EvenSquash: January 2018

29 January, 2018

RESULTS - Jan 27 Squash SMASH Tourney

Randy J. (3.5)

WINNER

11 players in Saturday's Squash SMASH Tourney skill levels 2.5 to 5.5. Randy, kept his cool, and beat them all.... but that wasn't easy. He played 15 intense games, spanning 7 matches in roughly 2 hours... and who knows how many shirt changes... He played players like Tom R. (3.0), who is just coming off a wrist injury and is known for a surprising server return that can take out even advanced players; Roland D., who has the experience of playing in many SMASH tourneys and is a solid 3.0; like Donovan M. (2.5) first time player and a junior who kept up the pressure; Jeff D. (3.0), who Randy would face twice because Jeff beat Randy early on but Randy fought back through the losers bracket where he'd eventually get revenge on Jeff; Paul D. (3.5) who has played in a few SMASH events before and has won one in November 2017... but in this one Randy gave him a 4th place finish; Finally there was Rehan S. (4.5). Rehan is a stout 4.5, played many times, but never won a SMASH Tourney... well sadly for Rehan, this would be his 5th 2nd place finish. Congratulations to Randy J. (3.5)!
1. Randy J. (3.5) - $122
2. Rehan S. (4.5) - $68
3. Jeff D. (3.0) - $20
4. Paul D. (3.5) - $10

Sponsored Consolation Prizes:

Tom R. (3.0) - Free Blue Moon Pizza

Roland D. (3.0) - $10 Six Feet Under Gift Card

Mario de M. (4.5) - $25 Marlow's Tavern Gift Card

Full Tourney Bracket

We had a great turnout with 11 players, play started at 11:15 and ended at 1:35. We went to sudden death matches at 1:15 to help accelerate the pace and reduce the chance of injury by playing to much squash. Paul M. (5.5) was the highest skilled player but he didn't have to play all beginner and intermediate players, he got a chance to go up against Mario de M. (4.5) and Rameez A. (4.5) with those match outcomes determined by just a few points. Speaking of Rameez A. (4.5), this was his first time playing as a 4.5 and he felt the extra weight going up against Paul D. (3.5) and Roland D. (3.0). This is the second SMASH tourney for Michael F. (2.5) and even though he went home in the first round, had a lot of fun, and I think is now officially hooked on squash. Jeff D. (3.0) came out of the gate strong and played to finish 3rd in a tense sudden death match.

All in all - there was a lot of fun. If you missed this one because of other commitments or just decided not to play, well... the squash gods don't look well on that. I hope to see you at the next one!

Check below for all the pics and vids.

Also - before the next tourney, I'll write up a post about the EvenSquash Handicap System, theory behind it, how it was developed, and what it can be used for.

The next SMASH Tourney will be held 11am Saturday March 3 at Lifetime Fitness - Sandy Springs. Registration is open! MARCH 3 Squash SMASH Tourney Registration Form. You can see all upcoming SMASH events on the SMASH Tourney Schedule.

Check the side bar for the latest Squash SMASH Tourney's Winner's Circle and other info about the EvenSquash handicap system and tournaments.

Until the next event, you can always follow along with live updates and latest info on Twitter @EvenSquash, Facebook @EvenSquash, Instagram @EvenSquash. And you can always add your email address (see the left side bar) to get emails about the latest posts.

- Bob -
Pro tip: Don't touch the walls of a squash court.... players wipe their sweaty hands on them. Eewww.

Donovan M. (2.5) vs. Paul D. (3.5) (Black shoes)

Randy J. (3.5) vs Roland D. (3.0) (black shirt)

Rehan S. (4.5) vs. Mario de M. (4.5) (blue shirt)

Randy J. (3.5) vs. Paul D. (3.5) (grey shirt)

Randy J. (3.5) vs. Jeff D. (3.0) (grey shirt)

Tom R. (3.0) vs. Roland D. (3.0) (black shirt)

Randy J. (3.5) vs Donovan M. (2.5) (yellow shirt)

Randy J. (3.5) vs. Jeff D. (3.0) (grey shirt)

Randy J. (3.5) vs Rehan S. (4.5) (black shirt)

Mario de M. (4.5) vs. Michael F. (2.5) (red shorts)

Rameez A. (4.5) vs. Paul D. (3.5)

20 January, 2018

JAN 27 - Saturday - 11am ~ 1:30 - SMASH Tourney!

Who is up for some squash?

The cool thing about squash is that there is always someone better than you.
.... well... except if you are the winner of SMASH Tourney... then you beat everyone else!

