Singapore was the first port of call last Monday where I ran two coaching clinics and an exhibition match.

I showed the children and adults different ways of practising and different routines that I would do at home when training.

The audience were invited to ask questions and it was designed to help them to improve. In the matches I usually play some of the best players in the country or the club, and I try to make them look as foolish as possible, usually for the crowd's benefit, as they like to see their top player being brought down just a peg or two!

It generally makes for a fun night and hopefully an inspiring one at that.

One of the clinics was with a group of 25 school children, and it was gratifying to see them all straight back on court after the two and a half hour session had finished, which was exactly the reaction we wanted to see.

Then on Wednesday it was on to Malaysia where squash is a major sport.

It receives heavy media coverage and the women's World No 1 Nicol David, is a hero and celebrity there, adorning giant posters for a major bank on motorways and in shopping malls.

There was more press involvement here, and the exhibition was reported on a national news broadcast in the evening which is absolutely unthinkable almost anywhere else in the world.

On the last morning, hitting with junior players at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, it was good to see a couple of highly talented boys.

I probably saw around 80 kids during the course of the week, and it is unlikely there would be more than two or three who show such elevated levels of ability.

I explained to their parents how gifted I believed their children to be, and urged them to nurture that talent, without pressurising them.

If these children would like to carry on playing, there could be a future in the sport for them.

Finding talent is one thing, but the most important thing is that kids are doing sports, regardless of standard. If we can help a tiny bit to get them to play a sport like squash, it could lead to hours of enjoyment, fulfilment and good health throughout their lives, and makes it all worthwhile.

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