Squash (games)

I

Introduction

Squash (games), generic name for two similar games, squash racquets and squash tennis, played on a four-walled court with a racket and ball. Both games are derived from the game of racquets. This article primarily discusses squash racquets, which is the more widely played of the two squash games. A squash ball is about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) in diameter. The racket may be up to 27 in (68.6 cm) long.

Squash racquets is played by either two players (as in singles) or four players (as in doubles). There are also two forms of the game. Most people play softball, or English squash. A hardball version, known as American squash, is played in some parts of the United States. The hard ball is livelier than the soft ball, and because of this difference, strategies of play differ between the two games.

II

Court Dimensions

The standard court in softball singles is 9.75 m (32 ft) in length and 6.40 m (21 ft) in width. A service-court line is painted across the court 4.26 m (14 ft) from the back wall, behind which a serve must land. A painted line from the back wall to the service-court line creates two equally sized service areas. On each side of the court is a square service box 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) long and wide. While in the process of serving, a player must keep one foot in the box. A service line 1.82 m (6 ft) from the floor is painted on the front wall. Serves must hit the front wall above this line. The telltale—a narrow metal box that makes a loud sound when the ball hits it—rises on the front wall from the floor to 480 mm (19 in) in height. Shots hitting the telltale are out of play.

During play, the ball must stay within boundary lines marked on the front, side, and back walls. The front wall line is 4.57 m (15 ft) high. The back wall line is 2.13 m (7 ft) high. Along each side wall, a line drops in a diagonal slope from the front wall. It meets with the back wall line in the back corner. Shots hitting above these lines, including the ceiling, are out of play.

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The hardball version of the game is played on a court similar to that in the softball version. The major differences are that the hardball court is 0.8 m (2.5 ft) narrower, the front wall is 0.3 m (1 ft) higher, and the telltale is 432 mm (17 in) in height. Another major difference is the side wall line. On a hardball court each side wall line extends from the front wall toward the back of the court at a height of 4.88 m (16 ft). At the service-court line, the side wall line drops at a 90 degree angle to 3.66 m (12 ft) and then continues at this height to the back corner. There it meets the back wall line. Doubles courts in both softball and hardball are usually larger than those used in singles games.

III

Playing Squash

A game begins when one of the players serves off of the front wall so that the ball bounces in the opponent's service area. A player scores a point when the opponent lets the ball bounce twice, fails to return it to the front wall above the telltale, or hits the ball so that it strikes the ceiling or anywhere above the play lines. A shot must hit the front wall, but it may also be played off of any or all of the other walls. The ball may be volleyed—that is, struck before it hits the ground.

In the softball version a game is played to 9 points, but only the server can score points. The winner of a point continues (or starts) serving. A tiebreaker is used if the score becomes tied at 8 points. A match consists of the best two out of three or the best three out of five games. In the hardball version a game is played to 15 points, with the winner of each rally scoring a point. The winner of a point also continues (or starts) serving. If the game is tied at 13 or 14 points, a tiebreaker is played.

IV

History

Squash racquets developed in England in the mid-18th century at the Harrow School. It was first played in the United States in the late 18th century. The two forms of the game differ because the American game was originally played in unheated courts that required a livelier ball. The United States Squash Racquets Association, formed in 1920, is the governing body for the game in the United States.

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