For Colin White, coaching squash isn’t just about teaching players how to hit a ball—it’s about understanding the game, making the right decisions, and developing a deeper tactical awareness.
As the lead instructor for the World Squash Federation (WSF) Level 1 Coaching Course, currently underway at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston, White is focused on equipping Caribbean coaches with the tools to elevate the sport in the region.
“I hope by the end of the weekend, we have a group of coaches not just successful in passing but energized to help squash in the Caribbean," White said.
The three-day intensive course, sponsored by the Federation of Pan American Squash, features 10 coaches from four Caribbean nations, with participants from the Bahamas, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, the Cayman Islands, and host country Jamaica. Their shared objective is to increase the number of certified squash coaches in the region and fill the void for their expertise.
With years of experience coaching and teaching squash in countries like the United States, Austria, Hungary, and Russia, White brings a structured, methodical approach to his coaching philosophy. He simplifies his teaching into four key questions and three essential words.
“The course boils down to four questions: what, why, when, and how. If they ask those four questions, they’ll ensure that their students aren’t just hitting a shot, but understanding the purpose behind it. Squash is an open skill sport, so players must learn to read situations and respond accordingly," White stated.
He further breaks it down into three key words—perception, decision, and action.
“A lot of times, players are just focused on the action—hitting the ball. If I’m feeding a ball and my student is simply hitting it back, that’s just action, action, action. But they need to understand the situation," he noted.
"Perception comes first—reading the game and knowing where the ball should go. The better their perception, the earlier they get to the ball. That gives them more time to make better decisions, which in turn leads to better actions. If we only teach action, we’re missing a big part of the learning process. We need to be more explicit in helping coaches understand this," White added.
With the course representing an important step in standardizing and regularizing squash coaching in the Caribbean, president of the Jamaica Squash Association (JSA), Karen Anderson, welcomed the initiative as she emphasized the demand for such training across the region.
"The course is already making strides toward its goal of building a stronger foundation for squash coaching in the Caribbean, and White’s strategic focus will ensure that these new coaches are set to bring a deeper, more structured approach to their training methods for the sport's continued growth in the region," Anderson said.