How To: Squash
Squash, an indoor racquet sport, is played using racquets slimmer and lighter than Tennis racquets. Also, the ball is made of rubber, is faster and has to be ‘warmed-up’ before (or during) play for maximum speed and height. It’s also a pretty rough game; it’s a small court, two people swinging around a small ball flying round at high-speeds; it’s easy to get hurt. In fact, a few days ago I got hit in the side of the head by the squash ball after a shot from my opponent.
But, like Tennis, there are forehands and backhands and for both, the technique is very similar. Hold the racquet at the bottom of the handle (for max. power) and have it so the crease between your thumb and forefinger is along the ‘corner’ of the racquet. Have your racquet in the air, pointing upwards, to the side of your head (which side depends on what hand you use and whether it’s fore or backhand) and make sure your wrist is cocked and not lax.
You also want to hit as many shots as you can down the wall, i.e. parallel and as close as you can to the side wall. Your serve, unlike your shots, shouldn’t be aimed to land in the corners; they should [very] slightly bounce off about one metre from the corner and two metres from the floor. That is a lot harder to return than if it were bouncing in the corner.
Also vital, is controlling the T. The T is where the two painted lines meet; the centre of the court. If you can return to the T after every shot, you dominate and dictate the game; making your opponent run, be behind you, allowing you to play shots that’ll catch ‘em out.
Well, there you have it, a short guide to the basics of squash. There are a lot of harder shots; boasts, volleys etc. but if you can’t get the basics, it’ll make learning the harder ones a lot more difficult.
March 5th, 2006 at 3:02 am
great game squash is
I love it to bits
March 5th, 2006 at 7:48 pm
Yeah, but unfortunatly it’s not an olympic sport.
I hear it’s pretty popular in Australia, more popular than it is in England at least.