Sad news, Dardir El Barkary passed away in August in Egypt ( http://www.nzsquashhalloffame.co.nz/dardir-el-bakary-gallery.html ). I remember as a youngster the excitement when heard that the Egyptian Dardir was going to do a coaching clinic in our small club. I still remember marvelling at the way he floated around the court in his black and red flared tracksuit pants. He made the ball talk. He was both educational and entertaining. I now realise that was his secret. Quite a few years later I organised for him to come to Barcelona and train our team. He had the same passion I had remembered and was still looking for new and improved ways to help young players improve their skills. He had just thought of a new metaphor to describe what was a good swing or racket movement. He likened it to the way an Italian ice cream cone is made. Apart from the metaphor, the wonderful thing was the sparkle in his eye and the excitement in his voice when he explained it to me. That´s probably why it has stayed in my memory. Rest in peace Dardir, Maestro and friend. Thank you for all that you have given to our sport. After publishing my book, "The G Spot, A Book About Squash" I wanted to give a copy to Dardir but no one knew where he was or had heard from him for quite a few years. After quite a few phone calls it became clear that he had been living on Australia´s Gold Coast. I enlisted the help of my sister and friends in Queensland. Finally my sister spoke with an Iman on the Gold Coast who had been in contact with him. He said that he had not seen him for a couple of years and thought that he had returned to Eygpt. Though facebook I contacted with squash people in Egypt and eventually found out sadly that he had passed away in August.

Testimonials

'Tony Griffin takes us with him on a personal journey of enquiry into key squash ideas. These he explains, follow from his concept of the G-Spot. He takes a fresh look at familiar topics and investigates what factors affect the optimal hitting experience. The question Tony poses is, ‘how to make this both natural and effective?’ His ideas, experiences and influences come together into an important work which will challenge inquisitive players and thoughtful coaches to rethink some familiar concepts.

While the G-spot is all pervasive in many of the discussions, Tony also throws in advice and innovative methods on such things as how to maximise the chances of 'lucky' back corner nicks and the elimination of 'free shots´.

An interesting journey, challenging analysis and entertaining anecdotes make it a timely addition to squash instructional writing.’

Ian Mckenzie

Editor

The Squash Player magazine

What a fantastic resource for coaches and players alike.  This comprehensive guide is a must for those who wishing to give squash enthusiasts the fundamentals of the game. Like anything mastering techniques and having a good understanding of all the facets of playing squash will not only improve your game but give you so much more enjoyment . I commend Tony on his ability to bring this all together. 

Dame Susan Devoy,  
Winner of 8 British Open and Four World Open Titles

Writing a coaching manual on any sport is difficult. Tony has succeeded brilliantly here by writing clear, easy to understand descriptions of how to learn to play and develop all the basic shots played in squash. His book importantly includes pairs routines, mental fitness, exercises, warm up routines and stretching, making it a complete coaching manual. The illustrations are a great addition.  They capture in detail exactly what Tony is explaining. The catchy title lends itself very well to the way the book has been refreshingly written.
Ross Norman 
Former World Champion.

This a great book for all levels . Nice anecdotes and a good technical focus with lots of insights . A good read with a different twist from other squash books " 
Liz Irving 
Former world nº 2 and coach of 7 times World Champion Nicol David

I have always believed that squash is about where and how you hit the squash ball. Tony's book explains this simply and clearly. He also talks about  some of the finer points of squash that many players do instinctively without really understanding the full reasons behind them. I love the fact that the title of a book about squash can put a smile on people's faces. 
Stuart Davenport 
Former world nº 3

Some years ago Tony talked to me about writing a book. I am very happy that he has finally managed to do it and share his fasinating vision of our sport. He is a master at analizing the many aspects that make up squash. This is a great opportunity for all those who love playing squash to  gain a deeper understanding of  the game and define areas in which they can improve. 
Elisabet Sadó Garriga,  
Former British Open under 14, 16 and 19 Champion, 7 times Spanish Champion and 10 times Catalan Champion.

Tony is a wise man of our sport.  He has a natural and instinctive way of understanding  squash that comes from years of playing in tournaments and coaching.  His experience and personal approach has allowed him  to become an excellent coach. Many of my achievements are thanks to the way he is able to adapt his knowledge to each individual player. I am very happy that he has decided to share some of his “know how” in this book. Oriol Salvia Corcoll, 
12  times Catalan Champion, 2 Times Spanish Champion and winner of 2 PSA Tournaments.

Here are couple of pages with illustrations

Here it is!!

"While doing some solo training I saw the relationship between the shoulder of my racket arm and the point of impact of the racket with the ball. I realised that if I had my racket prepared and could move my body to a position so that the ball was perpendicular to my shoulder it would go where I wanted it to almost every time. I also started to understand the reasons why the ball had not gone to where I wanted it to. This understanding is what  I have tried to explain in this book". 

"The ideas in this book have come from a constant and ongoing learning process that seems to have no end. It is the result of collecting ideas from many different people over the years, playing and watching hundreds of games of squash, and trying to understand and put together the many different details that make up squash".