A KNOWN hothead on the court, national squash player Darren Rahul Pragasam has taken the long timeout from the sport to reassess his approach to the game.
The 20-year-old is prone to losing his cool when it matters most which has, in turn, hampered his progress in the professional ranks.
The four-month break from the sport due to the Covid-19 pandemic has, however, given Darren the perfect opportunity to look over the flaws of his game.
The Seremban-born has even taken up a course in psychology at Taylor's University in the hope of improving his game.
The World No 137 is determined to close the gap on the country's top two — Ng Eain Yow and Ivan Yuen.
"I am a temperamental player and it's one of the reasons why I am studying psychology," said Darren, who resumed training at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil last month.
"It certainly helps me a bit in my game.
"It's my goal to keep getting better and to get closer to the guys above me.
"I could probably score a one-off against guys like Eain Yow and Ivan but I lack the consistency to do so regularly.
"I want to get ahead of them. That would be my main goal because, ultimately, in a year or two I want to be on par with them and to be in contention for major events like the Men's World Team Championships.
"A lot has to come with improving myself mentally. It's not just temperamental, but also the ability to do the right things at the right time during big matches."
Darren, whose sole outing this year was a semi-final finish at the Auckland Open in March, has his sights on a good run at the National Championships on Oct 6-11.
"After such a long break, the national meet will be a good platform to gauge where I currently stand," Darren added.
Last year, Darren, who was seeded joint fifth-eighth, made it to the semi-finals before bowing out in three games to eventual winner Ivan.