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74-489: In 2017, the organization held twenty-one championship events for juniors, adults, hardball and doubles. The U.S. National High School Championships, held alternatingly in the Hartford, Connecticut, and Philadelphia areas, is the largest squash tournament in the world in terms of overall number of participants; in 2017, more than 170 teams comprising 1,400 players took part. The Men's National Championship (the S.L. Green) and

148-412: A war of attrition . At higher levels of the game, the fitter player has a major advantage. The ability to change the direction of the ball at the last instant is also a tactic used to unbalance the opponent often called "holding." Expert players can anticipate the opponent's shot a few tenths of a second before the average player, giving them a chance to react sooner. Depending on the style of play, it

222-408: A "knockout" format since 1947. The women's championship started in 1921, and it has been dominated by relatively few players: Joyce Cave , Nancy Cave , Cecily Fenwick (England) in the 1920s; Margot Lumb and Susan Noel (England) in the 1930s; Janet Morgan (England) in the 1950s; Heather McKay (Australia) in the 1960s and 1970s; Vicki Cardwell (Australia) and Susan Devoy (New Zealand) in

296-542: A 634% increase in junior tournament participation, 375% increase in the number of tournaments and a 55% increase in the average number of players per tournament. In the southeast, in 2010 there were no US Squash accredited junior tournaments. In the 2015 season there were more than eleven accredited tournaments in this area accounting for more than 500 accredited matches played. Since 2006, the U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships has increased from 271 to more than 1000 players in 2016 from more than thirty-seven countries, making it

370-400: A best of five games. Each game is three minutes long; however, this only refers to the three minutes in play. The 'downtime' in between the end of a rally and a serve is not counted. Once the time is up, the clock stops, and the leading player needs to win a final point. If the player who is behind wins the point the game continues until the trailing player catches up and wins one more point than

444-426: A front wall, two side walls, and a back wall. An 'out line' runs along the top of the front wall, descending along the side walls to the back wall. The bottom line of the front wall marks the top of the 'tin', a half meter-high metal area. The middle line of the front wall is the service line. The dimensions of the court are: North American hardball doubles courts are larger than international singles courts because of

518-400: A hard ball that has a much faster pace. With double the number of players, the doubles court needs to be significantly bigger than a singles court. The doubles court should measure 25 feet wide by 45 feet long and have a ceiling height of at least 24 feet but preferably 26. The players spin a racket to decide who serves first. This player starts the first rally by electing to serve from either

592-410: A hollow sphere and buffed to a matte finish. Different balls are provided for varying temperature and atmospheric conditions and standards of play: more experienced players use slow balls that have less bounce than those used by less experienced players (slower balls tend to "die" in court corners, rather than "standing up" to allow easier shots). Squash balls must be hit dozens of times to warm them up at

666-584: A not-for-profit organization in the state of New York . By the 1970s, US Squash had helped pioneer the female surge in athletics for America. The organization had started The United States Women’s Squash Racquets Association to define and regulate the game for women the same way that the United States Squash Racquets Association did for men. The USWSRA and the USSRA merged in 1979. In 1975, when Darwin P. Kingsley became

740-680: A referee and a time keeper to make this match official. Players have two minutes of rest between games, and all other standard PSA and WSF rules apply. In 2004, the Professional Squash Association (PSA) decided to switch to PARS 11. This decision was ratified in 2009 when the World Squash Federation confirmed the switch to the PARS 11 scoring system. Since that time, almost all professional and league games have been played according to PARS to 11. One of

814-511: A suede leather grip and natural gut. The 1980s witnessed a period of restructuring and consolidation. The Cambridge rackets factory was forced to close in face of the move to graphite rackets, and production was moved to the Far East. Customization of squash rackets has grown over the years as well. There are custom variations on racket head shape, racket balance, and racket weight. The most common racket variation for international singles squash

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888-445: A weak return by the opponent if stretched, the majority of the court being free to the striker. Nicks are when the ball comes into contact with the intersection of the floor and any sidewall. Rallies between experienced players may involve 30 or more shots and therefore a very high premium is placed on fitness, both aerobic and anaerobic. As players become more skilled and, in particular, better able to retrieve shots, points often become

962-404: Is a playing surface surrounded by four walls. The court surface contains a front line separating the front and back of the court and a half court line, separating the left and right sides of the back portion of the court, creating three 'boxes': the front half, the back left quarter and the back right quarter. The back two boxes contain smaller service boxes. The court's four walls are divided into

