Squash (sport)
 |
|
| Highest governing body | World Squash Federation |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Squash Sport |
| First played | 1982 |
| Registered players | Yes |
| Characteristics | |
| Team members | Single or Double |
| Categorization | Racquet sport |
| Equipment | Squash ball, squash racket |
| Venue | Indoor or outdoor (with Glass-Court) |
| Olympic | No But is recognized as an Olympic Sport |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport
played by two players (or in doubles 4 players on court at a time) in a
four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. Squash is
recognized by the IOC and remains in contention for incorporation in a future Olympic program.
The game was formerly called squash racquets, a reference to the
"squashable" soft ball used in the game (compared with the fatter ball
used in its parent game racquets (or rackets; see below).
History
It is stated that “Squash, with its element of hitting balls against
walls, was for entertainment. For example, boys slapped their balls in
narrow alleys and streets”.Religious institutions in France, such as monasteries, developed a
similar game. Monks used gloves that were webbed to hit balls against a
fishing net strung across the middle of the courtyards of the
monasteries.
This developed the early “racquets” used in tennis and squash. Then in
late fifteenth century, tennis was developed and spread to other
European nations. The next major development of squash took place in
England where the game of rackets was developed in Fleet Prison, a debtor’s prison.
Similar to tennis, it involved racquets and balls, but instead of
hitting over a net as in tennis, players hit a non-squeezable ball
against walls. A variation of rackets that also led to the formation of
squash was called fives, similar to handball. Fives was essentially the
game of racquets, without racquets. (The ball was hit with the hand.) It is played against a wall or walls.
These games gained popularity in schools, and squash itself was developed at Harrow School in England.
The first courts built at this school were rather dangerous because
they were near water pipes, buttresses, chimneys, and ledges. The school
soon built four outside courts. Natural rubber
was the material of choice for the ball. Students modified their
racquets to have a smaller reach to play in these cramped conditions.
The racquets have changed in much the same way as those used in tennis. Squash rackets used to be made out of laminated timber.
In the 1980s, construction shifted to lighter, carbon-based materials
(such as graphite) with small additions of such components as Kevlar,
boron and titanium. Natural "gut" strings were replaced with synthetic
strings.
In the 20th century the game increased in popularity with various
schools, clubs and even private citizens building squash courts, but
with no set dimensions. The first squash court in North America appeared
at St. Paul's School in New Hampshire in 1884. In 1904 in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, the earliest national association of squash in the world
was formed as the United States Squash Racquets Association, (USSRA),
now known as US-Squash. In April 1907 the Tennis, Rackets & Fives
Association set up a sub committee to set standards for squash. Then the
sport soon formed, combining the three sports together called “Squash”.
It was not until 1923 that the Royal Automobile Club
hosted a meeting to further discuss the rules and regulations and
another five years elapsed before the Squash Rackets Association was
formed to set standards for squash in Great Britain.
The sport spread to America and Canada, and eventually around the globe.
It was founded in 1924 in New York as Metropolitan Racquets
Association, or MSRA.Players such as F.D. Amr Bey of Egypt dominated the
courts in the 1930s. Heather McKay
of Australia dominated the game during the 1960s and 1970s, winning
sixteen consecutive British Open titles between 1962 and 1977. Another
Australian, Geoff Hunt, won a record eight British Open male titles
between 1969 and 1981. During the 1980s and 1990s Jahangir Khan of
Pakistan won the British Open a record of ten times and Jansher Khan of
Pakistan won the World Open a record of eight times. No list of squash champions is complete without referencing the legendary Pakistani Hashim Khan,
winner of 7 British Open championships, and his son, Sharif Khan,
winner of 12 North American Open titles. Hashim is considered one of the
best athletes of all times and is the patriarch of a sports dynasty,
consisting of himself, his brother, Azam, nephews Mohibullah and Gul,
sons Sharif, Gulmast, Aziz, Liaquat Ali, and Salim Khan - all of whom
are squash champions in their own right. Jansher Khan, although sharing
the same legal last name, is not considered part of the "Khan Dynasty"
of squash as he is not related to Hashim Khan.
