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
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Back wall
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Side walls
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Floor
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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:
- Peter Nicol of England
- David Palmer of Australia
- Jonathon Power of Canada
- John White of Scotland
- Thierry Lincou of France
The women's game is regulated by WISPA, the Women's International Squash Players' Association. Current top 5 women are:
- Sarah Fitz-Gerald of Australia
- Leilani Joyce of New Zealand
- Carol Owens of New Zealand
- Cassie Campion of England
- 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/