When I was coaching high school squash I found myself often repeating the same training exercises and drills with students to build strong fundamentals. This was largely due to adjust for skill levels and therefore as students showed signs of improvement in their matches, I would like to believe that I began to improvise more. Perhaps not enough, though in my opinion.
Having spent a considerable amount of time away from squash practices, I have found other areas, most notably in jazz performances where improvisation is almost the norm. For athletic coaches in the Boston area, I strongly recommend attending the Mandorla Music Series in Somerville’s Third Life Studio to listen to world-class musicians at very affordable prices, in support of important humanitarian causes.
John Funkhouser’s Quartet (featuring Greg Loughman, a Bowdoin College faculty member) and John Kordalewski Trio featuring Carlos Pino & Kesivan Naidoo are two shows I was fortunate to watch and listen to live. Given the intimate setting, the musicians were very approachable and generous in sharing their love for music. Above is a song titled “The Deep,” by Professor John Funkhauser‘s Quartet, who have a cache for creating eclectic sounding instrumental jazz music. Improvising in sport and music, definitely go together.
Explorations in Sport for Development and Peace 