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September 11, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
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Sports Desk • Racquet Sports

Squash (sport)

Squash is a racquet sport played on a four-walled court with a small hollow rubber ball.

Updated September 11, 20261 min readCited sources

Squash is a racquet sport played on a four-walled court with a small hollow rubber ball. It is typically played as singles or doubles, with players taking turns striking the ball against the front wall.

What it is

Squash is an indoor racquet sport played on a four-walled court. Players use a lightweight racket and a small rubber ball, aiming to hit the ball against the front wall within the court boundaries. Matches are usually best of three or best of five games.

How it works

Each rally starts with a serve and continues until a player fails to return the ball before its second bounce, hits it out, or commits a fault. Modern squash uses rally scoring: a point is awarded on every rally, and games are played to 11 points with a two-point margin required at 10–10. Interference rules prevent obstruction.

Court and equipment

A squash court is a four-walled indoor space marked with an out line, service line, and tin. Rackets are smaller and lighter than tennis rackets. Balls are selected by dot colour to indicate bounce and speed, with different types for various skill levels.

In short

  • Players alternate hitting the ball against the front wall, keeping it above the tin and below the out line.
  • A rally ends when the ball bounces twice, goes out, or a fault occurs.
  • Games are played to 11 points, win by two at 10–10.
  • Matches are best of three or best of five games.
Canadian angle

Squash is played across Canada in clubs, schools, universities, and recreational centres, and Canada has national and provincial squash organizations involved in rules, competition, and player development.

Quick questions

What is squash?
Squash is a racquet sport played on a four-walled court with a small rubber ball, usually by two players in singles or four in doubles.
How do you score in squash?
Squash uses rally scoring: a point is awarded on every rally, and games are usually played to 11 points with a two-point margin required at 10–10.
How many players are in a squash match?
Most squash matches are singles between two players, but doubles squash is also played with four players.

Sources

  1. Olympics.com — https://www.olympics.com/en/news/squash-rules-how-to-play
    Supports: Basic court layout, equipment dimensions, and standard scoring format.
  2. England Squash — https://www.englandsquash.com/get-involved/play/rules-of-squash
    Supports: Match format, scoring to 11, and two-point win requirement at 10–10.
  3. Squash Canada — https://squash.ca/rules-of-squash/
    Supports: Singles and doubles play, court boundaries, rally rules, scoring, and faults.
  4. ActiveSG Circle — https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/learn/squash/rules-of-squash
    Supports: Court markings, serving, and common rally-ending faults.