What is squash and why do it?

Squash is the favorite sport of the British royal family. The British learn to play it from childhood in physical education lessons at school. In order to understand why this sport is so popular abroad, I went for a training session at the National Squash Center.

A training session like mine in Europe lasts only 40 minutes, which is why many people refer to the sport as “a game for those who don’t have time”. Squash can easily replace fitness – you’ll burn over 1,000 calories in an hour of play.

During the game I asked a lot of questions to my coach, it was important for me to understand what squash is, how it came to be, what muscle groups are actively used during the training process and who is suitable for such types of exercise.

– So where did squash come from?
– Vladislav Titov, coach of the National Squash Center: There are several versions. According to one, less romantic, political prisoners played in prisons with potatoes. According to the second version, at Harrow School, tennis players were warming up before going to the court and hit the ball into the wall. Gradually they realized that it is inconvenient to do it with a tennis racket, thanks to this in time there were squash rackets and special balls.

– Is it true that with the help of squash you can get a budget in some prestigious educational institutions?
– Now this trend is very common in America. I even have acquaintances who entered Harvard just because of squash. That is, they entered, received budgeting for tuition and living expenses due to the fact that they played for a team at a good level.

Alexei Severinov, Head of the National Squash Center: “Historically, squash and rowing were born at the origins of English schools. I have met many foreigners and expats in my life who were excellent at squash, but they never practiced it professionally. They just picked up the skill and got to a pretty good level during their time at school and university.”

Vladislav Titov

– What qualities can squash help develop?
– Dexterity, coordination, speed, launching speed, explosive speed. Many people call squash “chess on the court”. Like chess, we have quite a few combinations that we use during the game. You constantly have to think, make choices and yet you have to do it quite quickly. Squash is a great cardio workout, it’s very similar to Saikle.

Alexey Severinov: “Squash is a combination of cardio training and emotional release, because first of all it’s a game. The advantage of squash is that it’s a racquet game and it’s quite easy to understand. Initially, you may be watching from the sidelines and not understand the rules. Although one lesson is basically enough to start to understand and play squash with a partner.”

– How often should you practice? Do I need to take a break between training sessions?
– Squash is a sport. If we talk about professional athletes, of course they train every day. If we talk about amateurs, then playing two or three times a week is enough to get the necessary load and have time to recover. After all, squash has a lot of high-speed moments.

Alexey Severinov: “This sport is very popular with businessmen because a lot of energy is spent in a short period of time. In general, you may have noticed that when you need to release a lot of energy, you want to hit something. In squash, you hit the ball against the wall with all your might, and that’s when you feel like you’re releasing all the negativity”.

– Are all squash courts indoor or are there outdoor courts like tennis?
– We don’t have open dirt courts like in tennis. We have a court called “Glas Court”, when all the walls are glass. It is created for viewing tournaments, usually it is put up at major international tournaments. You can look at it from all sides, but it is covered with a tent on top. Every year such courts are placed on the background of the pyramids of Giza, in Dubai opposite Abu Dhabi, at the main station of New York and tournaments are held. Now a similar court is being designed for installation in Times Square.

There are approximately 150 courts in Russia. Of these, about 40% are in Moscow and 30% are in St. Petersburg. For comparison, in England there are 5000 courts for the whole country.

– How to choose the right equipment?
– The most important thing when you come to your first game/training is to have sneakers with a stable sole, which fix your foot well. They should definitely have a white sole to avoid leaving marks on the court. This is the most important thing. You can start playing with any racquet, but I would advise you to choose graphite racquets, with a weight of 140 grams and below.

Table of Contents

Equipment checklist before playing squash

– Lightweight sneakers with a stable heel that lock your foot well;
– White sole on sneakers;
– Graphite racket weighing up to 140 grams;
– Comfortable uniform (t-shirt, shorts or sweatpants);
– Water bottle.

Difficulty: 3 out of 5

Conclusion: I wholeheartedly recommend squash for weight loss, negative energy release and inspiring team building with coworkers. Emotional communication in the course of the game, no-nonsense heat of passion inside the court and a great mood is guaranteed. Tested and approved by the editorial staff of “Championship”.

You can sign up for training here.