Ville Leppanen, Head Coach at Blackheath Squash Club since 2015, works in the music business when not on court. A native Finn, he once sang Finland’s national anthem at Anfield before a Euro Qualifier between England and Finland. His coaching philosophy is to help people find more tools to increase their enjoyment of the game.
Ville's view – Three simple habits to get you safely back on-court & reduce injury risk
Ville Leppanen • June 23, 2020
Ville Leppanen - Head Coach - Blackheath Squash Club
Three simple habits to reduce the risk of injury and post match soreness!
With Blackheath Squash Club hopefully due to reopen soon, members may want to prepare for the resumption of squash by adopting three simple habits that will reduce the risk of injury and post match soreness after a long break away from the game!
Step One - Get a bit stronger
The only body we were born with gets a pretty good battering in our sport. Once we hit 30 we start losing muscle mass and the trend only increases with each passing decade. Regular muscle maintenance not only supports and protects our lower back and joints, but it also enables more controlled movement on court.
I recommend you visit British squash legend Nick Matthew’s YouTube channel on which he demonstrates squash specific exercises for which you won’t need any equipment or access to a gym. It’s all home based, body weight based stuff.
Please remember that there is gain without pain. Increase your sets and reps slowly.
Step Two - Start warming up
A comprehensive warm up could look like this,
but even a simple two minute warm up will help prevent injuries.
First and foremost, raise your heart rate and get a surface sweat
. Skip rope, run up and down the court or jump up and down on the spot if space is restricted, as it is at most clubs. Whatever space allows, give it a minute to raise your heart rate and break a sweat.
Activate your muscles
by moving around in ways that mimic the flow of play. Wave your arms around, do rotations and lunges, working your way up to quick changes of direction that activate your butt and legs. Watch this video for ideas. Dynamic, active movement is preferable to static stretching.
Warm up adequately every time you hit the court.
Step Three - Cool down and recovery
The point of post match recovery
is simply to ease the body back into normality. Static stretches may do more harm than good, but a couple of minutes of gentle jogging and movement followed by a nice shower will do the job. Replacing lost fluids, salts and energy would ideally happen within 30 minutes of a session.
As a bonus, try to include a weekly stretching and flexibility session into your body maintenance programme. Here’s recommended further reading.
Adopting these good habits will reduce the risk of injury, improve your squash and prolong your playing career. I’m happy to answer specific questions on all the above via email ville@theanimalfarm.co.uk
or on the phone 07939007224.
Ville Leppanen
Annual court maintenance - Club closed 8/9/10 April
2025 Club Tournament registration is now open to full members
The popular Ladies Sessions continue each Sunday @ the same time of 5:30pm. The sessions are open to ladies of all standards and currently no membership is required (although welcome). So, if you are a complete beginner who would like to try out the game, or a competent player looking for a "knock", why not pop along for a session of fun and exercise, do some stretching and play some squash. Please make sure have non-m arking trainers and bring a racquet if you have one, if not we can loan you one for the session. The session is £5 to attend and lasts from 5:30pm until 7:00pm. #Women'sSquashweek #SquashGirlsCan follow us on Instagram : blackheath_womens_squash For more details email me @ ladies@blackheathsquashclub.com Pam X
