A professional wrestling squash is a match in which one one wrestler utterly destroys the other, getting 99% percent of  the offense and not selling anything.  Ergo, squashing his opponent like a bug.

Usually only jobbers will get squashed--it is their raison d'etre.  It can happen to normal wrestlers under certain  circumstances, though, like a wrestler being punished for something they did backstage or for poor performance in previous matchces.  It could also be done to build someone up someone as a superman by having them run roughshod over everyone--that's exactly WCW tried to accomplish with Goldberg in 1998 by having him squash just about everyone he wrestled.  It worked, for the most part.

When a wrestler gets squashed, overall, it's a pretty good sign that the promotion doesn't have much faith in them.

Squash is a sport that is popular in many parts of the world, but not the USA. In the Antipodes it is played by people of all social classes, and is not dominated by the rich.

Squash matches are usually the "best of 5 games", similar to a 5 set tennis match. A game is won by the player who first wins 9 points (British system, only rallies won on serve count), or 15 points (US system, all rallies count).

The world's greatest squash player was undoubtedly Heather McKay, who won 16 British Open titles (the Wimbledon of squash) between 1962 and 1977, and was undefeated for 17 years in all tournaments!

Squash has some unusual terminology such as:

Hand out
To receive serve
Hand in
To serve
Boast
A shot that hits the side wall before the front wall.
Reverse boast
A shot that hits the furthest side wall before hitting the front wall.

Racket sport for two people, played indoors. Probably one of the most demanding sports in terms of fitness in the world - just a few minutes' concentrated play is enough to build up a strong sweat - this is also a sport which is very social and has rules concerning bad language and sportsmanship, which are rigidly upheld.

Squash is a cheap and fulfilling sport which gives great satisfaction at whatever level it is played. It is also a very good spectator sport, although this potential has not been fully realised yet.

Squash can be described as a kind of physical chess, in which one attempts to wear out one's opponent by making her run from one part of the court to another each shot, while one stays relatively still in the centre of the court. It is from this physical and mental confrontation that the sport derives its lasting appeal both in playing and observing.

The Court

A squash court is 9.75 metres long and 6.4 metres wide. The walls are marked with paint lines, like so:

Front wall

1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | |

Back wall

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Side walls

__ | : __ | : __ | : __ | : __ | : __ | : __ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Floor

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |

Play is within these lines on any wall, provided the ball hits the front wall once. Above the back wall, there is normally a viewing gallery, although newer international courts are actually transparent, so the game can be watched from anywhere.

The Rules

Before play, players are allowed 5 minutes' warm-up time - 2.5 minutes on each side of the court. This warm-up serves two purposes. The first is to help the players get into their rhythm. The second is to warm up the ball itself, causing the gases inside to expand and the ball to bounce better.

Play begins with a service, the server of which is decided by a spin of the racket. The designated server stands in one of the boxes, 1 or 2 (floor diagram) and serves to the opposite larger box, 3 or 4. The service, like every other shot in the rally, must hit the front wall, although not necessarily first. For the service only, the ball must bounce in between lines 1 and 2 (front wall diagram.) Every other shot may bounce in between lines 1 and 3.

The ball may only bounce on the floor once in between shots, and the ball must not bounce above the lines on the side and back walls. Should the server win the rally, she scores a point. Should the receiver win, she becomes the server. Play continues until one player has 9 points.

If a player is likely to hit his opponent, either with his racket or with the ball, he should call a 'let', and the point should be played again, with no penalty to either person. If, however, the ball hits the player who just struck it, the other player wins the rally.

What happens when the score is 8 - 8?

When the score reaches 8 - 8, the receiver may choose whether to play to 9 ('Set 1') or 10 ('Set 2'). The vast majority of times, the answer given is 10, since it is the receiver's choice, and she is unlikely to want to face a match ball immediately. There is, however, no requirement in the game that the winner should win by 2 points.

Equipment

Rackets

Rackets have maximum dimensions of 686 X 215mm, and a maximum strung area of 500cm2. They are normally made from titanium for strength and weight, with glass fibre strings.

Balls

There are different kinds of balls in squash, depending on the speed of ball required, which in turn depends on the skill of the players. Their speed is indicated by a system of coloured dots.