Playing equipment
Standard racquets are governed by the rules of the game.
Traditionally they were made of laminated wood (typically ash), with a
small strung area using natural gut strings. After a rule change in the
mid-1980s, they are now almost always made of composite materials or
metals (graphite, kevlar, titanium, boron) with synthetic strings.
Modern rackets have maximum dimensions of 686 mm (27.0 in) long and
215 mm (8.5 in) wide, with a maximum strung area of 500 square
centimetres (90 sq in), the permitted maximum mass is 255 grams
(9.0 oz), but most have a mass between 110 and 200 grams (4-7 oz.).
Squash balls are between 39.5 and 40.5 mm in diameter, and have a mass of 23 to 25 grams.
They are made with two pieces of rubber compound, glued together to
form a hollow sphere and buffed to a matte finish. Different balls are
provided for varying temperature and atmospheric conditions and
standards of play: more experienced players use slow balls that have
less bounce than those used by less experienced players (slower balls
tend to 'die' in court corners, rather than 'standing up' to allow
easier shots). Depending on its specific rubber composition, a squash
ball has the property that it bounces more at higher temperatures.
Squash balls must be hit dozens of times to warm them up at the
beginning of a session; cold squash balls have very little bounce. Small
coloured dots on the ball indicate its dynamic level (bounciness), and
thus the standard of play for which it is suited. The recognized speed
colours indicating the degree of dynamism are:
| Colour | Speed | Bounce |
|---|---|---|
| Orange, teal or green | Super slow | Super low |
| Double yellow | Slow | Very low |
| Yellow | Slow | Low |
| Green or white | Medium/slow | Average |
| Red | Medium | High |
| Blue | Fast | Very high |
Balls are manufactured to these standards by Prince, Dunlop, Pointfore, Wilson,
Black Knight and others. The "double-yellow dot" ball, introduced in
2000, is currently the competition standard, replacing the earlier
"yellow-dot" ball. There is also an "orange dot" ball and a Dunlop High
Altitude Ball ("teal dot"), which are even less bouncy than the
"double-yellow dot" ball, and are intended for use in areas of high
altitude such as Mexico City, Denver, Johannesburg and Calgary.
The lower atmospheric pressure at these high altitude regions means
that the ball bounces slightly higher, resulting in the need for such a
ball.
Given the game's vigorousness, players wear comfortable sports
clothing and robust indoor (non-marking) sports shoes. In competition,
men usually wear shorts and a t-shirt, tank top or a polo shirt. Women
normally wear a skirt and a t-shirt or a tank top, or a sports dress.
Towelling wrist and head bands may also be required in humid climates.
Polycarbonate lens goggles are recommended, as players might be struck
with a fast-swinging racket or the ball, that typically reaches speeds
exceeding 200 km/h (125 mph). In the 2011 U.S. Open, Cameron Pilley
was recorded driving balls at speeds of 280 km/h (175 mph). Many squash
venues mandate the use of eye protection and some association rules
require that all juniors and doubles players must wear eye protection.
Basic rules and gameplay
The court
The squash court is a playing surface surrounded by four walls. The
court surface contains a front line separating the front and back of the
court and a half court line, separating the left and right hand sides
of the back portion of the court, creating three 'boxes' - the front
half, the back left quarter and the back right quarter. Both the back
two boxes contain smaller service boxes. All of the floor-markings on a
squash court are only relevant during serves.
There are four walls to a squash court. The front wall, on which
three parallel lines are marked, has the largest playing surface, whilst
the back wall, which typically contains the entrance to the court, has
the smallest. The out line runs along the top of the front wall,
descending along the side walls to the back wall. There are no other
markings on the side or back walls. Shots struck above or on the out
line, on any wall, are out. The bottom line of the front wall marks the
top of the 'tin', a half metre-high metal area which if struck means
that the ball is out. In this way the tin can be seen as analogous to
the net in other racquet sports such as tennis. The middle line of the
front wall is the service line and is only relevant during serves.
