Squash Tips - The Racket

Rackets come in all shapes and sizes and have varied dramatically over the years! Old style rackets used to have a long neck and a small racket head and were also made commonly of wood, but these haven't been produced now for many many years. Imagine playing with them now days! Here's a quick picture of the old rackets:


This shows just how much technology has shaped our rackets. Now the maximum dimensions are 686 mm long and 215 mm wide, with a maximum strung area of 500 square centimeters, the maximum weight is 255 grams and most weigh between 110 and 200 grams. A big difference. The Frames are mostly made of composite metals and the strings are normally synthetics.


The strings are a very important part of the racket. The strings are what give the power to your shots and define a racket. It is important that you find a gauge (thickness) of string and tension that you feel comfortable with.

Generally speaking the thinnest strings will give more power than the thicker ones, but the thicker ones will last longer. it is important that these string are always special squash strings, not tennis strings. Tennis strings are often a lot thicker than squash strings so it is important you have a stringer you can trust.

The tension of a string is also important. Strung to hard it can make your strings too brittle and prone to snapping or even can fold in your racket, strung too loose it will give a lot less power than you need. Generally the higher the tension of the strings the more control you have over the ball, and the lower the tension the more power you can get. But strung too low the above may happen, also if string too high.

The tension and gauge of the strings is often defined by the rackets material and the shape of the racket head. So be careful when choosing your racket, it is not uncommon to see these things on the frame paintwork if you are unsure. If it is not painted on - don't be scared to ask!

Top Tip: Make sure you have a good grip also - it can boost confidence and make the world of difference!