Introduction To The game Of Squash So you've heard about squash and you want to try it out....This brief web introduction will offer you some basic advice and point you in the direction of additional resources and help. First, a brief word about the game of squash racquets. Squash is an energetic and strategic game involving two players. After spending a period of a few weeks getting grounded in the game, it will then become a lifetime journey of learning about the game and improving your skills and tactics. You will find the community of squash players to be committed to the game, sometimes fanatical about it, and generally interested in helping out new converts to the game. Welcome to the exciting and sometimes frustrating world of squash. Here are the basic steps that will help you, the beginner, to start out in the game:

In selecting a place to play (if you have the luxury of being in a locality with multiple clubs):

1. Look for a club with a strong teaching pro. You will need some enthusiastically delivered lessons at the beginning to start you on the right footing.Look for a club with four courts or more. Four courts is a critical mass for supporting a strong nucleus of squash players.

2. Get a squash lesson. Take three to four squash lessons, spaced at least a week apart. Ask around to find out who can provide the best lessons for a beginning player. These lesson will: ground you in the basics of how to hold the racquet and how to stroke the ball, give you the basics of where to move in the court and how to move around the court, and give you some simple drills to work on on your own.

3. Find a regular sparring partner. Find another beginner or another slightly better player with whom you can play with on a regular basis. You and your partner can help each other improve by.

4. Spend an hour or more on the squash court a week by yourself! Squash is a great game for self-improvement. Because it is played against four walls, you can always get onto the court by yourself and "drill yourself". Start out with the most basic drill: hitting the squash ball for "length" along the forehand and backhand walls, (the so-called "rails").

5. Watch good squash. Attend a local tournament or "A" league match and watch some 5.0 - plus players competing. You will get a good idea of the game's strategy and tactics by watching some good competition, and you will get inspired to improve some more.

6. Attend to stretching and conditioning. No matter your age or level of play, you will enjoy the game better if you spend time on stretching and conditioning. Stretching before and after you play is essential for this game, which is characterized by 45 minutes or so of intensive bursts of activity. You pro can show you the best stretching exercises for squash. Doing some jogging, wind sprints or other conditioning on a regular basis will also help you enjoy the game more. Some players "play to get in condition". This works too, but its not the best approach.

   Well, that's a lot to think about, but if you follow these six simple steps, you will be well on your way to enjoyment of a great lifetime recreational and competitive games - squash!

Abbreviated Rules Of Squash

• If you are a beginner or novice and want a straightforward overview of the rules of squash:

• The scoring (Rule 1)A match is the best of five games. Each game is to nine points, unless the score reaches eight-all. At eight-all the receiver (non-server) has to choose to play either to nine points (known as "Set One") or to ten points (known as "Set Two"). (There is no requirement that a player needs to be two points ahead to win a game).Points are scored only by the server. When the server wins a rally he or she scores a point; when the receiver wins a rally he or she becomes the server.

• The warm-up (Rule 2)Before the start of a match, the two players are allowed up to 5 minutes (2[omega] minutes on each side) to "warm-up" themselves and the ball on the match court.When a ball has been changed during a match, or if the match has been resumed after some delay, the players warm-up the ball to playing condition.The ball may be warmed up by either player during any interval in the match.

• The service (Rule 3)Play commences with a service. The player to serve first is decided by the spin of a racket. Thereafter, the server continues serving until losing a rally, when the opponent becomes the server and the server becomes "hand out".The player who wins the preceding game serves first in the next game.At the beginning of each game and when the service changes from one player to the other, the server can serve from either service box. After winning a rally the server then continues serving from the alternate box.To serve a player stands with at least part of one foot on the floor within the service box. For a service to be good, it is served directly onto the front wall above the service line and below the out line so that on its return, unless volleyed, it reaches the floor within the back quarter of the court opposite to the server's box.

• Good return (Rule 4)A return is good if the ball, before it has bounced twice on the floor, is returned correctly by the striker onto the front wall above the tin and below the out line, without first touching the floor. The ball may hit the side walls and/or the back wall before reaching the front wall.A return is not good if it is "NOT UP" (ball struck after bouncing more than once on the floor, or not struck correctly, or a double hit); "DOWN" (the ball after being struck, hits the floor before the front wall or hits the tin) or "OUT" (the ball hits a wall on or above the out line).