#MindBlown

Take the last tourney on Jan 6 - Andrew M. (3.5) won that one... beating 12 other players with skill levels from 2.5 to 5.5! He is still riding high, hits with confidence, maybe even has a little chip on his shoulder, - AND WORSE - he's holding $146 of everyone's money!

Think you have what it takes to swim in the deep end of a squash pool? The water is soft and warm... but there are Sharks, Piranha, Barracuda, Killer Whales, Tigers, Bears, Eagles, Velocirapters, and even Monster Trucks.

JUMP IN!

Saturday, Jan 27, 2018

11am - 1:30'ish

Squash SMASH Tourney

SIGN UP HERE

Remember: There is only room for 16 players. $20 cash entry fee. Anyone at any skill level can play!

Hope to see you on the courts!

- Bob -

16 January, 2018

Player Stats

Let's Talk About Player Stats

If you've played in a SMASH Tourney, you know that the actual game scores as well as the games won and lost in each match are recorded. What for? Stats man... STATS!

One thing cool about playing in events that use the EvenSquash Handicap System is that you can get a lot of information about your game and other players that isn't available in most other events. Traditional squash events box players according to their deemed skill level so that 4.0 players play other 4.0 players and, if there are not enough players, the box can be expanded to to include a range of skill levels like 4.0 to 5.0 players play each other. But in a handicap for format, you play any other squash player regardless of skill level and not just those deemed to be in your skill level box. This means that you are measured on how well you play anyone at any skill level - all the time.

So here are some of the stats from the 13 players in the Jan 6 SMASH Tourney and some insight into what they mean.

Player	% Must Win Points	Skill Level	Games On Record
Adam S.	87.8%	4.0	21
Andrew M.	85.1%	3.5	40
Nick G.	85.0%	3.5	17
Paul M.	83.2%	5.5	21
Rehan S.	80.6%	4.5	12
Carl N.	80.4%	3.0	25
Assam J.	79.0%	5.5	21
Roland D.	76.9%	3.0	40
Adam M.	76.7%	3.5	5
Clair B.	74.8%	3.0	5
Jeff D.	74.0%	3.0	40
Paul D.	73.9%	3.5	29
Michael F.	23.2%	2.5	4

What do the numbers mean?
% Must Win Points. These are the number of points you need to score in order to win a game. For example if a 3.0 player plays a 3.5 player using the EvenSquash Handicap System, the game is played as 8 points to 12 instead of the usual 11 to 11. This means that the 3.0 player must score 8 points to win the game and the 3.5 must score 12 points to win the game. So the Percentage Must Win Points for that game is the percentage of the number of actual points scored divided by the number of points needed to win a game.
Games on Record. These are the number of games there is data for the player. This is capped at the most recent 40 games which works out to about the number of games an average player would play 4 to 6 events. If you see a Games on Record less than 40, it means there's just not enough data to get a good feel of squash skills yet.

The overall percentage for a player shown in the chart above is the average of the % Must Win Points over the most recent 40 games. Pretty cool.

What is it good for?
Player strengths and likeliness to win. With their Must Win Points percentage you can now tell how strong a player is for their skill level. For example, two 3.5 players, one hitting 70% and the other hitting 80%, means that the 80% player plays better than the 70% 3.5 and is most likely to win. This can also be applied to matches of different skill levels too. Take a 3.0 hitting 80% of their must win points versus a 5.0 hitting 70%. If the two were to play each other in an EvenSquash handicapped game, the 3.0 is more likely to win even though their skill levels are drastically different.... but there are no guarantees in just one match and that's why it's averaged over the most recent 40 games.

When to adjust a player's skill level. A pattern formed from all the SMASH Tourneys over the past 18 months: Players hitting above 85% of their must win points, usually win the tournament at their skill level. Andrew M. (3.5) is the most recent case in point - He won the Jan 6 SMASH Tourney, hitting 85.1% of his must win points over the past 40 games. This means that as we see players hitting more than 85% over their past 40 games, it's time to bump them up to the next skill level. Likewise, if you see a player continually sliding and maybe hitting below 65%, it's time to drop their skill level. Adam S. (4.0) is hitting 87.8%! This would usually be the time to promote him to a 4.5 but there are only 21 games of data for him and that's not enough to make a promotion - we need 40 games.

Player rankings. You can rank players without actually having them play each other. This creates a real time ladder based on all the events a player participates in. If you want to move up the ladder, play in more events and hit more points. I currently have such a ladder made up of players that frequently play in the SMASH Tourneys and includes players like: Jeff D. (3.0), Roland D. (3.0), Assam J. (5.5), Andrew M. (3.5), and Rehan S. (4.5). I've got over 20 players on the list, let me know if you want to be on the list or not.

