In squash - The Podcast In Squash Podcast

Another fantastic chat with Jesse Englebrecht who has fast become squash's resident mental game guru. We recently witnessed Siva Subramanium's unbelievable performance at the London Squash Classic and Jesse was in her corner preaching, mildly, the mental practices that they've been working on for the past little while. We talk about all of that plus I attempt to deep dive on squash and mental game, and Jesse obliges big time with some real, practical knowledge that you won't want to miss. Check out all the great stuff Jesse is doing with respect to the mental game at https://sportmind.io/ and also as we're all into making squash more accessible and affordable for everyone, check out the great things going on at Open Squash, www.opensquash.org

Luke Butterworth, for such a young man, has a coaching resume that is highly impressive. After a few years on the PSA tour, Luke has poured all his energy into the coaching game which sees him now as the US Junior National Team Head Coach. His coaching philosophy is something all coaches should aspire to, and Luke breaks all of that down along with his backstory and his early coaching influences, how his coaching has evolved over the years, and a great breakdown of the current US Junior national team. Also, please check out the great sponsor of this pod, www.opensquash.org, as they have several amazing summer camps on offer if you're in and around NYC.

Fresh off a magnificent runner up result at the German Open a few weeks back, Dimitri Steinmann is into the 2nd round at El Ghouna where he finds himself playing some of the best squash of his career. It's been a bit of personal battle for Dimitri though. Last October's US Open saw Dimitri get hit with an 8 week suspension for an incident during his match with Timmy Brownell. Dimitri talks about his current form, the unfortunate incident against Timmy in terms of what he learned and how he hopes to grow from the experience. We also talk about LA 28 and how he hopes to carry on the Olympic tradition for the Steinmann family. Great catching up with Dimitri and also great being a part of the Open Squash family where growing the game is the vision. Check out Open Squash at www.opensquash.org

Fresh off the biggest win of her career at the London Squash Classic and her highest ever world ranking of 13, Sivasangari Subramanium is making serious inroads towards the very top of the game. Wins over world #1 Nour El Sherbini and World #2 Hania El Hammamy will no doubt give her that self-belief that perhaps has eluded her in the past. As many of you know, in June 2022 Siva was involved in a serious car accident that sidelined her for seven months, but as we talk about on the pod that time rehabbing also allowed her to reevaluate things and she's come back playing the best squash of her career. We talk about all of this on EP. 296 Also, don't forget to keep up with how to grow the game at www.opensquash.org

US squash had a comparatively low profile globally in the 80s and early 90s. This has without question changed dramatically as they without question lead the way globally and always seem poised to take on new initiatives domestically which translate at a global scale. Kevin Klipstein has led this charge for the past 20 years, and this December marks his 20 year anniversary as CEO and President of US Squash. Kevin talks about his squash backstory and how he eventually took over as US Squash CEO. We also look at two major moments that he and US Squash contributed to, LA 28 and the Specter Center (US National Team Training Center). We also talk growing the game, Team US and his expectation and much more. Great chat with the CEO. In terms of growing the game, check out the great stuff going on at Open Squash, www.opensquash.org

Satomi Watanabe made Japanese squash history becoming the first Japanese player, male or female, to win a PSA event of the magnitude of the Optasia Squash Championships. It can be said that Satomi burst onto the PSA scene last season with several epic performances, but those in the know, including Jonah Barrington, had her pegged early on for what we've seen of late. Satomi along with her coach Tiago Goriely talk about her first big PSA win, what it took to get there, and what it's going to take to capitalize on this momentum and take it to the next level. We also take a look at her backstory, which includes her connection with Sivasangari Subramanium which dates back to the early junior days in Malaysia. Don't forget to check out our sponsor Open Squash and www.opensquash.org where you can check out all of their tremendous game growth initiatives.