• Rallies (Rule 5)After a good service has been delivered the players hit the ball in turn until one fails to make a good return.A rally consists of a service and a number of good returns. A player wins a rally if the opponent fails to make a good service or return of the ball or if, before the player has attempted to hit the ball, it touches the opponent (including racket or clothing) when the opponent is the non-striker.

• Note: At any time during a rally a player should not strike the ball if there is a danger of hitting the opponent with the ball or racket. in such cases play stops and the rally is either played again ("a let") or the opponent is penalised.

• Hitting an opponent with the balL (Rule 6)If a player strikes the ball, which, before reaching the front wall, hits the opponent, or the opponentís racket or clothing, play stops.If the return would have been good and the ball would have struck the front wall without first touching any other wall, the striker wins the rally, provided the striker did not "turn".If the ball either had struck, or would have struck, any other wall and the return would have been good, a let is played.If the return would not have been good, the striker loses the rally.

• Turning (Rule 7)If the striker has either followed the ball round, or allowed it to pass around him or her - in either case striking the ball to the right of the body after the ball had passed to the left (or vice-versa) - then the striker has "TURNED".If the opponent is struck by the ball after the striker has turned, the rally is awarded to the opponent.If the striker, while turning, stops play for fear of striking the opponent, then a let is played. This is the recommended course of action in situations where a player wants to turn but is unsure of the opponentís position.

• Further attempts (Rule 8)A player, after attempting to strike the ball and missing, may make a further attempt to return the ball.If a further attempt would have resulted in a good return, but the ball hits the opponent, a let is played.If the return would not have been good, the striker loses the rally.

• Interference (Rule 9)When it is his or her turn to play the ball, a player is entitled to freedom from interference by the opponent.To avoid interference, the opponent must try to provide the player with unobstructed direct access to the ball, a fair view of the ball, space to complete a swing at the ball and freedom to play the ball directly to any part of the front wall.A player, finding the opponent interfering with the play, can accept the interference and play on, or stop play. It is preferable to stop play if there is a possibility of colliding with the opponent, or of hitting him or her with racket or ball.When play has stopped as a result of interference the general guidelines are:The player is entitled to a let if he or she could have returned the ball and the opponent has made every effort to avoid the interference.The player is not entitled to a let (i.e. loses the rally) if he or she could not have returned the ball, or accepts the interference and plays on, or the interference was so minimal that the playerís access to and strike at the ball was not affected.The player is entitled to a stroke (i.e. wins the rally) if the opponent did not make every effort to avoid the interference, or if the player would have hit a winning return, or if the player would have struck the opponent with the ball going directly to the front wall.

• Bleeding, injury and illness (Rule 10)If an injury occurs which involves bleeding, the bleeding must be stopped before the player can continue. A player is allowed a reasonable time to attend to a bleeding wound.If the bleeding was caused solely by the opponentís action, the injured player wins the match.If the bleeding recurs no further delay is allowed, except that the player can concede a game, using the 90 second period between games to attend to the wound and stop the bleeding. If unable to stop it, the player must concede the match.For an injury not involving bleeding, it must be decided whether the injury was either caused by the opponent or self inflicted or contributed to by both players.If caused by the opponent, the injured player wins the match if any recovery time is needed.If self-inflicted, the injured player is allowed 3 minutes to recover and must then play on, or concede a game using the 90 second rest period between games to recover.If contributed by both players, the injured player is allowed an hour to recover.A player who is ill must play on or can take a rest period by conceding a game and using the 90 second interval to recover. Cramps, feeling sick and breathlessness (including asthma) are considered illnesses. If a player vomits on court, the opponent wins the match.

• Duties of players (Rule 11)Provides guidelines for players. For example 15.6 states that deliberate distraction is not allowed. Players should read this rule in full.Some of the 8 sub-sections deal with situations related to matches under the control of officials (Referee/Marker). The use of officials is not covered in this abbreviated version.

