A new Joel Makin?! asks Alex Roberston – Control The T Sports

FIRST THOUGHTS

Alex Robertston reports

Joel Makin is what’s often referred to in squash (and other sports) as a grinder (Joel, if you’re reading this, apologies if this has caused any offence)!

A grinder is someone who retrieves every single shot their opponent plays and can endure the longest rallies and matches without physically fatiguing. They can sustain a high pace of play and play consistent lengths over and over again, rarely making unforced errors of their own.

However, this is perhaps now the old Makin I’m referring to…

Background on Joel Makin

Born on October 27th, 1994, in Pembrokeshire, Wales, Joel Makin is 29 years old and in prime shape to elevate his game further. With a height of 180 cm and weight of 82 kg, his physical condition is remarkable. Last season, he weighed 90 kg due to heavy weightlifting and maintained an impressive 6-8% body fat, highlighting his elite athleticism.

He’s currently ranked World No. 9, peaking at No. 7 in 2022, and has stayed within the top 11 since then. Over his 11 years on the PSA Tour, Joel has played 392 matches with 247 wins, reached 23 finals, and won 8 titles.

Career Highlights

Joel first broke into the top 50 in 2017 after winning the Kent Open and making the final at the Chicago Open. By 2018, he added titles like the Arnold Homes Tring Open and made the quarterfinals of the Channel VAS Championships and Qatar Classic.

He entered the top 10 in the 2019-2020 season and became British No.1, reaching the last four at the CIB PSA World Tour Finals. By 2021, he consistently reached the semi-finals and finals of major events.

2022 marked a career milestone when he won the Manchester Open—his biggest title to date. While his ranking has plateaued since then, Makin showed his potential last season by winning the Manchester Open again and delivering strong performances against top players like Diego Elias, Tarek Momen, and Youssef Ibrahim.

Makin’s Ridiculous Fitness Regime

There are a few players that stand out when it comes to physicality. There are players like New Zealand’s Paul Coll and England’s Gina Kennedy, but, nobody (in my opinion) is as fit as Joel Makin.

The Welshman sometimes posts short clips of his workouts on social media (make sure you follow him) and they’re absurd just to give followers a little glimpse into his ridiculous workouts.

These workouts are so absurd that an article from the PSA written a while back referred to Makin as the fittest man in squash.

Fittest Man In Squash Joel Makin Aims For Glory In One Of The World’s Most Physically Demanding Sports

 

I’ve touched on his endurance and fitness, but, I haven’t yet mentioned his explosivity. Makin is absolutely rapid when moving into those front corners to retrieve his opponent’s attacking shots. His strength when doing heavy lunges in and out is really impressive.

When it comes to shots, Joel is exceptionally good at stepping across and volleying, taking balls early, and putting pressure on his opponents. He can apply some serious power whether he’s volleying or not too.

The New Makin?

It wasn’t necessarily like his game was missing something in previous seasons, it was more as though it seemed like he had more to give and that he needed to take one more step in his game to get to the next level.

Now, that makes it sounds as though he just needs to make some sort of change to his technique or strategy, which of course isn’t the case.

After beating Fares Dessouky 3-1 in quite a see-saw match in Qatar, the MC asked him what the difference in his game has been over the past year or two, Makin’s response was something along the lines of ‘just another 2000 hours of court time hitting shots’!

Hitting those targets is the cornerstone of his game-style.

Well, although this season hasn’t been going too long, Joel is looking like a new player in a way. He has unwavering assertiveness and confidence out on the court. Never a better example than one match in particular: Joel Makin’s 3-0 win over Paul Coll.

For Joel to be drawn against Coll, who currently sits at World No.3, in the first round is a pretty big ask, however, this match was possibly the best I’ve ever seen Makin play.

Joel had won just 4 of 17 previous matches against Paul Coll. In fact, his last victory against the Kiwi was at the same vanue precisely 12 months prior, with that match lasting 93 minutes and going to four games.

This time, the scoreline was 11-8, 11-4, 11-4.

Now, you can’t use this match to form a solid opinion on either player, as it’s also likely that Coll perhaps had an off day too. However, having watched the match, it seemed as though the first game was somewhat close, but, Makin was calling all the shots.

After getting a 1-0 lead, Makin was in the driver’s seat the entire time, not letting Paul get a sniff of the T in any rally. The Welshman was doing a superb job of hitting his targets again and again, volleying a lot, and finishing off rallies at the right time.

As stated previously, Coll is another one of those players with superhuman fitness, so these two are usually destined to playing a monster marathon match whenever they come up against each other.

However, for Joel to dismantle Coll like that indicates a change. A new Makin. Perhaps a slightly different style to just grinding it out. It’s like Makin had a new weapon out there.

Precisely what that was is what I’ve already mentioned (I think), and that’s relentless volleying, dominating the T, and hitting those targets. But, that sounds too simple and easy on the surface.

Something else I did notice about Makin was that he seemed more confident than normal, but also, more relaxed than normal.

It’s not often you see the Welshman smile, but we saw him with a grin on his face on quite a few occasions in his match with Paul (and again in his next round match against France’s Auguste Dussourd which he also won 3-0).

This was something that the commentators picked up on too.

He seemed to be really enjoying his time on court, which allowed him to be a little looser and comfortable. This makes it a lot easier to hit your targets and play your best squash.

Something I haven’t yet touched on is Makin’s mental strength.

To be a grinder (not that I’m saying Makin is still a grinder…) you have to be very mentally strong. You have to be able to stick to your guns, execute your gameplan, and stick to it, no matter how long the rallies get.

He’s never been the type of player to lose his head and give up points due to a poor decision or unforced error, however, he also hides his cards very well and it’s difficult to tell what his mental state is.

This is ultimately a pretty big strength, and, the fact that he’s smiling on court during such important matches is the sign of some great mental strength and confidence.

Makin’s winning speeches have also been really interesting to listen to, going into some unfiltered detail about his game plan, where he did well, and where his opponent’s weaknesses were.

After his match with Coll, he said:

“I think if you get ahead against Paul he can get edgy, he stops believing in the process of what he’s doing. I got on top and then those weird tins happened. You get those quick errors and then the gaps seem to open up, but not many people have been able to do that to him for a long time.”

“Some of these guys can put together special performances and you’ve got to shake their hand if they’re too good and keep coming back. I’m going to keep trying to get through these matches, and if my squash is that sharp then I’m going to cause some problems.”

He’s not quite having a dig at his opponents, but he’s still being brutally honest.

This really says a lot about Makin’s mindset and where he sees himself as a player. He’s clearly got the deeply rooted belief that he can (and will) beat these top players if he’s on top form. With that level of confidence in himself, the only thing left to do is actually play at that top form!

Predictions For Makin?

I wouldn’t be making all of these claims about the ‘new Makin’ if I didn’t have solid predictions in mind. Straight off the top of my head, reaching the world’s top 5 is the main thing I want to see from Joel. He’s got what it takes to beat those top players, he just needs to do it more and more consistently.

I like to think that he could do it by the end of the first half, however, that’s a very big ask with players like Ali Farag, Diego Elias, and Mostafa Asal on absolute top form at the moment.

I firmly believe that Joel can achieve this feat by the end of the season if he keeps up with what he’s doing.

Titles wise, there aren’t any specific tournaments that I think Joel is more or less likely to win than others, however, I think this is his year to win some gold and even platinum titles.

So, I think this really could be a glimpse of what’s to come for the Welshman this season. I’m hoping we’re about to see something special from Joel, something that he’s deserved for a long time!