Squash

By Lucy B.

If you are a squash player you have probably been asked the question, “So, squash is kind of like tennis…right?” Wrong. This question, or comparison, bothers me a lot, especially when people who have never played squash before say “yes.” This article is to set straight these false rumors about squash being like tennis.

Squash is played indoors. Two players are closed into a four walled, one ceiling, and one floored room. The back wall is usually glass so that the spectators can see what is happening on court. Each player has a racquet shaped like this:  (this is the type of racquet I have).

However, the racquets come in different colors,

models,and grip lengths. The players play with one

small black ball, which is only allowed to bounce once before it is hit, or it can be volleyed. The ball must hit the front wall before it hits the ground. However, the ball does not have to be directly hit to the front wall. Players can hit the ball off the sidewall or back wall to the front. Likewise, the ball can hit the front wall then the sidewall and bounce, or hit the front wall then the back wall before bouncing.

            There are boundaries to where the ball can be hit. The back, side, and front walls all have red lines on them distinguishing when a ball is hit out. A ball is out if the player directly hits the red out lines, or hits above them. The front wall has two other lines: one that represents the lowest area the ball can hit for the serve to be in, and one that marks the top of the tin. If a player hits a ball below the service line, or directly hits the service line, the serve is called, “down,” which means the point/serve is given to their opponent. If the ball is hit into the tin, the ball is down and the point goes to the opponent.

            The floor is split in half by a red line, and the half closest to the back wall is split in half again by another red line. The “T” that these two lines make is the center of the court, and the point that players run back to after every shot. In each quarter box there are smaller boxes called service boxes. At least one of the servers’ feet must be inside the box during the serve. The opponent stands in the other quarter to return the serve.

            Scoring in squash is very different compared to scoring in tennis. One player must win 11 points to win the game. However, if the score is 10-10 the players must win by two to win. Matches can have scores as high as 21-19 before someone wins. To win the match, a player must win 3 out 5 games. Some kids win 3-0, others win 3-2. Match length is very unpredictable, as is the length of the games.

            I hope this cleared up some of the rule