1036-469: Is a teardrop (closed throat) head shape, even balance, and racket weight of 130g. For hardball doubles, the most common variation is an open throat head shape, even balance, and racket weight of 140g. There are several variations of squash played across the world, although the international version of the sport has become the dominant form. In the United States, a variant of squash known as hardball

1110-407: Is common to refer to squash players as Interference and obstruction are an inevitable aspect of squash, since two players are confined within a shared space. Generally, the rules entitle players to a direct straight-line access to the ball, room for a reasonable swing and an unobstructed shot to any part of the front wall. When interference occurs, a player may appeal for a "let" and the referee (or

1184-767: Is resident in Yale University's Payne Whitney Gymnasium . In 2006, the United States Squash Racquets Association renamed itself US Squash and moved its headquarters to New York City under the leadership of Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg, who was also its first female chairman of the board. In 2021, US Squash reestablished its headquarters in Philadelphia. As of 2017, the United States has the fastest growing squash participation worldwide, with 101% growth between 2009 and 2014 to 1.6 million squash players. From 2007 to 2017, U.S. Junior participation grew more than fourfold. Since 2010, west coast junior tournaments have seen

1258-417: Is unsuccessful they lose their review. Interference also occurs when a player's shot hits their opponent prior to hitting the front wall. If the ball was travelling towards the side wall when it hit the opponent, or if it had already hit the side wall and was travelling directly to the front wall, it is usually a let. However, it is a stroke to the player who hit the ball if the ball was travelling straight to

1332-585: The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles , on 16 October 2023. The (British) Squash Rackets Association (now known as England Squash ) conducted its first British Open championship for men in December 1930, using a "challenge" system. Charles Read was designated champion in 1930, but he was beaten in home and away matches by Don Butcher , who was then recorded as the champion for 1931. The championship continues to this day, but it has been conducted with

1406-713: The Olympic Games . Squash narrowly missed being instated for the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games (missed out again as the IOC assembly decided to add golf and rugby sevens to the Olympic programme). Squash also was not selected as an event in the 2020 Olympic Games. At the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires , the IOC voted for Wrestling instead of Squash or Baseball / Softball . The usual reason cited for

1480-536: The Professional Squash Association (PSA). The Professional Squash Tour is a tour based in the United States. Squash has been featured regularly at the multi-sport events of the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games since 1998. Squash is also a regular sport at the Pan American Games since 1995. Squash players and associations have lobbied for many years for the sport to be accepted into

1554-694: The Women's National Championship are held every year at the National Singles. US Squash supports four national teams (Men's, Women's, Junior Men's and Junior Women's) that compete abroad in World Squash Federation and Pan American team tournaments. In 2017, the male U.S. Champion is Todd Harrity and the female U.S. Champion is Olivia Blatchford . As of 2017, the organization had 21,000 members. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia ,

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1628-544: The World Games since 1997 . Squash was accepted as a demonstration sport for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics . The World Squash Federation had hoped that this inclusion would create a strong bid for a potential inclusion at the 2024 Summer Olympics . Although not included in the 2024 Summer Olympics, squash received approval from the International Olympic Committee for inclusion in

1702-459: The 1960s and 1970s; Jahangir Khan (Pakistan) 1980s; Jansher Khan (Pakistan) in the 1990s; and more recently, David Palmer and Nick Matthew . The World Open professional championship was inaugurated in 1976 and serves as the main competition today. Jansher Khan holds the record of winning eight World titles followed by Jahangir Khan with six, Geoff Hunt & Amr Shabana four, Nick Matthew & Ramy Ashour three. The women's record

1776-432: The 1980s; Michelle Martin and Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Australia) in the 1990s; and Nicol David (Malaysia) in the 2000s. The Men's British Open has similarly been dominated by relatively few players: F. D. Amr Bey (Egypt) in the 1930s; Mahmoud Karim (Egypt) in the 1940s; brothers Hashim Khan and Azam Khan (Pakistan) in the 1950s and 1960s; Jonah Barrington (Great Britain and Ireland) and Geoff Hunt (Australia) in