Service
Just before the match, the players spin a racket (usually up or down
of logo) to decide who serves first. This player starts the first rally
by electing to serve from either the left or right service box. For a
legal serve, one of the server's feet must be touching the service box,
not touching any part of the service box lines, as the player strikes
the ball. After being struck by the racket, the ball must strike the
front wall above the service line and below the out line and land in the
opposite quarter court. The receiving player can choose to volley a
serve after it has hit the front wall. If the server wins the point, the
two players switch sides for the following point.
Play
After the serve, the players take turns hitting the ball against the
front wall, above the tin and below the out line. The ball may strike
the side or back walls at any time, as long as it hits below the out
line. It must not hit the floor after hitting the racket and before
hitting the front wall. A ball landing on either the out line or the
line along the top of the tin is considered to be out. After the ball
hits the front wall, it is allowed to bounce once on the floor (and any
number of times against the side or back walls) before a player must
return it. Players may move anywhere around the court but accidental or
deliberate obstruction of the other player's movements is forbidden.
Players typically return to the center of the court after making a shot.
Scoring systems
Squash scoring systems have evolved over time. The original scoring
system is known as English scoring, also called hand-out scoring. Under
this system, if the server wins a rally, they receive a point, while if
the returner wins the rally, only the service changes (i.e., the ball
goes "hand-out") and no point is given. The first player to reach 9
points wins the game. However, if the score reaches 8-8, the player who
was first to reach 8 decides whether the game will be played to 9, as
before (called "set one"), or to 10 (called "set two"). At one time this
scoring system was preferred in Britain, and also among countries with
traditional British ties, such as Australia, Canada, Pakistan, South
Africa and India.
The current official scoring system for all levels of professional
and amateur squash is called point-a-rally scoring (PARS). In PARS, the
winner of a rally always receives a point, regardless of whether they
were the server or returner. Games are played to 11, but in contrast to
English scoring, players must win by two clear points. That is, if the
score reaches 10-10, play continues until one player wins by two points.
PARS to 11 is now used on the men's professional tour, and the tin
height has been lowered by two inches for the men's professional
tournaments (these changes have been made in a hope to shorten the
length of the rallies and therefore the match). The women's professional
tour uses the original tin height, but started using the PARS to 11
scoring system as of July 2008.
Competition matches are usually played to "best-of-five" (i.e., the player to win the most out of five games).
Referee
The referee is usually a certified position issued by the club or
assigned squash league. The referee has dominant power over the squash
players. Any conflict or interference is dealt with by the referee. The
referee may also issue to take away points or games due to improper
etiquette regarding conduct or rules. Refer to “Interference and
Obstruction” for more detail. In addition the referee is usually
responsible for the scoring of games. Nowadays,three referees are
usually used in professional tournaments. The Central referee has
responsibility to call the score and make decisions with the two side
referees.
Types of shots played
There are many types of shots played that lead to interesting games and strategy.
- Straight drive or 'rail': The ball is hit parallel and close to a side wall to travel deep to the back of the court (the 'basic' squash shot). Often referred to as a 'good length' shot.
- Boast (or angle): The ball is played off a side wall at an angle, or the back wall, before hitting the front wall.
- Volley: The ball is hit 'on the full' (before it touches the floor), usually directly to the front wall
- Drop shot: The ball is hit gently against the front wall, to fall softly to the floor in the front corner.
- Lob: The ball is hit softly and high on the front wall and with a high arc, so that it falls in a back corner of the court.
- Cross Court: The ball is hit to the front wall from the right side to the left (or vice versa).
- Kill: The ball is hit hard and low on the front wall so that it travels no farther than half court.
- Trickle boast: A 'short' boast where the ball is hit to the side wall at the front of the court (often disguised as a drive or drop shot).
- Squeeze boast: A more difficult shot which is hit from the front of the court when the ball is very close to the side wall. Has the same effect as the trickle boast but is more deceptive because of its difficulty.
- Skid boast: The ball is hit high to the side wall near the front wall so that it travels cross court and falls in the opposite back corner.
