In my opinion, squash was a bit boring to watch back then (when I was active myself). Very focussed on safety, little risk. That has changed today. The players play much more to win points directly.
I guess it's the same pattern you see across basically all sports, where defensive techniques evolve, and then rules often have to be adjusted to redress the balance of power. In the case of squash, clearly the fitness and speed of the players increased (certainly overall, even if the top couple would be similar). Also the changes to equipment to allow lighter, more powerful racquets changed the game dramatically. Once you include both of those factors, you get into the world they did where they changed the height of the tin, and used slower balls etc.
@@MelHarbour With tennis, it's the other way round. It used to be more interesting back then when, for example, a serve and volley player like Sampras met a groundstroke specialist like Agassi. Today, all the top players play a similar game, mainly with a lot of power from the baseline.
Jahangir Khan has to be the supreme athlete in recorded history, or any sort of non-documented recall. Comparisons can be made to other sportsmen like Babe Ruth, Rocky Marciano, Bill Shoemaker, Wayne Gretzky -- perhaps Ruth (who still holds pitching and hitting records to this day) comes closest. Comparisons to other "racket sport' stars (i.e., Federer, or Rod Laver) only emphasize the gap -- as great as some of the tennis player's records are, none went on a winning streak of such duration or breadth (Jahangir played both soft and hard-ball versions of this game). In fact, most tennis greats are notable for the ephemeral nature of their reigns. Rod Laver may be excepted in this regard, given the massive gap between his two calendar year Grand Slams. Nonetheless, Jahangir Khan's utter suzerainty of the squash world is non-pareil. This man sat astride the sport like a Colossus.
The rally at 49:45 - 50:00 that ends in a let - absolutely brutal on both players - particularly Hunt - at that stage of the game. My guts were hurting just watching it.
How bouncy is this ball compared to the maggot they play with these days (the double yellow). Things that really surprised me about this ... 1. How often Hunt played off the wrong foot on the backhand. 2. How close Hunt gets to the ball on the forehand, particularly in the back corner. 3. Huntie playing reverse boasts - like wha????? I remember back in the day talking about how brutal this game was - particularly on Geoff. Apparently, he pissed blood for days after this. I remember reading that he was getting desperate in the 4th and went for a backhand overhead nick winner off Jahangir's serve. He hit it flush and said later if he hadn't got that shot and won the handout to give himself a mental lift, he thought he was spent. But that nick was enough to give him the mental shot he needed to steel himself for a final push to the win. This will forever be THE classic British Open final.
It's like a game of long ball. Not a single boast or drop shop in the first few rallies. Good length and cross courts but that's it. Wondering if the older wooden frames had some impact on the style of play?
The court movement of both players is so smooth, effortless. It's a shame squash is a game you have to play to appreciate what exceptional athletes these two are. As an American, I know most of my sports loving friends who don't play squash would see this match as boring. Of course it's difficult to appreciate the racquet skills if you haven't played, but these two move so easily the uninitiated would profoundly underestimate the endurance required.
JK would just out wait everyone in todays game. What he would do his just keep the rally going until he would see his opening. Todays players just shoot without a care in the wrold while jk would be happy to keep playing the long waiting game. Pall Coll has started to play like that now. He only shoots now when he has the perfect opening. JK would do just fine with todays game. With his skills it would be so easy for him to shoot with todays rackets.
JK would just out wait Ramy. What he would do his just keep the rally going until he would see his opening. Todays players just shoot without a care in the world while jk would be happy to keep playing the long waiting game. Pall Coll has started to play like that now. He only shoots now when he has the perfect opening. JK would do just fine with todays game. With his skills it would be so easy for him to shoot with todays rackets.
