Squash, which is a sport played with a racket and a somewhat hard ball, is an indoor sport that was first played in the United Kingdom in the 1800s.
By the early 1900s, squash had made its way to North America, and the game grew in popularity from there.
Because squash is played on a court that includes sides and a back wall, figuring out the dimensions of a squash court can be a bit tricky.
If you want to set up your own court, however, familiarizing yourself with the various foul lines and dimensions can be very helpful.
What are the dimensions of a squash court?
The floor of a squash court has a width of 21 feet. It has a total depth of 32 feet. The height of the court must be 7 feet at the back and the tall front wall that is played against must be at least 18 feet high.
The squash court is broken up into various sections. The floor section is divided by a horizontal line called the shortline, and there are square service boxes at the far left and right of this line, just behind the line itself and flush to the sides of the court.
There is also a vertical center line from the shortline to the back of the court. The space from the back of the court to the shortline is 14 feet in depth, and the space from the shortline to the edge of the front wall is 18 feet.
The service box must have an area of 5 feet 3 inches square.
The front wall of the court has three lines running horizontally across it. The top-most line is called the outline, and it is located 15 feet above the floor.
The middle line is called the service line, and it’s 6 feet above the floor. The tin or board line is located 19 inches above the floor.
Occasionally, the tin is only 17 inches above the floor, depending on the rules of that particular court.
All of the lines that break up a squash court are painted to be 2 inches wide.
At the sides of the court, diagonal out lines run from the 7-foot marker at the back of the court to the 18 foot out line at the front wall of the court.
How big is a squash ball?
Squash balls are just a little bit smaller than tennis balls. They have a diameter of between 1.56 and 1.59 inches.
These balls, which are made of rubber, usually weigh between 23 and 25 grams or 0.8 and 0.9 ounces.
Balls of different sizes often offer different levels of bounce. Balls with a good amount of bounce are ideal for less experienced players, as they offer more hangtime in the air, which helps players better prepare a shot.
Pro balls offer the least amount of bounce and usually fall into the middle of the size range.
Each squash ball is decorated with a colored dot that tells players how bouncy and fast the ball is and what player level the ball is recommended for.
Double yellow balls, for example, are recommended for experienced players. Blue dot balls are best for beginner players.
Before every game, the squash ball must be bounced many times to warm it up and encourage it to achieve its full range of bounce and speed.
How is squash played?
Squash is similar to other racket games in that the objective is to hit the ball in such a way that the opposing player or team can’t make a return.
The player who originally hit the ball is then awarded a point. The ball can be bounced anywhere on the sides or back wall of the court, as long as it never travels out of bounds.
After being hit with a racket, the ball must also first hit the front wall before it can bounce off the floor.
