Small squash guide

Theresa Schieder

24.10.2017

Translation: machine translated

Squash boosts your reaction and fitness as well as your adrenalin kick. The balls bounce off the floor and walls at speeds of up to 200 km/h and require a lot of speed, skill and feel for the ball. I asked the Swiss general importer of the squash brand tecnifibre, Stephan Hugi, about Egypt's favourite national sport.

We have almost 30 squash rackets in our range. How do I know which one is best suited to me and my level of play?

Stephan Hugi: There are basically two important selection criteria for a squash racket - the weight and the racket head shape. The weight of the racket varies between 117 and 180 grams. The lighter it is, the better the handling for the player. All top players therefore play rackets in the weight range between 117 and 130 grams.

So completely different to tennis ...

Yes, exactly. Squash is a much faster and more intense sport, where good racket handling and quick reactions are particularly important. The heavier the racket, the more force you have to exert and the more your ability to react is affected. It's different in tennis, where a heavier racket provides more power and sharper shots.

The lightest racquet at Galaxus:

Squash rackets

Tecnifibre Dynergy 117

1

Question: Why are there always so many Egyptians in the squash world rankings?

Squash has always been the number one national sport in Egypt, it's an absolute tradition there. But the sport is also extremely popular in England, India and Australia.

Back to the choice of racket. As well as the weight, you mentioned the shape of the racket head. What differences are there?

The racket head is either oval or teardrop-shaped. The oval shape is particularly suitable for "traditional" players. It primarily enables a consistent and precise game, not necessarily a fast point. Drop-shaped racquets, such as those in our Carboflex series, are more suitable for this. Above all, they provide power and power in play. [[productlist:7855191,5654597]]

So racket balance is not as relevant as it is for badminton, for example?

Not really, no. In badminton, you have to deal with a much smaller hitting surface and different levers. The primary criterion for squash rackets is really the weight. Lighter rackets are usually more top-heavy, while the heavier models are more grip-heavy.

So the relatively wide price range for rackets is also related to the weight?

Exactly! Basically, the lighter a squash racket is, the more expensive it is. The cheaper models are mostly made of aluminium, which is relatively heavy and does not absorb hard hits as well. The more expensive, lighter models are usually made of carbon and graphite.

I also noticed that the centrepieces of some squash rackets are shaped differently. What's that all about?

This is mainly due to the shape of the racket head. The oval Suprem models are equipped with a bridge, like tennis rackets. The teardrop-shaped Carboflex rackets have no such bridge. The racket strings run directly into the centrepiece.

The Dynergy series also has a very special shape. The centre section of these models has no grommet at all. This enlarges the sweet spot, increases the trampoline effect and provides more power, but at the same time leads to a certain loss of control. [[productlist:7855190,7476043,5900407]]

Unlike tennis, squash has different balls for different levels of play. What was the order again?

The coloured dots on the squash balls indicate the level of play for which they are suitable. The blue dot balls are the fastest balls and are great for beginners in particular because they bounce well and quickly. More advanced players use red-dot balls, while ambitious players use yellow and double yellow-dot balls.

Squash balls

CHF33.90 CHF2.82/1Piece

Dunlop Squashball Max Progress

4

Squash balls

CHF39.70 CHF3.31/1Piece

Dunlop Squashball Max

7

Squash balls

−41%

CHF9.90 was CHF16.85 CHF4.95/1Piece

Tecnifibre Squashball

2

Squash balls

Tecnifibre Double yellow

8

One last question: how important is it to wear glasses when playing squash?

I would definitely recommend that everyone wears protective goggles. The ball is pretty much the size of your eye socket, which is what makes it so dangerous when it hits your eye. It also reaches speeds of up to 200 km/h. At official junior tournaments in Switzerland and at all tournaments in the USA, wearing goggles is even mandatory. [[productlist:5654599]]

For all squash rackets // For all squash balls // All squash bags // All squash accessories

Theresa Schieder

Leader Portfolio Development Do-It, Garden & Household

Theresa.Schieder@digitecgalaxus.ch

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