Racket sports are a great way to indulge into some physical activities plus you have great range to choose from. There six main Racket-based games that are played around the globe.
Among these six games Squash and Racquetball are both played with hollow balls and have a few similarities. However it is best to start out with their differences to know which suites one best.
Key Takeaways
- Squash is a racket sport played in an enclosed court, where players take turns hitting a small rubber ball against the walls, aiming to make the ball bounce twice before their opponent can return it.
- Racquetball is a similar racket sport, but with a larger ball, a shorter racket, and different court dimensions, resulting in a faster-paced game.
- Both squash and racquetball are indoor racket sports that involve hitting a ball against a wall, but they differ in their rules, equipment, and style of play.
Squash vs Racquetball
The difference between Squash and Racquetball is that they are played in courts that differ in size. The size of a Squash court is 32 ft x 21 ft x 18.5 ft while Racquetball is played in a slightly larger court whose dimensions are 40 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft.
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Another crucial difference lies in the size of the Racquet. Squash is played with one that is 27 inches long and has a narrower structure while Racquetball is played with a 22 inches tear drop shaped racquet.
Another interesting difference is that the Squash racquet is spelled “Racket” whereas Racquetball uses a Racquet.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Squash | Racquetball |
|---|---|---|
| Court dimensions | 32 ft x 21 ft x 18.5 ft | 40 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft. |
| Racquet size | 27 inches long | 22 inches long |
| Shape of the racquet | a narrow structure | tear drop shaped |
| Origin | England | America |
| Rules | Can stand anywhere in the serving are | Has a serving box where the playing must confine |
What is Squash?
Squash that was originally invented by school kids from London discovered that when small rubber balls are hit with certain strength, they “squashed” and so began the era of Squash.
This racket sport went on to become one of the most played sports in the world and is enjoyed by about 20 million people worldwide.
Squash in its initial years lacked the space and the Harrow school kids adjusted to it. Even now the game is played in closed quarters where the first player hits the ball in such a way that the second player is unable to take a hit and thus looses point.
The court dimensions of a Squash game are 32 ft x 21 ft x 18.5 ft and interestingly, the Racquet here is spelled just “Racket”. The ball in a squash game is smaller than that used in Racquetball and is typically made 39.5 to 40.5 mm in diameter.
A professional squash game is played for five rounds and each for 11 point. The winner has to win by a clear 2 points in a championship game. However, no matter its popularity, it is yet not included in Olympics tournaments.
What is Racquetball?
Racquetball was originally created by an American tennis player, Joe Sobek who first called it Paddle rackets. He designed the game rules combining that from squash, tennis and handball.
The game gained its popularity in England and its evolution eventually sought out its present namesake Racquetball.
The game is played in a court whose dimensions are specifically 40 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft and uses a racquet of 22 inches which has a tear drop shape. It is played in both closed quarters or as an outdoor game.
The ball used in this game is a bouncy rubber ball of 2.25 inches in diameter and requires the player to don an eye guard to protect the eyes from the bouncing ball.
A professional Racquetball ball player also uses gloves for better grip and racquetball court shoes for enhanced forward and sideways movement. The service zone is outlined by the service line and the short line parallel to it.
The game a wide area to chose one’s service spot from.
A racquetball tournament may use any color of ball from red, green, black, blue and purple depending on the rules set and the players playing.
For example, green and blue balls are designed to be the fastest whereas a black ball is used when senior citizens are playing for it is designed to be slow paced.
Main Differences Between Squash and Racquetball
- The main difference between Squash and Racquetball is that size of a Squash court is 32 ft x 21 ft x 18.5 ft while Racquetball is played in a court of 40 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft dimensions.
- Another crucial difference is Squash is played with rackets that are 27 inches long and has a narrower structure while Racquetball is played with a 22 inches tear drop shaped racquet.
- The ball in a squash game is smaller than that used in Racquetball and is typically made 39.5 to 40.5 mm in diameter whereas Racquetball is played with a bouncy rubber ball of 2.25 inches.
- Another difference is that the Squash racquet is spelled “Racket” whereas Racquetball uses a Racquet.
- Squash that was originally invented by school kids from London whereas American tennis player, Joe Sobek created Racquetball.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913847.1987.11702059
- https://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO201020163390984.page
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
