How to Bake a Banana Cake

How to Bake a Banana Cake Recipe for a winning game of squash By Leilani Rorani

2 Contents

Background History

The Main Ingredient

The Other Ingredients

The Good Cake Baker

Becoming a Good Cake Baker

The Winning Pattern of Play

Summary

3 When I was nine years old and learning how to play squash my dad told me this fantastic story about the banana cake to help me understand the technicalities of the game in a simple way. This story became the foundation that helped me get started and perfected my game. So, I’m thrilled to share it with you now—to learn from, enjoy and share with others. It begins with the simple question, “What’s the main ingredient in a banana cake?” Background History

4 The Main Ingredient In a banana cake there are eight essential ingredients:

Butter

Sugar

Eggs

Banana’s

Milk

Baking soda

Baking powder

Flour

Each one is important and needs the other to make the cake. So, which one do you think is the main ingredient?

5 If you said the banana, you are right! Why? Because the banana makes it what it is. Without it, there would simply be no banana cake! And, so it is in squash. There are eight essential shots:

Length

Crosscourt

Lob

Boast

Drop

Kill

Volley

Serve

Each one is important and needs the other to win the game. However, the main shot is the length. Why? Because the length shot makes up the basic game, whereupon all winning tactics are based. Without it, you would simply have no game.

6 The Other Ingredients But the length, on its own, is not enough to win a match. Just like a banana, on its own, is not enough to bake a banana cake. Every good cake baker knows that you need all the other ingredients—from the tiny teaspoon of baking soda to the two cups of flour, because together they make up the recipe that can be baked into a banana cake. Leaving even one ingredient out can ruin it. And, so it is in squash. Every good squash player knows that you need all the other shots—from the soft drop to the front, to the high lob to the back, because together they make up the tactics that can be played into a winning game. Leaving even one shot out can lose the game for you.

The Good Cake Baker 7 Now, at this point its important to note that having all the right ingredients still isn’t enough to bake your banana cake. Why? Because ingredients can’t bake themselves—they only make it possible to bake. It’s not until the good cake baker comes along, who knows the recipe that the ingredients come alive. What’s a good cake baker?

A good baker is someone who:

Knows when to add the right ingredient, at the right time, in the right amount.

Can think fast, move fast and plan several ingredients ahead, making it look easy (and clean).

Knows exactly the right time to take the cake out of the oven—no sooner, no later.

And, knows how to apply the perfect icing to give it that finishing touch.

And, so it is in squash. Having all the right shots still isn’t enough to win a game—they only make it possible to participate. It’s not until the good squash player comes along, who knows the “winning pattern of play”, that the game comes alive.

8 Good squash players are simply good cake bakers:

They know when to play the right shot, at the right time, in the right amount.

They can think fast, move fast and plan several shots ahead, making it look easy (and without breaking a sweat).

They know exactly the right time to step in and play the winning shot (attack).

They finish it off by winning the rally.

In comparison, the inexperienced player doesn’t know when to play the right shot at the right time, in the right amount. They think slow, move slow and plan at the last minute, making it look awkward and rushed. They end up burning their cake because they don’t know the right time to take their cake out of the oven—in other words, they don’t recognise the right time to step in and attack. And, they complain how they can rally well, but they just can’t seem to finish it off. So, how do you become a good cake baker?

9 Becoming a Good Cake Baker By baking lots of cakes of course! The more cakes you bake, the better you get at baking cakes, until it becomes instinctive, automatic and you can do it with speed, precision (exactness) and grace. And, so it is in squash. The more you train and play on a regular basis the better you get at playing the right shot, at the right time, in the right amount, until it becomes instinctive and you can do it with speed, precision and grace.

12 The Winning Pattern of Play This is the fun part—the “doing” part. These five steps will help you put it all together successfully in a rally situation:

Start by playing basic squash. This means play length to the back corners of the court; don’t try for any winning shots and play the ball close to the side wall (tight).

When you sense your opponent hanging back add your other shots to move her to the front of the court. Think, “Where is she” and “Where am I going to put the ball.” Don’t play to where she is——play to where she isn’t.

Mix them up to work her front to back—back to front. If you can’t see her, she’s behind you, so play short. If you can see her, she’s in front of you, so play it long.

Winning a rally can take two shots or twenty shots. Whatever the case, you must be patient and prepared to work harder than her to break her down. When she ends up playing a loose shot (lands near the middle of the court) or she becomes too tired to run back to the tee, this is the sign to step in and play the finishing shot (attack).

Winning the rally /point/game/match is the icing on the cake.

Summary

Helps us to distinguish the importance of the length from the other shots and that its no ordinary shot—it is the shot. The main ingredient in a game of squash.

Helps us see the important role of the other shots and how they work together to move your opponent around the court. Leaving even one shot out is enough to lose the game for you.

Helps us see that there’s more to winning than just having all the right shots, and that it also involves having intelligence, quick feet, quick thinking, (it is after-all a fast paced sport), patience and stamina.

Helps us to see that only through regular training sessions on court can you gain the skills and confidence to put it all together instinctively and automatically in a rally situation.

And, when it becomes instinctive, “thinking” won’t get in your way of winning.

11 In summary the banana cake story: What now? Now that you’ve read this e-book the next step to becoming a master cake baker is to gain the skills. You can learn more about that at http://www.myfree2b.me/skills .

9 About the Author Leilani Rorani (MNZM) is the former world number one squash champion and founder of My Free 2 B Me. She simplifies squash for women and girls. Send this Pass along a copy of this e-book to others. Created on This document was created on 30 March, 2009. Visit http://www.myfree2b.me/banana-cake for updates. What you can do You are given the unlimited right to print this e-book and to distribute it electronically (via e-mail, your Web site, or any other means). You may not alter this manifesto in any way, though, and you may not charge for it. Copyright info The copyright of this work belongs to the author, who is solely responsible for the content. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://tinyurl.com/dcqdth .