I played Hunt in a couple of exhibitions a few years later. I was also in a few tournaments in the early 80’s where Janhagir played. I was at the World Open at the Columbus Centre in Toronto where Jehangir beat Hunt. I just recently took up the game again after a 22 year hiatus. Mostly due to injuries and raising a family. The big takeaway is the ball. I did play with a graphite racquet but today’s racquets are more durable and better balanced. Strategically, I used to base my game on Hunt’s. Today however, it’s all about attacking. Which I love. I cannot tell you the number of times where I played today waiting for the ball off the back wall. Plus, I love going for nicks. I remember a game taking 45 minutes. Today a match probably averages 45 minutes or less. And then there’s the scoring. So many changes. It’s all good.
@@brendanflanagan7392 Yes, and to establish a benchmark you'd make an apples-to-apples call. Comparing players not in the same league is misleading, let alone comparing across sports. By the way, my brother hasn't beaten me in 20 yrs either. Pretty good streak if you ask me.
the reason why this squash is so poor is the rackets they are using and like anything else in life the more its played the more its perfected over time . I'm sure in their day that was the best squash about..
@@alexpaton2818 yes correct rackets have certainly transfered the pace of the game but players now days are physically stronger and fitter than in the past you can tell that by their physical attributes. The balls was heavy back then and a lot slower, so rallies would go on for ages that's probably why the squash didn't look as appealing back then as it does now (maybe I chose my words wrong when I said the squash looks poor), I think the longest ever recorded rally was back in the late 70's-ish at about 9@1/2 minutes. Players can real off points in no time in today's squash as the game has evolved just as the player's physical attributes.
JK would just out wait everyone in todays game. What he would do his just keep the rally going until he would see his opening. Todays players just shoot without a care in the wrold while jk would be happy to keep playing the long waiting game. Pall Coll has started to play like that now. He only shoots now when he has the perfect opening. JK would do just fine with todays game. With his skills it would be so easy for him to shoot with todays rackets.
Well before. Years before. But remember theyre using wooden rackets, the ball is just super hot from the huge length rallies. The english ball was considered to be slower and spongier than the Australian, which I personally can confirm.
Definitely in the single yellow dot era. Also - different makes of ball were very different. The CSG ball (Consolidated Sporting Goods) was slower, bounced flatter and I found much more controllable. The Slazenger ball was faster, skidded more, got shinier quicker, and didn't want to stay in the nick when you hit it there. So, a lot of adjustment needed just to accommodate the ball. Different temperature and even latitude really acted on the ball very differently too. Playing in Sydney or Brisbane with the single-yellow dot was very different to playing in Hobart or New Zealand. I would imagine playing in Britain with a Slazenger ball would be very different to playing in Sydney with a CSG ball. Then of course, the American ball was totally different again. It was like playing with a super-ball by comparison. Americans back then, played squash on a racquetball court, which was longer, so they used a faster ball to compensate for the extra length in the court. I think i prefer playing the old game, but prefer watching the new game.
Does anyone have any footage of 'Abdelfettah Abou Taleb' British Open Champion in 1964, 1965, 1966 and runner up in 1963, 1967. Would be much appreciated, thank you
Same year, when Jahangir beat Geoff Hunt in World Open 7-9, 9-1, 9-2, 9-2, Geoff Hunt remarked," Now I know what I was doing to others.." That was the start of 6 World Open and 10 consecutive British, 555 non stop wins. Hats Off to the athelete of the century.............. Mumbai
Mel - Do you have contact details for Ian Swarbrick? He says he has a video of Jahangir v Geoff from Chichester in 1981 which I reffed.I would love to see it. my e-mail address is gmandley.dixon@btinternet.com- Graham
absolute gem of footage . Thank you . Those rackets were 250 -300gms ? and 70% smaller . 3-4 years after this footage Jahangir switch to graphite of 200-220gm and you can see he was very modern and became the most domineering squash player ever. Ashour may be among most skillful perhaps and my fav. today but may be abt same genius class as Jahangir , Jansher , Hunt . Ashour however a lot less domineering much due to injuries.