• Conduct on court (Rule 12)Offensive, disruptive or intimidating behaviour in squash is not acceptable.Included in this category are: audible and visible obscenities, verbal and physical abuse, dissent, abuse of racket, court or ball, unnecessary physical contact, excessive racket swing, unfair warm-up, time-wasting, late back on court, deliberate or dangerous play or action and coaching (except between games).

Here are ten simple rules to always keep in mind as you work to improve your game:

• Hit to a good length Stroke the ball to the front wall with sufficient judgement to make it bounce at the back of the court behind the service box. The ball should never hit the back wall on the full or fail to hit the back wall, ideally after one bounce and die. Develop it, as a reflex action with practice, by hitting hard below the front wall service line, or soft above the service line. The objective is to confine your opponent to the backcourt, moving him out of the dominating position at the T.

• Aim for the back corners As well as good length the standard shot should be played to the back corner. One can see the opponent's options are reduced when you play in the back corner. Thirty feet away he can't attack and his swing is restricted. While playing a cross-court you should hit should hit wide so that he reply with a volley.

• Keep it close to the sidewall As a routine, keep the ball straight, in the corners, along the sidewall (easier said than done). This will cause your opponent to move away from the T and hinder him from attacking or volleying. He will be on the defensive and there may be a possibility of a weak return.

• The importance of the 'T' Moving to the T after playing your shot is most crucial. This will allow you to move and pick up your opponents shot, be it a drop to front court or a shot to the back court. Generally take long strides to the ball, so the body is in the recommended position when playing the stroke, and can also recover quickly for the next rally. The player controlling the T will invariably control the point. Even after playing a drop or front wall boast you should move back to the T, to await your opponents stroke. Practice correct movements by on court shadow (ghosting) routines and shot specific drills.

• Watch the ball Some players find it hard to watch the ball, especially when the ball is hit behind the player, they just watch the front wall. Players also tend to lift their head to see their opponent's position, before playing their own stroke. Make it a practice to watch the ball unto impact on your and you opponent's racket. This will give you the extra milliseconds, to respond and can also avoid injuries of being accidentally hit by your opponent, his racket or ball.

• Move your opponent around It sounds simple, but most players tend to play strokes mechanically without relation to their opponent's position. Strike a balance between trying to hit winners or just defending and returning every ball. Try and spot your opponents strengths and weaknesses by watching their previous matches and also during knock up. Use this info to frame your game plan. Move your opponent to all four corners and especially if they have a weaker side, which should be exploited.

• Eat smart There is no perfect diet, as everyone has different needs and requirements. The best diet is one that provides adequate fuel and is balanced with nutrients in the required amounts. If you eat healthily, you will train harder, and be in better physical and mental condition. Water and proper hydration are very important. Unreplaced fluid losses can impair performance. Please drink water as required by your system during training and matches. Eat well during tournaments, preferably carbohydrates.

• Think about your game Squash is a mental as well as a physical sport. Analyze your strengths and weaknesses and try and improve upon them. Even if you do not have a coach take the advice of a friend. Also learn from the pros by studying their matches on TV or video for tips and traps. Check out the squash sites on the net.

• Keep in shape "You have to be fit to play squash, not play squash to get fit". Balance your on and off season training with a mixture of flexibility, aerobic, anaerobic and strength training and conditioning. Training must be combined with appropriate diet and also provide adequate recovery periods for your body to rebuild and develop. Stick to your training schedule, avoid short, hectic training and concentrate on longer and systematic training to avoid injury and build up your body's reserves. Everyone needs as specific training program, dependant on your genetics, physical shape and training history. This will determine how much training you can do now and your body's response to the training.

• Have fun In the end -it's just a game Have fun!

• Don't leave the racquet in your car. Squash racquets are not designed to take the extremes of heat, sunlight, and cold that they encounter by being left outside in your car seat or trunk.

• Let your racquets breathe. Burying your racquet in your bag or in its cover prevents the racquet, and grip especially, from drying out after you play.

• Use your racquet cover. The cover helps protect the racquet and strings from scuffing and the like.

• Put your name on it! This will help keep your racquet from "walking away" at the club.