SquashMatch interviewed York Posor to be our random squash interviewee.
What is your name, age and location? Name is York – 32 years old, living in London, Islington. I only came to London (from Germany) about a year ago.
How long have you been playing squash? I have been playing squash since I was a kid – my dad took me along when playing a friend on Sundays. I never joined a club or took any lessons though, mostly played once a week with friends.
Where do you normally play squash? I usually play at the UCL Bloomsbury gym or the Oasis Fitness centre in Holborn. As it has been rather difficult for me to find people to regularly play with, I often go to the open sessions at Oasis – always great fun and there are many good and competitive players around. I also found that the London Squash groups at meetup.com are a good way to find people to play with if you are new in town.
How many times a week do you play? I try to play twice a week, but that doesn’t always work out…
What is your favourite shot? Uuh, only one? That’s a tough one… for quite some time it has been the backhand crosscourt. Right now, I also really like to play volley attack boasts.
What is your worst shot? I really want to improve on my drop shots. I frequently hit them much too high on the front wall and then miss the nick by miles. I do try to practise drop shots when I am alone on the court, but find it difficult to prepare for the actual speed at which balls in a real game are coming.
What’s the best squashing advice anyone has given you? Ha, I guess I just got way too little advice… so no big revelations here. I have been advised to keep my eyes on the ball and to prepare my racket sooner, especially on my forehand – and basic as they are, these things really do help to improve my game.
Do you have a squash nickname? No nickname yet! And honestly, if there’s something I secretly hope for, than that one day my game is so balanced that no single aspect stands out to provoke a nickname!
Who is your favourite professional squash player? I would say Nick Matthew these days. Love his forehand volley drop shots out of nowhere.
Have you ever injured anyone playing squash? Not seriously, fortunately. And the one incident I recall was more like my opponent running into my racket than me actively hitting him, really :-D
Tell us an interesting squash-related story about yourself. Squash is, in fact, only a “second sport” for me that has only now moved to the pole position. All through my later childhood and youth, I was obsessed with Taekwondo. I did this for 13 years, I just loved the way of moving in Taekwondo, of being in control of your body in that way. To hit targets well above your head with precision and yet the full and untamed force of a spinning kick… there’s just nothing quite like it. But well, at 22 I injured my knee and because of various reasons it eventually took me a good 4 years to get back into sports. I knew that Taekwondo would always be the most risky sport for me and did not take it up again. Since then, squash has been my favourite pastime. Indeed, I really welcome the obviously more playful character of squash, what’s life without a good game?!
What other sports do you play? In summer time I love playing beach volleyball – it’s outdoors, brings together hanging out with friends with totally exhausting yourself, and gives me a real challenge in learning the technique. It hasn’t really been happening in London for me yet, though – I still play whenever I visit back in Berlin during summer, there is an amazingly scenic and atmospheric place to play in my hometown!
Will you still be squashing in 5 years’ time? You bet! Unless that knee… ahh, damn it, of course I will!!!