John Thompson : yes, should have reference as most domineering men players instead . Well aware of Heather McKay on paper's records but honestly don't think the competitions was equally intense in the 60s & 70's for ladies vs the 80 & 90's of men. Heather McKay indeed had incredible records ( undefeated for 19 years and 16 British Open ) and also represented Aust on field hockey ! Have seen some you-tubes of Heather master's game in early 90s. She still incredibly strong at those age.
Amazing footage. Jahanghir and Jansher would demolish any modern player. Some idiot commented the amount of cross court shots. These are wooden rackets. Many of these shots would be in the nick with modern tennis like rackets. Also it easier to dig out without boasting with modern rackets. The old scoring system reminds me of 15 round boxing fights. This ball is like a bouncy ball as it is weighted differently
I would love to see todays pros at least try the old raquets out in a practice video just to see if they could pull off the same tricks that they can do today. If people really want to compare the skill level then have them try the old raquets.
imagine those strokes played on wooden rackets and ball control unbelievable ,those are days when squash as physical as boxing , thanks PSA for screwing up squash by changing score and bringing squash on table tennis level
Great upload, thanks for posting. Geoff Hunt's movement is terrific, he seems to stroll round the court. As for the debate about these guys and the modern era, that's a tough one to call. It's a bit like asking if George Best was as good as Ronaldo. I do think the game is more attacking these days and less attritional but I'm sure the older generation would have adapted their game, they've got the same racquet skills and if anything, these two hour slogs on British scoring would make them fitter
And there's a massive difference in the ball. The single yellow dot that is used here is so much more bouncy, so the rallies are brutally long and you get less value going for nicks. It makes a huge difference with length as well. The deader modern double yellow is constantly dying in the back so openings come more often as players are digging the ball out under more pressure more often than with the single yellow dot, which bounces off the back wall more and allows for an easier drive. So the 1970s-early 80s game is very different to the game since they changed the ball and changed the scoring. The modern point-every-rally scoring really changes the psychology of the game. The chance to win a point with a winner using a deader ball is a great incentive to play your shots more than holding on in the rally to win the hand out back, against the serve, where any error concedes a point to your opponent.
Was it also when we had 1 min between games?
How long was the match
Thank you for sharing ,,!
Kahn lost to Ross Norman in Toulose in the World Champs in 1985. If my mind serves me correctly.
The longest final in history?
Thanks for posting this. Fantastic coverage for 81.
In my opinion, squash was a bit boring to watch back then (when I was active myself). Very focussed on safety, little risk. That has changed today. The players play much more to win points directly.
I guess it's the same pattern you see across basically all sports, where defensive techniques evolve, and then rules often have to be adjusted to redress the balance of power. In the case of squash, clearly the fitness and speed of the players increased (certainly overall, even if the top couple would be similar). Also the changes to equipment to allow lighter, more powerful racquets changed the game dramatically. Once you include both of those factors, you get into the world they did where they changed the height of the tin, and used slower balls etc.
@@MelHarbour With tennis, it's the other way round. It used to be more interesting back then when, for example, a serve and volley player like Sampras met a groundstroke specialist like Agassi. Today, all the top players play a similar game, mainly with a lot of power from the baseline.
Geoff Hunt deserved to win for the 8th time, however Jahangir Khan looked like a future champion in this match. I'm a Pakistani.
So much tighter than todays game
it is very fantastic i like it continue bro
Best start to any youtube clip ever....
Jahangir Khan has to be the supreme athlete in recorded history, or any sort of non-documented recall. Comparisons can be made to other sportsmen like Babe Ruth, Rocky Marciano, Bill Shoemaker, Wayne Gretzky -- perhaps Ruth (who still holds pitching and hitting records to this day) comes closest. Comparisons to other "racket sport' stars (i.e., Federer, or Rod Laver) only emphasize the gap -- as great as some of the tennis player's records are, none went on a winning streak of such duration or breadth (Jahangir played both soft and hard-ball versions of this game). In fact, most tennis greats are notable for the ephemeral nature of their reigns. Rod Laver may be excepted in this regard, given the massive gap between his two calendar year Grand Slams. Nonetheless, Jahangir Khan's utter suzerainty of the squash world is non-pareil. This man sat astride the sport like a Colossus.
the fittest man on earth for his era. top 10 athlete of all time easy! EASY!
