Squash

Squash court
What is Squash
Squash is a popular racquet sport played all over the world. It is played on an indoor court surrounded by four walls. The front wall includes a tin at the bottom that acts like the net in tennis: hitting the ball into the tin ceases play for that rally.

Squash is usually played in a singles game (one player against another) or a doubles game (two against two). Each player is equipped with a racquet that is made up of loosely woven but tightened strings within a round or elongate frame. Squash racquets are of similar format but slightly different size/shape to tennis racquets.

An official squash ball is 4cm (approx. 1.5 inches) in diameter; the ball is made out of rubber and is 'squashy'. All balls must be hit against the front wall and play alternates between players until one cannot return a ball to the front wall (or the ball hits the tin).

There are various court dimensions for different circumstances (singles or doubles games), and in different regions of the world. The official court size for singles matches is 9.75m (32 feet) long, 6.4m (21 feet) wide and 4.57m (15 feet) tall at the front wall. The tin is located at the base of the front wall and reaches 48cm (19 inches) high.

Only the server can score points. If the server wins a rally, then a point is scored; a receiver who wins a rally, becomes the server. A squash match is composed of 3 to 5 sets and the winner of each set is the one who is the first to earn 9 points.