What is Squash? By Taeha Park & Oscar Y.

Squash

ESSENTIALS:

First, you need a racket. A squash racket is similar to a tennis racket but is stretched out lengthwise. There is a small rubber ball that you play with. The mechanics of the sport are quite simple. To play squash, players take turns hitting a ball against the front wall of a four-walled court. The ball must be hit above the "tin" at the bottom and below the "out line" at the top. During a rally, the ball can only bounce once on the floor before being hit again. Players can use the side and back walls, and the ball can hit the walls at any time as long as it eventually hits the front wall. In a squash match, it’s first to 11 points to win a game, then first to three games wins. 

RULES:

When serving, at least one foot has to stay inside the service box before you serve, or else it's a foot fault and the opponent gains a point. One thing that is important is that your other foot cannot touch the line of the service box. In squash, there are usually two types of balls, the one dot balls and the two dot balls. Two dot balls are more rigid, and bounce less, while the one dot balls are more bouncy and soft. There are more balls with different dot colors for beginners, but we will not cover that right now. Another thing to consider is that while you play with the ball, it will become softer; the ball warms up while you warm up as the friction creates a greater bounce.

A person holding a squash racket and 3 of his balls

STRATEGIES:

One of the most important strategies is – after serving the ball, move straight to the tee of the court. One of the strategies that is most common is when someone will purposely hit the ball low, so that it will be very low when it is their opponents turn to hit the ball. Another good strategy, or more of a tip, is that when the ball is too close to the back wall to hit forward, hit it into the back wall so hard that it bounces all the way to the front wall