Love you Jahangir
This game is so boring
Well then you clearly don't know how hard it was to shoot with those rackets. This took way more skill!
Thank you very much for uploading this, I was really into squash at the time, and have never seen this.
What an epic battle! Unlike the wham-bam of modern Squash.
Even knowing the result, you are still riding every point at the end there. Amazing pressure. Hunt has a mind of steel.
OMG - the rally at 52 minutes (ends at 52:48) ... just pain at every level. They both really dug deep.
The rally at 49:45 - 50:00 that ends in a let - absolutely brutal on both players - particularly Hunt - at that stage of the game. My guts were hurting just watching it.
How bouncy is this ball compared to the maggot they play with these days (the double yellow). Things that really surprised me about this ... 1. How often Hunt played off the wrong foot on the backhand. 2. How close Hunt gets to the ball on the forehand, particularly in the back corner. 3. Huntie playing reverse boasts - like wha????? I remember back in the day talking about how brutal this game was - particularly on Geoff. Apparently, he pissed blood for days after this. I remember reading that he was getting desperate in the 4th and went for a backhand overhead nick winner off Jahangir's serve. He hit it flush and said later if he hadn't got that shot and won the handout to give himself a mental lift, he thought he was spent. But that nick was enough to give him the mental shot he needed to steel himself for a final push to the win. This will forever be THE classic British Open final.
they actually just heated the ball up from just playing. The level of striking the ball was just beyond any means
Anyone else wish the frickin' commentators would give it a break just for a moment???
Great Post, thank you. Brings back some wonderful memories!
It's like a game of long ball. Not a single boast or drop shop in the first few rallies. Good length and cross courts but that's it. Wondering if the older wooden frames had some impact on the style of play?
These players won't stand a chance to todays players
Rubbish
Look at the racquets! And the shorts!
The court movement of both players is so smooth, effortless. It's a shame squash is a game you have to play to appreciate what exceptional athletes these two are. As an American, I know most of my sports loving friends who don't play squash would see this match as boring. Of course it's difficult to appreciate the racquet skills if you haven't played, but these two move so easily the uninitiated would profoundly underestimate the endurance required.
Best ghosting I’ve ever seen
How would Jahangir at his peak go against today's best players?
BadStar Music he’d be destroyed, with the lower tin and lighter rackets players like ashour would beat him with their short game alone
Jahangir at his peak was every bit as good as the top players today and he could hit the ball harder
JK would just out wait everyone in todays game. What he would do his just keep the rally going until he would see his opening. Todays players just shoot without a care in the wrold while jk would be happy to keep playing the long waiting game. Pall Coll has started to play like that now. He only shoots now when he has the perfect opening. JK would do just fine with todays game. With his skills it would be so easy for him to shoot with todays rackets.
New generation v old generation? Ramy Ashour would beat these two at the same time...end of.
With a wooden racket? I doubt it very much
JK would just out wait Ramy. What he would do his just keep the rally going until he would see his opening. Todays players just shoot without a care in the world while jk would be happy to keep playing the long waiting game. Pall Coll has started to play like that now. He only shoots now when he has the perfect opening. JK would do just fine with todays game. With his skills it would be so easy for him to shoot with todays rackets.
