Debunking the biggest myths about squash

If you play squash regularly, the chances are that you end up dropping it in conversation with non-squash players from time to time. Me, I talk about it all the time. My friends and coworkers hate it, I love it.

When you attempt to talk about squash to anyone that doesn’t play it, there’s often a few questions or misconceptions that tend to follow from the other person. 

In this post I’ve done my best to answer some of the questions and debunk some of these myths. Can you think of any more misconceptions about squash?

While you’re here, if you want a good laugh, you might also want to check out the 16 annoying habits of squash players, and the 9 different types of player, according to what’s in their bag.

Isn’t that the sport that was popular in the 1960/70/80s?

I guess this is part truth, part misconception. It’s definitely a fair assessment that squash went through a popularity boom in the mid to late 20th century.  At a grassroots level, new clubs were opening left right and centre, and the newly discovered health benefits of squash were encouraging lots of new players to take up the sport.

Nowadays, sadly, there certainly are fewer courts in the UK than there once was. Many leisure centres decided to convert some/all of their squash courts to things such as additional gym space, dance rooms, spin class rooms and more.

Financially speaking, being able to fit 20 people into a room the size of a squash court makes more sense than two people at a time. However, many squash-specific facilities are going strong, with membership numbers growing in smaller clubs across the UK.

On the professional circuit, in the 20th century, players mainly from the UK, Pakistan and Australia dominated the sport and took it to new heights. Nowadays the landscape of squash has changed significantly. Egypt have absolutely hammered their way into the rankings, while Australia and Pakistan have taken a bit of a tumble. However, the worldwide appeal is still there, with more players coming from new places to the pro-circuit such as South America and East-Asia.

Isn’t squash a sport for rich people?

Squash was initially a fairly exclusive sport for the well-off. Courts were only really found in private clubs. Over time though, squash has been adopted by the masses and is now completely accessible for anyone wanting to play. World renowned clubs such as Pontefract Squash Club in West Yorkshire, England (home to former world #1s James Willstrop and Lee Beachill) are notoriously class-less.

In England, many council owned leisure centres have squash courts that are bookable for a low price, and actual squash clubs are often very budget friendly. My own club’s membership for example costs just £12.50 a month. There definitely are more expensive clubs out there, however where I’m from they’re few and far between. 

In areas across America there’s a little more exclusivity to squash. However, there are lots of initiatives currently in place to grow the sport and make it accessible for everyone, regardless of background or social class.

Squash equipment is also very reasonably priced nowadays. If you want to buy your own gear, you can pick up a brilliant squash racket for £50 and a great pair of shoes for £40.  There are even cheaper alternatives, but those two in particular are fantastic value for money.

P.s – Both of those links are Amazon Affiliate links, so if you do purchase either of those, it won’t cost you any more money than normal, however I’ll get a small percentage of the sale which helps me to run this website. I certainly won’t look like the chap in the picture though! If you’re looking to read reviews of equipment, you can check out our racket reviews and shoe reviews.

Squash is really dangerous, right?

Most sports in some way, shape or form are inherently dangerous. I imagine getting hit in the face with a football hurts a lot. 

Squash is a perfectly safe sport when played correctly and with a little guidance. Not like Cameron Pilley, above. Many new players need a small nudge about when they should and shouldn’t hit the ball, aside from that though there are very few risks if you apply some common sense. Goggles are available for those concerned about potential eye injuries and are mandatory for junior players.

Squash does have longer term health implications such as strains on joints and muscles. It’s often said that squash players keep physios in business! Those with heart conditions are also often not advised to play squash due to high intensity nature of the sport. It’s fair to say that knowing your own limits is key to playing squash safely, as with any sport.

tl;dr: Yes, squash is safe, if you apply common sense and know your limits.

Squash is a sport for hot-headed male middle-managers

Okay, I just wanted to get some alliteration in this article. The real misconception is that squash is solely played by men. This just isn’t true.

Historically there was a very ‘macho’ image that accompanied squash. Many people picture 1970’s male corporate managers battling it out in feisty fits of rage on the squash court, bidding to one-up their other manly corporate colleagues. Thankfully we’re way past that now.

Squash in the modern day is popular across all genders and ages. Fantastic initiatives such as Squash Girls Can are helping to level out the numbers and bring in more people to play our amazing sport. Squash is now played and loved by those who may have once felt like a sore thumb stepping into a squash club.

At the professional level, women’s squash is more exciting than ever. The quality of the game has increased massively, and prize money in the women’s game is equal to men’s. Players such as Nicol David helped to take women’s squash to the next level, and with stars such as Raneem El Welily and Nour El Shirbini fighting it out at the top, the quality has never been higher.

Isn’t squash in the Olympics yet?

We probably shouldn’t go there.

The fact that squash isn’t in the Olympics is a sore topic for players across the globe. Pragmatically speaking, squash embodies everything the Olympics represents. Players are at the absolute peak of physical fitness, you couldn’t find a more gladiatorial sport if you tried, and it’s popular across the entire world. Squash is fast paced, dynamic and a test of both mental and physical resolve.

Squash’s governing bodies have tried on multiple occasions to introduce squash to the Olympics. Historically the reasons for not including it were pretty much every single misconception I’ve written in this article. The Olympics Committee seem to still view squash as an elitist, male dominated sport. The excuse that ‘squash isn’t broadcast-able’ due to the small, high speed ball used to crop up a lot too. Nowadays, modern cameras and broadcasting setups have made squash perfectly viewable.

Alas, we lost out to breakdancing and rock-climbing this time round. Yes, you read that correctly – Breakdancing. Apparently the Olympics want to ‘stay relevant’ in our modern new world. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.

Squash continues to go from strength to strength on its own merit. Many insiders believe squash doesn’t ‘need’ the Olympics. That being said, it’ll no doubt continue to be a tender topic for many players around the globe for a long, long time.

Can you think of any more common squash questions, myths and misconceptions?

There’s lots of misconceptions about squash. Many of these have stemmed from a reputation the sport earned in the mid-late 20th century, however the simple truth is that squash has developed with the times and is now a modern day sport that’s accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, gender or social status.

Are there any questions people ask when you talk about squash that make you want to roll your eyes? Let us know in the comments below!