- Nick shot: the ball is 'volleyed' or hit off a bounce, cross court and with power to strike the front wall then the junction of the side wall and floor (the 'nick'). When hit well, the ball will have little or no bounce or roll along the floor (this is a more advanced shot that is a variation of the kill shot).
- Back wall boast: the ball is hit moderately hard and high off the back wall, so that it goes the length of the room and hits (usually low) off the front wall.
- Philadelphia (or corkscrew): A shot played diagonally upwards into the front corner hitting the front wall first and then the side wall. The ball then lobs over the court with significant spin. Ideally it hits the opposite side wall at the back and travels parallel to the rear wall making a return very difficult. This shot is a favourite in exhibition squash but is susceptible to being volleyed.
- Mizuki: This shot is hit on the backhand side of the court, as a volley. Unlike a normal backhand volley, the Mizuki is hit with the back side of the racquet. This shot is extremely hard to hit and only very few people can use it effectively in a match.
Strategy and tactics
A key strategy in squash is known as "dominating the T" (the
intersection of the red lines near the centre of the court where the
player is in the best position to retrieve the opponent's next shot).
Skilled players will return a shot, and then move back toward the "T"
before playing the next shot. From this position, the player can quickly
access any part of the court to retrieve the opponent's next shot with a
minimum of movement.
A common strategy is to hit the ball straight up the side walls to
the back corners; this is the basic squash shot, referred to as a
"rail," straight drive, wall, or "length." After hitting this shot, the
player will then move to the centre of the court near the "T" to be well
placed to retrieve the opponent's return. Attacking with soft or
"short" shots to the front corners (referred to as "drop shots") causes
the opponent to cover more of the court and may result in an outright
winner. Boasts or angle shots are deliberately struck off one of the
side walls before the ball reaches the front. They are used for
deception and again to cause the opponent to cover more of the court.
Rallies between experienced players may involve 30 or more shots and
therefore a very high premium is placed on fitness, both aerobic and
anaerobic. As players become more skilled and, in particular, better
able to retrieve shots, points often become a war of attrition. At
higher levels of the game, the fitter player has a major advantage.
Ability to change the direction of ball at the last instant is also
important to unbalance the opponent. Expert players can anticipate the
opponent's shot a few tenths of a second before the average player,
giving them a chance to react sooner[citation needed].
- Power players: squash players who build up their game based on powerful shots. For example, John White, Grégory Gaultier.
- Shot makers: squash players who emphasize shot making. For example, Jonathon Power, Ramy Ashour, Amr Shabana.
- Retrievers: squash players who are excellent on court coverage and retrieving shots. For example, Peter Nicol.
- Attritional players: squash players who play tight shots and base their games on physical strength. For example, David Palmer, Nick Matthew.
Interference and obstruction
Interference and obstruction are an inevitable aspect of this sport,
since two players are confined within a shared space. Generally, the
rules entitle players to a clear view of the ball after it has struck
the front wall, direct straight line access to the ball, room for a
reasonable swing and an unobstructed shot to any part of the front wall.
When interference occurs, a player may appeal for a "let" and the
referee (or the players themselves if there is no official) then
interprets the extent of the interference. The referee may elect to
allow a let and the players then replay the point, or award a "stroke"
to the appealing player (meaning that he is declared the winner of that
point) depending on the degree of interference, whether the interfering
player made an adequate effort to avoid interfering, and whether the
player interfered with was likely to have hit a winning shot had the
interference not occurred. An exception to all of this occurs when the
interfering player is directly in the path of the other player's swing,
effectively preventing the swing, in which case a stroke is always
awarded.
When it is deemed that there has been little or no interference, or
that it is impossible to say one way or the other, the rules provide
that no let is to be allowed, in the interests of continuity of play and
the discouraging of spurious appeals for lets. Because of the
subjectivity in interpreting the nature and magnitude of interference,
the awarding (or withholding) of lets and strokes is often
controversial.
When a player's shot hits their opponent prior to hitting the front
wall, interference has occurred. If the ball was travelling towards the
side wall when it hit the opponent, or if had already hit the side wall
and is now travelling directly to the front wall, it is usually a let.