I played Hunt in a couple of exhibitions a few years later. I was also in a few tournaments in the early 80’s where Janhagir played. I was at the World Open at the Columbus Centre in Toronto where Jehangir beat Hunt. I just recently took up the game again after a 22 year hiatus. Mostly due to injuries and raising a family. The big takeaway is the ball. I did play with a graphite racquet but today’s racquets are more durable and better balanced. Strategically, I used to base my game on Hunt’s. Today however, it’s all about attacking. Which I love. I cannot tell you the number of times where I played today waiting for the ball off the back wall. Plus, I love going for nicks. I remember a game taking 45 minutes. Today a match probably averages 45 minutes or less. And then there’s the scoring. So many changes. It’s all good.
ua-cam.com/video/LH7szPQ2GdY/v-deo.html
Great to see this again but pedestrian stuff by today's standards. However the ball was very bouncy and volatile wasn't it.
Incredible to think this was the last match Jahangir lost for the next 5 years. Greatest streak in the history of sports.
Heather McKay tho?...
Not even close to Heather McKay's streak.
@@brendanflanagan7392 She wasn't the top squash player. Any of the top 50 male players would've easily beat her.
@Ad Hawke - the thread is about greatest winning streak, not greatest player of all time.
@@brendanflanagan7392 Yes, and to establish a benchmark you'd make an apples-to-apples call. Comparing players not in the same league is misleading, let alone comparing across sports. By the way, my brother hasn't beaten me in 20 yrs either. Pretty good streak if you ask me.
No attempt, desire or ability to kill the ball so rallies went on for ever. Poor spectacle in comparison to modern squash.
MsCelicagt4 so true. When you play like this winning 555 matches in a row is easy if you’re the only one
I love it.
Much harder to kill the ball with a wooden racket and a tiny sweet spot. Today's equipment makes it a very different game.
what a champion and freak not only in squash but all elite levels Geoff hunt should be truly recognised by his supreme abilitys
WOW so OLD
Nostalgia! Pure Nostalgia!
the reason why this squash is so poor is the rackets they are using and like anything else in life the more its played the more its perfected over time . I'm sure in their day that was the best squash about..
I don t think the squash is poor. The graphite rackets transformed the game. These 2 guys were every bit as good then as the top players are today
@@alexpaton2818 yes correct rackets have certainly transfered the pace of the game but players now days are physically stronger and fitter than in the past you can tell that by their physical attributes. The balls was heavy back then and a lot slower, so rallies would go on for ages that's probably why the squash didn't look as appealing back then as it does now (maybe I chose my words wrong when I said the squash looks poor), I think the longest ever recorded rally was back in the late 70's-ish at about 9@1/2 minutes. Players can real off points in no time in today's squash as the game has evolved just as the player's physical attributes.
JK would just out wait everyone in todays game. What he would do his just keep the rally going until he would see his opening. Todays players just shoot without a care in the wrold while jk would be happy to keep playing the long waiting game. Pall Coll has started to play like that now. He only shoots now when he has the perfect opening. JK would do just fine with todays game. With his skills it would be so easy for him to shoot with todays rackets.
That ball is smokin' hot.
Great clip. Looks very bouncy. Is this before double-yellow spot ball became standard?
Well before. Years before. But remember theyre using wooden rackets, the ball is just super hot from the huge length rallies. The english ball was considered to be slower and spongier than the Australian, which I personally can confirm.
Definitely in the single yellow dot era. Also - different makes of ball were very different. The CSG ball (Consolidated Sporting Goods) was slower, bounced flatter and I found much more controllable. The Slazenger ball was faster, skidded more, got shinier quicker, and didn't want to stay in the nick when you hit it there. So, a lot of adjustment needed just to accommodate the ball. Different temperature and even latitude really acted on the ball very differently too. Playing in Sydney or Brisbane with the single-yellow dot was very different to playing in Hobart or New Zealand. I would imagine playing in Britain with a Slazenger ball would be very different to playing in Sydney with a CSG ball. Then of course, the American ball was totally different again. It was like playing with a super-ball by comparison. Americans back then, played squash on a racquetball court, which was longer, so they used a faster ball to compensate for the extra length in the court. I think i prefer playing the old game, but prefer watching the new game.
