Let’s S-Q-U-A-S-H the ball!

[Nguyễn Diệu Hương (dieuhautotbung)]

Exciting as the name itself, Squash is an energetic and strategic game involving two players. After 130 years of developing, squash has become popular in over 150 countries with 15 million players by 1994. From England to Egypt, America to Pakistan, Switzerland to Thailand, millions of young people are practicing squash all days and nights. The International Olympic Committee is considering including squash in the Olympics. Therefore, it is time for Vietnamese and particularly those thinking about studying abroad to explore and challenge yourselves in this enormously intellectual sport. >-
Squash is a game played on a four walled court using a racquet and ball. In the singles game, two players take turns to hit the ball onto the front wall, in an area defined by an out line at the top of the court and the top of the "tin" which runs across and near the bottom of the front wall.
A rally begins when the server, standing in one of the service boxes, hits the ball directly to the front wall (above the service or "cut" line and below the out line) to rebound into the opposite quarter of the court bounded by the side and back wall and two lines (the short line and the half court line).

The player receiving may choose to hit the ball before it has bounces but must hit the ball before it has bounces twice. The rally continues so long as the ball goes onto the front wall before going down or out, down being into the "tin" or into the floor, and out being on or above the "out" line which surrounds the court at the top of each of the four walls. After the serve, the ball may hit any wall before hitting the front wall so long as it does not go down or out. Although the sole purpose of the players is to hit the ball to the front wall, there are hundred of tactics such as calculating the angle, hitting drop shots, killing the ball, deceiving the opponent, hitting the ball away from the opponent or using all four walls alternatively.

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. You can find more information regarding the rules and videos of real games in www.squashtalk.com or www.squash.org .

Welcome to the exciting and sometimes frustrating world of squash....

 

[Nguyễn Diệu Hương (dieuhautotbung)]

hey guys, although I just sprained my ankle and have been walking around with crutches for several days because of squash, I still love it. That's why I decided to spend my precious time writing about squash to inform you, inspire you (hopefully) and to get you to play this wonderful sport.
And here are some pictures: (at least now you have an idea that squash is not merely the name of a fruit)

 

[Đàm Minh Hiếu (2H4ever)]

I have been played this sport several times in my school's sport center. Very difficult and getting hurt is usual, but actually it s very cool. I joined the tennis club and the squash club trained in the same center. Squash racquet is abit smaller than the tennis one, and the game seems to be much faster. I got a scratch on my fore head because of being hit by a squash ball :-s , but it doesnt matter then. I loved it and tennis. Like Dieu Huong, I highly recommend you guys to play this sport. You will see how fun, how active, how interesting, how relaxing this game brings to you.
Actually, squash is not really popular in Vietnam. I cant find any squash courts in Hanoi and its racquet also a problem. So if you cant play it rite now, I recommend you play tennis instead of squash. It is quite similar to each other since the skill is not much different. Hope you guys will enjoy with these sports.
Let bring health to our lives

 

[Nguyễn Diệu Hương (dieuhautotbung)]

I am not good at tennis so I can't make any statement but I find tennis easier than squash sometimes. Because you can at least see your opponent and the ball all the time. In Squash, it is hard to keep your eyes on the ball. It is way faster. There is no rest during the game.
..and well, squash can be dangerous because you have to change directions swiftly when running (which often causes ankle sprain... )

 

[Đàm Minh Hiếu (2H4ever)]

Yeah, you are rite Dieu Huong. The tennis game is normally slower than the squash's, and you have more time to prepare what we called a pre-hit. Squash got some tricks in playing also, since somehow the opponent can legally prevent you from hitting the ball but it is one of the skills. I don't know what it is exactly, but that is what i got from my friends in squash team. Squash game is usually in a small court; therefore you will get many problems in movement inside a small place. A talent way of hitting ball will be a very important thing to win the game. Looking at a squash game, you may say it s quite easy anyway, but actually, it s damn difficult.
Dieu Huong said "ankle sprain is usual" is the same as I said "some scratches on your body is inevitable when playing squash". But dont get scared when you heard this, just try it, and I bet you will swiftly be enraptured by this game.
@Dieu Huong: Can you post here some rules in squash? Those will help people to imagine more practically about this alluring sport
Cheer all

 

[Hoàng Chi Mai (lablugirl)]

Bad Diệu Hương! Squash is not a fruit, it's a vegetable!
Honestly, I know next to nothing about sports, but from what I heard, a lot of Vietnamese students choose to take squash in US highschools, so it must be doing something right.