1850-2769: The Coronavirus Pandemic 2020 Cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic 2021 Timothy Brownell 2022 Andrew Douglas (squash player) 2023 Timothy Brownell 2024 Note: The official Men's National Championship (hardball) became the S.L. Green (softball) in 1990. Records [ edit ] Most Overall Titles [ edit ] Name Titles Julian Illingworth 9 Stanley Pearson 6 Victor Niederhoffer 5 Charles Brinton 4 Marty Clark 4 Kenton Jernigan 4 Henri Salaun 4 Todd Harrity 3 John Miskey 3 Germain Glidden 3 Timothy Brownell 2 Chris Hanson 2 Preston Quick 2 Damian Walker 2 Colin Adair 2 Michael Desaulniers 2 Anil Nayar 2 Donald Strachan 2 Beekman Pool 2 J. Lawrence Pool 2 W. Palmer Dixon 2 Herbert Rawlins 2 Samuel P. Howe, III 2 Most University Alumni Titles [ edit ] Name Titles Harvard University 37 Princeton University 13 Yale University 13 Wesleyan University 4 Haverford College 3 University of Pennsylvania 3 McGill University 2 Trinity College (Connecticut) 2 Dartmouth College 2 Amherst College 1 University of Toronto 1 New York University 1 Most High School Alumni Titles [ edit ] Name Titles Episcopal Academy 13 Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon) 9 St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) 5 Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn) 5 Deerfield Academy 4 Groton School 4 Haverford School 4 Phillips Exeter 3 Mercersburg Academy 3 Belmont Hill 2 Wheat Ridge High School 2 St. Luke's School (Connecticut) 2 Chestnut Hill Academy 1 Lower Merion High School 1 Middlesex School 1 Choate Rosemary Hall 1 Ostra Real 1 University of Oklahoma High School 1 Packer Collegiate Institute 1 See also [ edit ] US Junior Open squash championship U.S. Squash Women's US National Champions (squash) References [ edit ] James Zug (2003). Squash: A History of

1924-1356: The Game . New York: Scribner. ISBN   0-7432-2990-8 . v t e Squash competitions World World Individual Championships World Team Championships World Doubles Championships World University Squash Championships Open Australian Open British Open El Gouna International Hong Kong Open Houston Open Malaysian Open Pakistan International PSA World Tour Finals Qatar Classic Texas Open Tournament of Champions US Open National Great Britain US Men US Women Junior World Junior Squash Championships British Junior Open Squash Canadian Junior Open Squash Dutch Junior Open Squash French Junior Open Squash US Junior Open squash championship Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Men%27s_US_National_Champions_(squash)&oldid=1229350752 " Categories : Squash in

1998-608: The National Champions for squash in the United States . These winners are the officially recognized champions by U.S. Squash , the national governing body. From 1907 until 1989, the national championship was contested through hardball squash . When the national governing body began recognizing international softball as the official game in the United States, the national championship also switched to softball. The first softball national championship, also known as

2072-4168: The S.L. Green, was conducted in 1990 and was won by Mark Talbott . The S.L. Green, unlike the previous national championship, is limited to U.S. citizens only. The National Hardball Championship would continue past this date, but was no longer recognized as the official Men's National Championship. Men's National Champions [ edit ] Name Year John A. Miskey 1907 John A. Miskey 1908 William L. Freeland 1909 John A. Miskey 1910 Francis S. White 1911 Constantine Hutchins 1912 Morton L. Newhall 1913 Constantine Hutchins 1914 Stanley W. Pearson 1915 Stanley W. Pearson 1916 Stanley W. Pearson 1917 Charles C. Peabody 1920 Stanley W. Pearson 1921 Stanley W. Pearson 1922 Stanley W. Pearson 1923 Gerald Robarts 1924 W. Palmer Dixon 1925 W. Palmer Dixon 1926 Myles P. Baker 1927 Herbert N. Rawlins, Jr. 1928 J. Lawrence Pool 1929 Herbert N. Rawlins, Jr. 1930 J. Lawrence Pool 1931 Beekman H. Pool 1932 Beekman H. Pool 1933 Neil J. Sullivan, II 1934 Donald Strachan 1935 Germain G. Glidden 1936 Germain G. Glidden 1937 Germain G. Glidden 1938 Donald Strachan 1939 A. Willing Patterson 1940 Charles M. P. Brinton 1941 Charles M. P. Brinton 1942 Charles M. P. Brinton 1946 Charles M. P. Brinton 1947 Name Year Stanley W. Pearson, Jr. 1948 H. Hunter Lott, Jr. 1949 Edward J. Hahn 1950 Edward J. Hahn 1951 Harry B. Conlon, Jr. 1952 Ernest Howard 1953 G. Diehl Mateer, Jr. 1954 Henri R. Salaun 1955 G. Diehl Mateer, Jr. 1956 Henri R. Salaun 1957 Henri R. Salaun 1958 Benjamin H. Heckscher 1959 G. Diehl Mateer, Jr. 1960 Henri R. Salaun 1961 Samuel P. Howe, III 1962 Benjamin H. Heckscher 1963 Ralph E. Howe 1964 Stephen T. Vehslage 1965 Victor Niederhoffer 1966 Samuel P. Howe, III 1967 Colin Adair 1968 Anil Nayar 1969 Anil Nayar 1970 Colin Adair 1971 Victor Niederhoffer 1972 Victor Niederhoffer 1973 Victor Niederhoffer 1974 Victor Niederhoffer 1975 Peter Briggs 1976 Thomas E. Page 1977 Michael Desaulniers 1978 Mario Sanchez 1979 Michael Desaulniers 1980 Mark Alger 1981 John Nimick 1982 Kenton Jernigan 1983 Name Year Kenton Jernigan 1984 Kenton Jernigan 1985 Hugh LaBossier 1986 Frank J. Stanley, IV 1987 Scott Dulmage 1988 Rodolfo Rodriquez 1989 Mark Talbott 1990* Mark Talbott 1991 Kenton Jernigan 1992 Mark Talbott 1993 Anders Wahlstedt 1994 Marty Clark 1995 Mohsen Mir 1996 Marty Clark 1997 Marty Clark 1998 David McNeely 1999 Marty Clark 2000 Damien Walker 2001 Damien Walker 2002 Preston Quick 2003 Preston Quick 2004 Julian Illingworth 2005 Julian Illingworth 2006 Julian Illingworth 2007 Julian Illingworth 2008 Julian Illingworth 2009 Julian Illingworth 2010 Julian Illingworth 2011 Julian Illingworth 2012 Chris Gordon 2013 Julian Illingworth 2014 Todd Harrity 2015 Todd Harrity 2016 Chris Hanson 2017 Chris Hanson 2018 Todd Harrity 2019 Name Year Cancelled due to