Does anyone have any footage of 'Abdelfettah Abou Taleb' British Open Champion in 1964, 1965, 1966 and runner up in 1963, 1967. Would be much appreciated, thank you
Same year, when Jahangir beat Geoff Hunt in World Open 7-9, 9-1, 9-2, 9-2, Geoff Hunt remarked," Now I know what I was doing to others.." That was the start of 6 World Open and 10 consecutive British, 555 non stop wins. Hats Off to the athelete of the century.............. Mumbai
Thank you
Mel - Do you have contact details for Ian Swarbrick? He says he has a video of Jahangir v Geoff from Chichester in 1981 which I reffed.I would love to see it. my e-mail address is gmandley.dixon@btinternet.com- Graham
absolute gem of footage . Thank you . Those rackets were 250 -300gms ? and 70% smaller . 3-4 years after this footage Jahangir switch to graphite of 200-220gm and you can see he was very modern and became the most domineering squash player ever. Ashour may be among most skillful perhaps and my fav. today but may be abt same genius class as Jahangir , Jansher , Hunt . Ashour however a lot less domineering much due to injuries.
Look up who Heather Mackay is and you'll truly understand what dominating squash means!
John Thompson : yes, should have reference as most domineering men players instead . Well aware of Heather McKay on paper's records but honestly don't think the competitions was equally intense in the 60s & 70's for ladies vs the 80 & 90's of men. Heather McKay indeed had incredible records ( undefeated for 19 years and 16 British Open ) and also represented Aust on field hockey ! Have seen some you-tubes of Heather master's game in early 90s. She still incredibly strong at those age.
No, the courts are the same size, only the Men's pros use a lower tin. The racquets of course are better now.
Amazing footage. Jahanghir and Jansher would demolish any modern player. Some idiot commented the amount of cross court shots. These are wooden rackets. Many of these shots would be in the nick with modern tennis like rackets. Also it easier to dig out without boasting with modern rackets. The old scoring system reminds me of 15 round boxing fights. This ball is like a bouncy ball as it is weighted differently
AGREE! I asked today's pros to try out a game with these types of rackets and they just laughed and said no way lol
Falcon Lover jahanghir and jansher changed their games and were amazing when graphite rackets were used
I would love to see todays pros at least try the old raquets out in a practice video just to see if they could pull off the same tricks that they can do today. If people really want to compare the skill level then have them try the old raquets.
I wanna see the top 10 though lol
Film it lol :D
amazing legends
nice skills
imagine those strokes played on wooden rackets and ball control unbelievable ,those are days when squash as physical as boxing , thanks PSA for screwing up squash by changing score and bringing squash on table tennis level
"squash as physical as boxing" what planet are you currently living on ? It's not planet earth...
Johnny Sack Obviously you haven't boxed...
Great upload, thanks for posting. Geoff Hunt's movement is terrific, he seems to stroll round the court. As for the debate about these guys and the modern era, that's a tough one to call. It's a bit like asking if George Best was as good as Ronaldo. I do think the game is more attacking these days and less attritional but I'm sure the older generation would have adapted their game, they've got the same racquet skills and if anything, these two hour slogs on British scoring would make them fitter
And there's a massive difference in the ball. The single yellow dot that is used here is so much more bouncy, so the rallies are brutally long and you get less value going for nicks. It makes a huge difference with length as well. The deader modern double yellow is constantly dying in the back so openings come more often as players are digging the ball out under more pressure more often than with the single yellow dot, which bounces off the back wall more and allows for an easier drive. So the 1970s-early 80s game is very different to the game since they changed the ball and changed the scoring. The modern point-every-rally scoring really changes the psychology of the game. The chance to win a point with a winner using a deader ball is a great incentive to play your shots more than holding on in the rally to win the hand out back, against the serve, where any error concedes a point to your opponent.
John Le Lievre...what an unorthodox player. I can remember him at the Village in Hyde, coaching Nick Taylor at the time. Nice to watch him play