  • The Yellow Dot ball is the ball used in competitions and is very slow. It is 40mm in diameter, and has a rebound resilience of 12% at 23oC and 26 - 33% at 45oC. It is recommended only for expert players.
  • The White / Green Dot ball is a faster ball for club players. It is around the same size as a yellow dot ball, but with greater rebound resilience.
  • The Red Dot ball is for novice players. It is generally slightly larger than a white dot ball, and has a rebound resilience of 15% at 23oC and 33 to 36% at 45oC.
  • The Blue Dot ball is only for absolute beginners, due to its speed. It is larger than a red ball, with rebound resilience of 17% at 23 degrees and 36 - 38% at 45 degrees.

Due to the size of the balls and the nature of the game, where both players are very close, protective eye goggles are recommended for all players.

World Organisations, Personalities and Championships

Squash is regulated by the World Squash Foundation, based in Hastings, England. The men's game is in turn regulated by PSA, the Professional Squash Association, which maintains rankings for players. The current top 5 male squash players are:

  1. Peter Nicol of England
  2. David Palmer of Australia
  3. Jonathon Power of Canada
  4. John White of Scotland
  5. Thierry Lincou of France

The women's game is regulated by WISPA, the Women's International Squash Players' Association. Current top 5 women are:

  1. Sarah Fitz-Gerald of Australia
  2. Leilani Joyce of New Zealand
  3. Carol Owens of New Zealand
  4. Cassie Campion of England
  5. Linda Charman-Smith of England.

Despite the game's presence in the World Games, Commonwealth Games and various other competitions and its status as a 'recognised' even by the International Olympic Committee since 1986, Squash still does not hold the title of a fully-fledged event at the Olympic Games. The IOC says that the game does not engender enough world-wide support, meaning that most Americans play racketball instead.

History

Squash has its main origin in Fleet Prison, where inmates, who were mainly there because of debt, passed the time by hitting a ball against the wall while standing side-by-side. The game then passed on to Harrow School (insert cynical comment here), where it was taken up and standardised with a court measuring 18.3 by 9.1 metres (60 by 30 feet.) Students at the school had the serendipity, however, to discover that a punctured ball, which 'squashed' as it hit the wall, made for a much more challenging game in which more running was needed and bounces were more interesting.

Thus was born the game of Squash, which branched into two variants - the American game, played with a hard ball, and the English game, played with a soft ball. Both systems, however, had much smaller courts than rackets, and they finally standardised at 9.75 by 6.4 metres (32 by 21 feet.) The American game developed into racketball, and there were very few 'standard' squash courts in America until the 1980's.

Until 1985, the sport was controlled by two governing bodies, the International Squash Rackets Federation and the Women's International Squash Federation. In 1985, these two merged to form the World Squash Federation, a name change which acknowledged that the game was universally referred to simply as Squash rather than 'Squash Rackets'.

Today, the sport is played in 130 countries, on roughly 47000 courts, and is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as a Sport, despite not being included in the Games as yet.


Sources:
http://www.worldsquash.org/

A pumpkin (or other gourd) drink made from concentrate. Squash is typically made in a spherical (but flexible) rubber flask. Fill the flask with water and concentrate; then flatten it. Delightful after a game of racquetball.

A squash is a fruit of the gourd family which has been a food source in the Americas for thousands of years; squash, along with corn and beans, were first cultivated by First Nations people, who refer to this trinity as the Three Sisters. Today there are many types of squash which vary widely in size, shape, and colour, but are usually subdivided most broadly into summer squash (also known as marrow) and winter squash.

Summer squash, as their name implies, ripen in the hot summer months. If picked while young, they have thin edible skins and soft seeds, though if they are left to grow after the flower falls off, they become large and thick skinned. (Anyone who's missed a zucchini when picking squash off a vine will know what huge monsters they can morph in to, left to their own devices.) The flesh of the summer squash has a high water content and mild flavour and is best cooked quickly in as little moisture as possible; sauteing is my preferred method. Fine upstanding examples of summer squash brigade are the long and slender zucchini or courgette, which can be dark green, light green, or yellow skinned; the larger yellow skinned and sweet crookneck squash; and the small flat green or yellow pattypan or scallop squash, which has a mild nutty flavour. All should be bought when small in size, and should be firm to the touch with a glossy skin. Keep in plastic bags in the refrigerator, and use as soon as possible.

