For the last few months, my friend Zach and I have really gotten into playing squash. It’s sort of a weird game – sort of a fusion of racquetball and ping pong (here’s a video of folks much better than us).
I had a banner day of squash on Saturday – the game really slowed down for me and I found a state of flow.
During our last match, I started to look at what I was doing differently than Zach and break down what was successful about my technique.
What I realized was that I was setting my shoulders up square so that I was in a good striking position at all times. This allowed me to get in good position between shots, begin my strike earlier, and spend more time taking in my surroundings to intentionally place my shot.
Because of this, I kept Zach in a reactionary position a lot of the time, placing the ball in difficult positions while maintaining my own ready position.
I was setting up my shots.
With proper preparation, we can put ourselves in a position to maintain control and handle situations to our advantage. We can control pace, positioning, and ultimately the outcome.
If we put ourselves in a reactive position, it’s hard to regain control. Instead, we expend a ton of effort and energy just surviving.
Are you planning your next move, or is someone else planning it for you?