Monday, October 19, 2009

SQUASHED!

I started playing squash again a couple of months ago and realized just how unfit I am. Squash is a physically extremely demanding sport. In fact, in terms of calorie burning, squash is the fastest sport in the world – second to second, squash burns more calories than any other sport. I am not worried about my skills level. I’ve got plenty of skill and the old touch will return and even get better as I play more often. It is my stamina or the lack of it that is disturbing me. When I played squash the first time after a long time a couple of months ago, the pressure on my cardio-vascular system seemed immense, pushing my limits. Over the subsequent few sessions, this pressure seems to have eased through a combination of factors. Firstly, I do not push myself as hard because I know that it’ll be difficult for me to cope. And secondly, my stamina has definitely improved. Also, one gets better at judiciously utilizing ones energy when one gets to know where exactly to conserve energy and where to expend it. This knowledge comes only through experience.