Chart performance. Over time, you can see a player's percentage change indicating they are improving, degrading, or flat. You could then drill down to see where they are struggling, what level of player they struggle with, or perhaps how to earn just a few more points per game.

New event formats and prize categories. Imagine a Best of the Best tournaments that might be invite only events where the two or three players from each skill level who hit the most points are invited to face off to see who is truly the best. Most Improved awards could be handed out every 90 days or so to the player who's hitting percentage increase the most. This is not just thinking outside the box, it blows the box up!

If you are a details person and would like to see the full spreadsheet used to tally everything. check out: 1.06.2018 SMASH Player Stats

Anyway - there's a lot that can be done with some simple stats across all squash players, not just those in your skill level range. If you have ideas, I'd love to hear them.

The next SMASH Tourney will be held 11am Saturday JAN 27 at Lifetime Fitness - Sandy Springs. Registration is open! JAN 27 Squash SMASH Tourney Registration Form. You can see all upcoming SMASH events on the SMASH Tourney Schedule.

Check the side bar for the latest Squash SMASH Tourney's Winner's Circle and other info about the EvenSquash handicap system and tournaments.

Until the next event, you can always follow along with live updates and latest info on Twitter @EvenSquash, Facebook @EvenSquash, Instagram @EvenSquash. And you can always add your email address (see the left side bar) to get emails about the latest posts.

Up and down the wall!
- Bob -

08 January, 2018

RESULTS - Jan 6 Squash SMASH Tourney

Andrew M. (3.5)

WINNER

Andrew M. (3.5) bested 12 other players in a fantastic squash battled for a $146! His path to victory wasn't a path lined with rose petals though... he had many tough opponents like going up against Rehan S. (4.5) twice and Nick G. (3.5) twice! You might say, "wait - twice? How'd that happen?" Well SMASH Tourneys use a double elimination format so that everyone can lose once but still have a chance to come back and win the whole thing! That's what happened to Andrew; Andrew beat Rehan, sending Rehan down into the losers bracket. Andrew continued to advance until he faced Nick G. (3.5) where Nick defeated Andrew and pushed him down into the losers bracket. Nick would king of the winners bracket guaranteeing him at least a 2nd place finish. Down in the losers bracket, Andrew and Rehan would match up again and this time it was to see who was going to own the losers bracket. Andrew beat Rehan in the second match up, giving Rehan his 4th, 3rd place finish. Now it is the winner of the winners bracket, (Nick G.) to face the winner of the losers bracket (Andrew) to see who would be the SMASH winner. That was an epic battle and Andrew was not going to make the same mistakes the first time he faced Nick and capitalized on any mistake Nick made. This win plus his personal EvenSquash stats of winning 87% of the points he needed over the past 40 games, moves Andrew up to a 4.0. This win also puts Andrew in the #2 spot for all time SMASH Winner Circle. Congratulations to Andrew M.!
1. Andrew M. (3.5) - $146
2.. Nick G. (3.5) - $84
3. Rehan S. (4.5) - $20
4. Carl N. (3.0) - $10 Other prizes given away to luckily selected players$25 Marlow's Tavern Gift Card - Jeff D. (3.0) - Carl N. (3.0) - Rehan S.
$50 Sushi Nami Gift Card - Assam J. (5.5)
Blue Moon Pizza and Appetizer - Andrew M. (3.5)

13 players in this SMASH Tourney with skill levels ranging from 2.5 to 5.5 and a little over 2 hrs of play. No one had it easy but everyone had a lot of fun. Take Paul M. (5.5), a previous SMASH winner, going up against Adam S. (4.0) with every point counting in each game coming down to just one more point for Adam. Then Paul went up against Rehan S. (4.5) and Assam J. (5.5), and Carl N. (3.0). Claire B. (3.0), she's a first time player, facing Nick G. (3.5), then Jeff D. (3.0). I chalk her going home in the first round as just a learning experience - she'll be back! Adam M. (3.5), another first time player, came out of the gate strong against Assam J. (5.5) and Roland D. (3.0) but eventually had to bow out due to injury. Michael F. (2.5), another first time SMASH player, who likes to learn by fire by getting on the court against a giant like Assam J. (5.5) - That was as stressful for Michael as it was for Assam to keep cool and concentrate! This was Nick G.'s (3.5) second SMASH tourney and after getting eliminated the first round in that first tourney, he came out of the gate cutting through players for this one and held down the winner's bracket almost to #1! Roland D. (3.0) and Jeff D. (3.0) both got a lot of great matches in, playing over 9 games and at least 4 opponents.

All in all there was a lot of fun - too much to write - Next time get there!

Check below for all the pics and vids and thought provoking commentary.