Basic Rules of Squash
Squash is a popular racket sport played by either two or four players on a small court with four walls. The name "squash" comes from the small ball used in the game, which, though hard, has quite a bit of give to it. The game can seem odd to those who have only seen racket sports like tennis before, but it is quite simple to get the hang of it once you know most of the rules.
A standard squash court is set up with four walls that surround the competitors. The court is divided into three sections. The half court line splits up the front and back of the court, the former of which the players face during the competition. The back court is divided into two even sections, forming a back left quarter and a back right quarter. Inside of each of the quarter boxes is a smaller box from which the ball is served. There are important lines on the walls of the court too; a descending horizontal line on the side walls determines whether a ball is in or out, and three parallel lines on the front wall are also vital. Any shots above the top line are out, any below the bottom line are out too, and the middle line is used for serving.
During a match, a player must serve from inside the service box and hit the ball between the service line and the top out line and then land in the opposing quarter court. Then the opponent strikes the ball back and hits it against the front wall. This continues until one of the players fails to hit the front wall on his or her volley. If the ball hits the floor before it hits the front wall after it's hit, then that player loses the point. The side walls and back wall are in play throughout the match. If the original server wins the volley, then players switch sides on the next point. The scoring systems vary regionally and depending on the level of competition, but traditionally games are played to 9 or 11 points over multiple sets.
