The Glass Court From All Angles
If this is your very first visit to a glass court, then you MUST take the opportunity to watch some squash from the sides and front wall. I don’t mean just walking around quickly, but actually watch at least 5 minutes from a variety of locations. You need 5 minutes because any less and you really don’t have time to decide if this is a useful angle of not.
Personally, I like the side walls, either near the back wall or near the front wall, but not in the middle. That slight angle coupled with seeing the front-back movement allows me to appreciate the speed of the players.
Of course, your preference will be different, and that’s fine. You are there to enjoy yourself, but also to learn as much as you can as well as become inspired, so find the best place for you. The Front wall is interesting, but honestly, it’s so different from a subjective perspective when playing that for me it’s a novelty rather than a useful point of view. It’s a great location to take photos from though.
Watching from the front is very different from looking at photos from the front
Visit The Brand Booths And Hold Every Single Racket!
It’s been a while since I’ve visited a pro tournament, so this suggestion might be out of date – but I hope not. Most big tournaments have brand booths, where manufacturers and sometimes retailers have small stands to display their rackets, bags etc. This is the prefect opportunity to hold a variety of rackets and have a good look at models you have been dreaming of buying.
Yes, holding a racket is nothing like actually playing with a racket, but you will get a good sense of the weight/balance and how it feels in your hand. Many players complain that they don’t have the chance to play with other rackets before they buy them and holding these rackets helps.
By all means, chat to the people on the booth, but remember they are sales representatives and don’t believe everything they say.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, you probably would have done everything I suggested above, but I wanted to put the suggestions out there just in case you hadn’t considered them. if you have any others, please email me and I might add them to the article.