How did we get to B.O.B.? After years of fiddling with ball machines at one of my previous clubs I came to the conclusion long ago that ball machines had three purposes:
- A place for juniors to pilfer squash balls from
- An economically designed space keeper for an empty corner or under the stairs
- A great agility trainer. One person stands at the back wall and fires balls at the person on the front wall!
With the need for power cords and the space taken by the machine the squash court alway felt cramped and cluttered when using the ball machine. For a $5000.00 machine it was not very cozy to work with. It did help some people with practicing certain shots around the court. After using it for two or three sets, clean-up became a chore and the ball machine was retired to the corner of the building until someone found it and asked what it was for.
I new there was a better way to do things and just needed find a solution. In the summer of 2012 I strapped on my old tree planting bags and fill up one of the pouches with some balls. Aside from the rotten smell of a set of bags neglected for 10+ years I knew I was heading in the right direction. If any of you have planted any trees in the siviculture industry you will know how important it is to get tree out of your bags quickly and easily so you keep making money.
My requirements for SquashBOB, are a need to be able to move around the court and not have any of the balls fall from my bag and able to quickly draw the next ball. The innovation came to me and the time for trial and error had started. A stiff supported opening (of the right size) and a small inner opening were they keys to making this product a game changer.
After many iterations, mainly because I am not that good with a sewing machine, I was close to a working product. Yes I wore my unnamed Squash B.O.B. around the club with pride. Those who experienced B.O.B. would only smile at the next person meeting B.O.B. for the first time. It is easy to stand in one place and fire balls repeatedly on the court. Alternately you can vary the pace and angle of the ball challenging the athlete to adjust and maintain accuracy. With 60+ balls in the pouch a good feeder will tire even a pro athlete with a well thought out shot selection. The coach still retains the freedom to move around the court with SquashBOB attached while feeding to the Athlete
This is the product I have been looking for as a coach. Working with beginner groups to professional athletes one more tool in my arsenal to help the world play better!
SquashB.O.B.can be found for purchase at: www.squashonline.ca
