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What Is Squash?

Squash is a racquet sport played by two players (or four in doubles) in a four-walled indoor court, hitting a small rubber ball against the front wall. It’s one of the fastest, most physically demanding sports in the world — rallies involve constant sprinting, lunging, twisting, and recovering, with the ball reaching speeds of 170+ mph from professional players. A competitive match can leave you burning over 800 calories per hour while testing your reflexes, strategy, and mental toughness simultaneously.

The sport has about 20 million players across 190 countries, with particular strength in Egypt (which dominates the professional game), England, Pakistan, Australia, and increasingly the United States. After decades of trying, squash was finally approved for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — a milestone the sport’s community has been working toward for over 30 years.

How It’s Played

The basics are simple to understand, even if executing them well takes years of practice.

Players take turns hitting the ball against the front wall. The ball can hit the side walls and back wall, but it must strike the front wall above a thin metal strip called the “tin” (basically the net, except it’s at the bottom of the wall rather than across the middle). The ball can bounce once on the floor before being returned — or can be volleyed before it bounces.

A rally continues until someone fails to return the ball, hits the tin, or hits the ball out (above the out lines on the walls). Points are scored on every rally — you don’t need to serve to score. Games are played to 11 points (you must win by 2), and matches are best of five games.

Serving happens from one of two service boxes, alternating sides after each point won by the server. The serve must hit the front wall above the service line and land in the opposite back quarter of the court. After the serve, the entire court is in play.

The “let” and “stroke” system is unique to squash. Because both players share the same space, interference is inevitable. If a player can’t take a shot because their opponent is in the way, they can request a “let” (replay the point) or a “stroke” (win the point if the interference was significant). Understanding and fairly applying this system is essential — it’s the most debated aspect of squash.

Why the Court Matters

A squash court is 32 feet long and 21 feet wide — relatively small, which is part of what makes the sport so intense. There’s nowhere to hide. Every part of the court must be covered, and the ball can come off any wall at any angle.

The front wall has three lines: the out line at the top, the service line in the middle (relevant only for serves), and the tin at the bottom. The side walls have out lines that slope from the front wall’s out line down to the back wall’s lower out line. This geometry means the playing area gets narrower as the ball goes higher and deeper — an elegant design that rewards precision.

Glass courts have transformed how squash is watched. Professional tournaments now use all-glass courts that allow spectators to watch from every side. These show courts, often set up in spectacular locations — Grand Central Terminal, the Egyptian pyramids, Times Square — have made squash dramatically more telegenic and helped the sport’s case for Olympic inclusion.

Strategy and Tactics

Squash looks chaotic to beginners but becomes deeply strategic as you understand it.

Court control is the fundamental concept. The “T” — the intersection of the half-court line and the short line in the center of the court — is the dominant position. From the T, you can reach any shot in the court with minimal movement. Good squash is essentially a battle for the T: hit shots that move your opponent away from the T while returning to it yourself.

Length is the most important shot. Hitting the ball deep into the back corners forces your opponent to play from a weak position, giving you the T. Professionals hit the majority of their shots as straight or cross-court drives aimed at the back wall. It’s not flashy, but it wins matches.

Drop shots and boasts change the pace. A drop shot dies softly near the front wall, forcing your opponent to sprint forward. A boast hits a side wall first, creating an angle that pulls the ball to the front. These attacking shots work best when you’ve already pushed your opponent deep — the contrast between deep shots and short shots creates the chess match within the physical battle.

The lob is underappreciated. A high, soft shot to the back of the court buys you time to recover, disrupts your opponent’s rhythm, and can be devastatingly effective against aggressive players who crowd the T.

The Physical Demands

Squash is consistently ranked among the most physically demanding sports in the world. Here’s why.

A competitive match involves near-continuous movement for 45-90 minutes. Players change direction 4-6 times per rally, with rallies averaging 10-20 seconds in professional play and occurring every few seconds. Heart rates during match play average 80-90% of maximum — comparable to high-intensity interval training, except sustained for an hour.

The movement pattern — forward lunges, lateral pushes, backward retreats, and rotational swings — develops a type of athletic fitness that’s hard to replicate in a gym. Squash players tend to have exceptional agility, lower-body strength, and cardiovascular fitness.

The calorie burn is genuinely impressive. Studies estimate 600-1,000 calories per hour of competitive play, depending on intensity and body weight. That puts it ahead of running, cycling, swimming, and most other common exercises for energy expenditure per hour.

Getting Started

Squash is easier to start than many sports because you only need one opponent, one court, and minimal equipment. A decent beginner racquet costs $40-80. Balls cost a few dollars. Non-marking indoor court shoes (which you probably need for any indoor sport) run $60-100. The main barrier is court access — squash courts are found in athletic clubs, YMCAs, universities, and dedicated squash facilities, but they’re less common than, say, tennis courts.

Take a lesson or two before playing matches. Squash technique — particularly the swing, which is more compact and wrist-driven than tennis — benefits enormously from early instruction. Bad habits in squash are hard to break and can lead to injury, especially in the wrist and elbow.

The learning curve is gentle for casual play and steep for competitive play. You can have fun rallying within your first few sessions. Getting genuinely good takes years of dedicated practice, match play, and coaching. But that depth — the feeling that there’s always more to learn — is exactly what keeps squash players playing for decades.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is squash good exercise?

Exceptionally good. Forbes once called squash the 'healthiest sport in the world,' and the science backs it up. A competitive squash match burns 600-1,000 calories per hour — more than running, cycling, or swimming. It builds cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, agility, and hand-eye coordination simultaneously. The constant changes of direction improve balance and joint stability. And because it's competitive and social, players tend to sustain the habit longer than solo exercise.

What's the difference between squash and racquetball?

They look similar but play very differently. Squash uses a smaller, less bouncy ball, a longer and narrower racquet, and a slightly longer court. Racquetball uses a bouncier ball that travels faster and allows serving off the ceiling and back wall — making rallies more chaotic. Squash emphasizes control, touch, and strategic placement; racquetball emphasizes power and reflexes. Squash is more popular internationally; racquetball is more popular in the United States.

Will squash be in the Olympics?

Yes. After decades of campaigning, squash was approved for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The sport had been rejected from the Olympics multiple times (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024) before finally gaining approval. The inclusion is expected to dramatically increase squash's global visibility, participation, and funding. The sport will feature singles competition for both men and women, played on glass-walled show courts.

Further Reading

• World Squash Federation
• Professional Squash Association
• US Squash