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On April 6, we celebrate the International Sports Day. Go back for a moment with your memories of your school days – were you organizing school sports competitions instead of lessons on the occasion of Sports Day? 🙂
On this occasion, we have prepared an article in which we will discuss:
- squash – rules and basics of the game,
- where to go for squash (and for how much!),
- how such physical activity can help us,
- what are the contraindications for practicing this sport.
Today’s material will be such a quick introduction to the basics for those who have not had the opportunity to play squash yet, and perhaps are looking for a discipline that suits them. Let’s start!
Squash rules
What is squash? Translating it in the simplest terms, it is a game of two people, which consists in bouncing the ball against the wall alternately. You have to perform reflections in such a way as to make it as difficult as possible for the opponent to rebound, while not disturbing him with your person. The Kąliwi call it a sport not for gentlemen, because the winner is the one who outsmarts the opponent with his strike.
There are also several attributes that squash is associated with: racket, special lines painted on the front wall, and of course the ball. In many cases, comparisons are made to tennis because of the racket play, but in reality there are as many similarities as there are differences. The most important one is that squash requires additional spatial thinking due to the fact that an element of the player’s strategy can be the use of, for example, side or back walls.
Punctation: In the set we play to 11 points, but in the end the winner must show a two-point advantage over the opponent. The game is played until 2 or 3 sets are won
It is difficult for us to present all the rules of squash in a book-like manner so that the reader does not get lost in the maze of definitions and dependencies. Therefore, first of all, we will convey this information: squash is a very intuitive and quick to learn naturally. The terms “let” and “stroke” are definitely worth getting to know before the first game – they mean breaking a point and defining a foul or a repetition.
The most important thing is the servicewhich can be done only once (no repetitions in the event of a mistake), making sure that at least one foot is in the service area painted on the court. Two lines – car at the top, service in the middle – mark the field where the ball should hit directly on the service. You should also be careful not to commit error called a stroke, i.e. making it difficult for the opponent to hit the ball. The ball may only bounce off the floor once when it touches the wallbefore the squash racket greets it again – double contact with the court causes a loss of a point.
| An interesting fact may also be the type of ball we play … |
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| because they differ in their level of advancement. Those for beginners bounce higher, which allows you to get used to the sport and the specificity of the game. Remember that every ball should be warmed up before the game – be it bouncing off the floor or the wall. On a court with glass walls, we play a white ball. |
Where and how much for squash?
Unfortunately, in order to play in the right conditions, the proverbial “wall behind the house” is not enough. Of course, squash and professional sports go hand in hand, but, fortunately for amateurs, professional halls are popping up like mushrooms in other cities and towns. Especially people from larger metropolises should have no problem finding the right place. Another advantage of squash is undoubtedly the fact that this discipline can be practiced all year round, regardless of the weather.
The price for such a pleasure varies greatly, depending on the club, region of the country and standard. A lot also depends on the hours during which the hall is rented and on the discounts – normally, pupils and students have a bit easier in this case. It is better to go there around the morning-noon hours, if possible, because the most will be paid for renting the squash court late in the afternoon.
The average cost of an hour of squash play is between PLN 25 and PLN 80, with no discounts. It is worth remembering that there are other costs that can be generated by squash – a racket, ball or even a towel can be borrowed for an additional fee of several zlotys.
The impact of physical activity on health
What interests us the most is the combination of sports competition with a positive effect on our health. We always recommend that exercise go hand in hand with proper nutrition. And this is both in the case of a slimming diet and when we are trying to gain (muscle) mass or generally want to strengthen our condition and improve our well-being.
What additionally gives us physical activity?
- Better and restful sleepprovided that the exercises are performed no later than 2 hours before going to bed (although a lot also depends on their intensity).
- It reduces the risk of diseaseallowing you to keep your triglyceride levels at the right level.
- We get an energy boost and our mind works more efficiently, which is directly influenced by the level of tissue oxygenation.
- You feel betterthanks to the increased secretion of certain chemicals in the brain (yes, ENDORFIN :)).
And what is the impact of squash itself? First of all, it is worth remembering that it is a fairly dynamic sport that requires a lot of involvement of various muscle groups. Very often it is supplemented with regular visits to the gym in order to realistically improve the results on the court – this is undoubtedly another benefit. Such additional motivation often helps to maintain regularity. Besides, we do not play alone – if we do not want to, we put our partner to the wind, so in many cases this fact helps to “overcome” us. There is also an aspect of competition, which makes squash a sport that provides additional excitement and entertainment.
Why squash and not, for example, running, cycling or Nordic walking? Nobody talks about the superiority of one over the other! Whenever possible, it’s a good idea to diversify your workouts, be it a visit to the court, at the pool, or simply by walking in the fresh air. Squash is one of the alternatives in this case – very interesting and worth trying! What’s more, in squash, commitment and the spirit of competition count, and it is thanks to them that you can burn about 460-750 kcal within an hour (depending on the intensity, for a person weighing 60 kg).
Tennis elbow, that is briefly about injuries
Although fans of physical activity do not want to even think about it, squash is unfortunately one of those games that can cause injuries. First of all, it is important to warm up, carefully, concerning all parts of the muscles. The beginning should also be treated as a free game, not for points – also as part of warming up – even professionals do it, thus warming up the squash ball. It is also good to take care of adapted footwear, because during an hour’s stay in the hall, we will make a lot of movements, turns and jumps, during which it is easy to tear a muscle or twist a joint when slipping.
One of the injuries, which is known as the tennis elbow, is something that needs special attention when practicing this sport. Professionally known as wrist extensor muscle enthesopathy, it can be exacerbated by sharp training on the court and is dangerous especially for people who make repetitive movements with their bent arm at work every day. Unfortunately, this also applies to employees who spend a lot of time in front of the computer, so any pain on the inside of the elbow should become an alarming signal.
Is it worth it? It’s definitely worth it! Especially with a slimming diet, an hour-long workout two or three times a week will be an ideal solution. Is squash an attractive physical activity for you? When is the first training? 🙂