Winter squash come into their own in the autumn months. These babies tend to be "of a generous size", as the Joy of Cooking delicately puts it, and come in attractive shapes and colours. The skin is hard and thick, hence inedible, and the seeds too are hard and must be cooked before being eaten; see pepita for directions. The flesh of the winter squash is orange and firm, and hence needs longer cooking times than its summer cousin; winter squash is very good steamed, baked, stuffed, and/or pureed in soups. They can be tricky to cut up, so see How to peel and dice an acorn squash for pointers. Venerable members of this family are the Halloween favourite, pumpkin; acorn squash, which is shaped, as you might suspect, like a deeply ridged acorn and has slightly sweet but rather bland flesh; buttercup or kabocha, with dry flesh, though sweet; butternut squash, a long tan number with a knob on one end and sweet, dry flesh; hubbard squash, which can be huge (up to 20 lbs); and the weird spaghetti squash, whose flesh cooks up into noodle like fibers. Choose a squash which is heavy for its size and has a thick, hard, unblemished shell. A whole squash will keep for up to a month in a cool, dark area.

If you grow squash, be sure not to miss out on the blossoms, considered a delicacy. Both summer and winter varieties have them, and they should be used as soon as possible after picking. Wash them only if dusty, and be sure to pick off any insects. You can sprinkle them raw on mesclun for a classy looking bistro salad, or coat them with a light batter and fry them. Or stuff them with soft cheese and bake till the cheese is hot. Or see courgette flower fritters.

Squash is also a name, most heard in my experience in British colonial contexts, for a fruit drink made from concentrate. Orange squash is most common, but companies like the Indian Rasna (www.rasnainternational.com) offer also mango, pineapple, and lemon squashes, as well as a variety of cordials and other fruit drinks. (I confess I cannot discern here or elsewhere what the difference is between squash, cordial, and fruit drink.) In any case, their website informs me that their squashes are sold in Attractive Frosted Bottles. Further, these Premium Squashes contain Real Fruit Pulp, and each 500 ml Bottle makes 15 glasses of Real Fruit Squash. Sorry, ariels.

Squash (?), n. [Cf. Musquash.] (Zoöl.)

An American animal allied to the weasel. [Obs.] Goldsmith.

 

© Webster 1913


Squash, n. [Massachusetts Indian asq, pl. asquash, raw, green, immaturate, applied to fruit and vegetables which were used when green, or without cooking; askutasquash vine apple.] (Bot.)

A plant and its fruit of the genus Cucurbita, or gourd kind.

⇒ The species are much confused. The long-neck squash is called Cucurbita verrucosa, the Barbary or China squash, C. moschata, and the great winter squash, C. maxima, but the distinctions are not clear.

Squash beetle (Zoöl.), a small American beetle (Diabrotica, or Galeruca vittata) which is often abundant and very injurious to the leaves of squash, cucumber, etc. It is striped with yellow and black. The name is applied also to other allied species. --
Squash bug (Zoöl.), a large black American hemipterous insect (Coreus, or Anasa, tristis) injurious to squash vines.

 

© Webster 1913


Squash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Squashed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Squashing.] [OE. squashen, OF. escachier, esquachier, to squash, to crush, F. écacher, perhaps from (assumed) LL. excoacticare, fr. L. ex + coactare to constrain, from cogere, coactum, to compel. Cf. Cogent, Squat, v. i.]

To beat or press into pulp or a flat mass; to crush.

 

© Webster 1913


Squash, n.

1.

Something soft and easily crushed; especially, an unripe pod of pease.

Not yet old enough for a man, nor young enough for a boy; as a squash is before 't is a peascod.
Shak.

2.

Hence, something unripe or soft; -- used in contempt. "This squash, this gentleman." Shak.

3.

A sudden fall of a heavy, soft body; also, a shock of soft bodies. Arbuthnot.

My fall was stopped by a terrible squash.
Swift.

 

© Webster 1913


Squash (?), n.

A game much like rackets, played in a walled court with soft rubber balls and bats like tennis rackets.

 

© Webster 1913

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