However, it is a stroke to the player who hit the ball if the ball was
travelling straight to the front wall when the ball hit the opponent,
without having first hit the side wall. Generally after a player has
been hit by the ball, both players stand still, if the struck player is
standing directly in front of the player who hit the ball he loses the
stroke, if he is not straight in front, a let is played. If it is deemed
that the player who is striking the ball is deliberately trying to hit
his opponent, he will lose the stroke. An exception to all of this
occurs when the player hitting the ball has "turned", i.e., let the ball
pass him on one side, but then hit it on the other side as it came off
the back wall. In these cases, the stroke goes to the player who was hit
by the ball.
Cultural, social, and health aspects
There are several variations of squash played across the world. In the U.S. hardball
singles and doubles are played with a much harder ball and different
size courts (as noted above). Hardball singles has lost much of its
popularity in North America (in favour of the International version),
but the hardball doubles game is still active. There is also a doubles
version of squash played with the standard ball, sometimes on a wider
court, and a more tennis-like variation known as squash tennis.
The relatively small court and low-bouncing ball makes scoring points easier than in its American cousin, racquetball,
as the ball may be played to all four corners of the court. Since every
ball must strike the front wall above the tin (unlike racquetball), the
ball cannot be easily "killed".
Squash provides an excellent cardiovascular workout. In one hour of
squash, a player may expend approximately 600 to 1000 calories (3,000 to
4,000 kJ),.
The sport also provides a good upper and lower body workout by
utilising both the legs to run around the court and the arms and torso
to swing the racquet. In 2003, Forbes rated squash as the number one
healthiest sport to play.
However, some studies have implicated squash as a cause of possible
fatal cardiac arrhythmia and argued that squash is an inappropriate form
of exercise for older men with heart disease.
Squash around the world
According to the World Squash Federation, as of June 2009, there were
49,908 squash courts in the world, with 188 countries and territories
having at least one court. England had the greatest number at 8,500. The
other countries with more than 1,000 courts, in descending order by
number were Germany, Egypt, the United States of America, Australia,
South Africa, Canada, Malaysia, France, the Netherlands, and Spain.
As of June 2009, there were players from nineteen countries in the
top fifty of the men's world rankings, with England and Egypt leading
with eleven each. The women's world rankings featured players from sixteen countries, led by England with eleven.
The men's Professional Squash Association tour and PSA rankings are run
by the Professional Squash Association (PSA). The equivalent body for
women is the Women's International Squash Players Association (WISPA)and
also(WSA).
The Professional Squash Tour is a U.S. tour based in the United States.
As well as Europe, Asia also potent a good number of World class squash players. For instance, Jansher Khan,who was at the top of the PSA world ranking for many years. He was a
Pakistani legend. Mohd Azlan Iskandar is now amongst the top 10
Internationally ranked players according to PSA
who is a Malaysian citizen. Not just major countries but Bangladesh,
despite being still an underdeveloped country, shows a bright future in
this form of sport, with a flourishing amount of tournaments arranged
recently,
many promising players is coming up from this country, Already the top
two youngsters of Bangladesh Squash Federation, Shomokami Tamim and
Habbarter Ribhu are said to be attending the 2012 World Junior
Championships in Cairo. Recent measures taken by the Government as well
as the efforts made by the officials of the federation have resulted in
the growth of popularity of squash in Bangladesh. The Government has
proposed to provide a land where the main Federation headquarters will
be built. Already two back to back tournaments have taken place in Dhaka
Club. On June, 2011 there was the Grameenphone open squash tournament,
where Swapon Parvez of Basundhara group emerged as the champion of the
premier division beating Shaheed of Gulshan Club. Another talent that
was observed during the tournament was Iman from Gulshan Club who became
the champion of in U-18 division.
After just one month on August another tournament was held which was
Digital Auto Care Open Squash. In this tournament as well Swapon Parvez
rose as the champion beating Raju Ram of American Club, who is one of
the rising stars of squash in Bangladesh.
The secretary of Squash Rackets Federation has also promised to hold
another national tournament in the coming month of September.