2146-574: The United States Squash tournaments in the United States Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from March 2010 All articles needing additional references Squash (sport) Squash , sometimes called squash rackets, is a racket sport played by two (singles) or four players (doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate in striking

2220-406: The United States Squash Racquets Association was the world's first squash organization. As the first association to define and regulate the sport, it set rules about play, the ball, and the court. In 1923, the growing organization began to hold an annual executive board meeting to discuss policies, by-laws and goals of the organization. In February 1924, an American Squash Racquets Singles Championship

2294-577: The World Squash Federation. Squash rackets have maximum dimensions of 686 mm (27.0 in) long and 215 mm (8.5 in) wide, with a maximum strung area of 500 square centimeters (77.5 sq in). The permitted maximum weight is 255 grams (9.0 oz), but most have a weight between 90 and 150 grams (3–5.3 oz.). The strings of the racket usually have a tension of 25–30 pounds. Squash balls are between 39.5 and 40.5 mm in diameter and weigh 23 to 25 grams. They are made with two pieces of rubber compound, glued together to form

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2368-480: The aim of wearing down one's opponent before winning by virtue of one's fitness. Such exhausting, defensive play can affect player's prospects in knock-out tournaments and does not make for riveting TV. In English or Hi-Ho, one player might win by 9–0 despite the opponent having repeatedly won service, but without converting that service into actual points. For the World Championships: HiHo to 9

2442-482: The back corners; this is the basic squash shot, referred to as a "rail", straight drive, wall, or "length". After hitting this shot, the player will then move to the centre of the court near the "T" to be well placed to retrieve the opponent's return. Attacking with soft or "short" shots to the front corners (referred to as "drop shots") causes the opponent to cover more of the court and may result in an outright winner. Boasts or angle shots are deliberately struck off one of

2516-427: The ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. The objective of the game is to hit the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. There are about 20 million people who play squash regularly world-wide in over 185 countries. The governing body of squash, the World Squash Federation (WSF), is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and

2590-470: The beginning of a session; cold squash balls have very little bounce. Small colored dots on the ball indicate its dynamic level (bounciness). The "double-yellow dot" ball, introduced in 2000, is the competition standard, replacing the earlier "yellow-dot" ball. There is also an "orange dot" ball for use at high altitudes. The recognized colors are: Some ball manufacturers such as Dunlop use a different method of grading balls based on experience. They still have

2664-454: The cerebral magic of the…game." His comments were unearthed when an email chain of referees discussing the problem of shorter and shorter squash matches was leaked in 2011. Squash provides an excellent cardiovascular workout. Players can expend approximately 600–1,000 food calories (3,000–4,000 kJ ) every hour playing squash, according to English or Hi-Ho scoring. The sport also provides a good upper- and lower-body workout by exercising both

