Getting Started
If you are looking for a great way to get fit, meet new people, and have fun, squash and racketball could be the sports for you. To get started all you need is a ball, a racket, and a wall (preferably four of them though!).
Squash is played by more than 500,000 people in England every month, from the elite players like World No.1 Nick Matthew all the way down to the thousands who take part in local leagues and events. If you are looking to improve your fitness, squash provides an intense cardiovascular and muscular workout – perfect for burning calories.
With a match lasting around 40 minutes, there is plenty of time to take on your friends or colleagues during your lunch break and get back to work or Uni with bragging rights intact.
Racketball is very similar to squash, but is played with a slightly larger racket and a bigger, bouncier ball, making it easy to get a rally going. This ensures a good workout for both players, so if you have never picked up a racket before, or the old wooden racket is gathering dust, grab a friend and get on court.
Although both sports use different equipment, most clubs and centres have rackets and balls available to hire cheaply, so you just need to bring some sports clothes and trainers (do check with the club or centre about non-marking soles though).
The rules for both sports are almost identical, and to put them simply, you hit a ball against a wall! It’s as easy as that. Like with all sports, the full rules are detailed and comprehensive, so to make it as easy as possible for you we have summarised the rules of both sports on the Rules of Play page. If you do need to double check Rule G13, we’ve made the full rules available to download on the same page.
So, we’ve covered why you should play, touched upon how you play and what kit you need, all you need now is somewhere to play.
There are 5,000 courts in England in clubs, leisure centres, universities and colleges, and using our new Court Finder you will be able to find plenty of great facilities in your local area. Most leisure centres allow you to pay and play without signing up for a membership, and courts tend to cost around £5 per hour. Many regular players go on to join a club, which can provide access to competition, coaching, and a thriving social network. Find out more about types of club at the Where to Play page.
Please browse around the site, hopefully you will find everything you need to help you get on court, but if you do have any questions feel free to get in touch with your local Regional Office. They are there to help, so will gladly point you in the right direction.
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