2738-404: The court to retrieve the opponent's next shot with a minimum of movement and possibly maximizing the movement required by the opponent to answer the returned shot. Very skilled players will, often times, shift slightly away from the "T," based on the position of the other player, if they believe that their shot selection is limited. A common tactic is to hit the ball straight up the side walls to

2812-401: The court, but accidental or deliberate obstruction of the other player's movements is forbidden and could result in the point being redone or given to the player being obstructed. Players typically return to the centre of the court after making a shot, as it is the optimal position in the court to receive the opponent's shot. The centre of the court is typically referred to as "the T", named after

2886-405: The discouraging of spurious appeals for lets. Because of the subjectivity in interpreting the nature and magnitude of interference, awarding (or withholding) of lets and strokes is often controversial and professional players will get "reviews" where a different referee will review the footage and make a decision. If the review is successful than the player will get their review back but if the review

2960-585: The equivalent dot rating but are named to help choose a ball that is appropriate for one's skill level. The four different ball types are Intro (Blue dot, 140% of Pro bounce), Progress (Red dot, 120% of Pro bounce), Competition (single yellow dot, 110% of Pro bounce) and Pro (double yellow dot). Many squash venues mandate the use of shoes with non-marking tread and eye protection. Some associations require that all juniors and doubles players must wear eye protection. The National Institutes of Health recommends wearing goggles with polycarbonate lenses. The squash court

3034-403: The essence of the game." Ayton was particularly concerned that the "great comebacks" that characterised English or Hi-Ho when "the player who is down in a game can still attack when in hand serving" would disappear as PARS fostered an "ultra-defensive attitude, because every rally counts the same." Jahangir Khan has countered that PARS actually made the game far more attacking, but diminished

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3108-410: The failure of the sport to be adopted for Olympic competition is that it is difficult for spectators to follow the action, especially via television. Previous world number one Peter Nicol stated that he believed squash had a "very realistic chance" of being added to the list of Olympic sports for the 2016 Olympic Games , but it ultimately lost out to golf and rugby sevens . Squash has been part of

3182-465: The first executive director of US Squash, there were 800 members and 40 clubs; when he left in 1992, there were 10,000 members and 250 clubs. Kingsley's successor was Craig Brand, who in his 10 years on the job helped bring the internationally popular soft ball game with the hard ball game that predominated in the United States, and helped the organization join the U.S. Olympic Committee . He was followed by Palmer Page, who brought 21st-century technology to

3256-430: The fitter player, not necessarily the better player. Known as English or hand-in-hand-out scoring, under this system, if the server wins a rally, they receive a point, while if the returner wins rally, only the service changes (i.e., the ball goes "hand-out") and no point is given. The first player to reach nine points wins the game. However, if the score reaches 8–8, the player who was first to reach eight decides whether

3330-410: The front wall or may let it bounce. If the server wins the point, the two players switch sides for the following point. If the server loses the point, the opponent then serves, and can serve from either box. After the serve, the players take turns hitting the ball against the front wall, above the tin and below the out line. The ball may strike the side or back walls at any time, as long as it hits below

3404-433: The front wall when the ball hit the opponent, without having first hit the side wall. Generally, after a player has been hit by the ball, both players stand still; if the struck player is standing directly in front of the player who hit the ball, he loses the stroke; if he is not straight in front, a let is played. If it is deemed that the player who is striking the ball is deliberately trying to hit his opponent, they will lose

3478-405: The game and our chances of Olympic entry may be enhanced." One of the problems with English or Hi-Ho scoring is that games often last longer as players continually win service before losing service to the other player without the score being affected. Consequently, the winner is more often than not the fitter athlete. Moreover, English or Hi-Ho scoring can encourage players to play defensively with

3552-530: The game increased in popularity with various schools, clubs and private individuals building squash courts, but with no set dimensions. The first squash court in North America was at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire , in 1884. In 1904 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the earliest national association of squash in the world, the United States Squash Racquets Association, now known as U.S. Squash ,

3626-495: The game will be played to nine, as before (called "set one"), or to 10 (called "set two"). This scoring system was formerly preferred in Britain, and also among countries with traditional British ties, such as Australia, Canada, Pakistan, South Africa, India and Sri Lanka. The RAM scoring system is a proposed new scoring system created by former World Champion, Ramy Ashour and co-founded by Osama Khalifa . This consists of playing

3700-410: The game. The game spread to other schools. The first courts built at Harrow were dangerous because they were near water pipes, buttresses, chimneys, and ledges. Natural rubber was the preferred material for the ball. Students modified their rackets to have a smaller reach and improve their ability to play in these cramped conditions. In 1864, the school built four outside courts. In the 20th century,

3774-410: The initially leading player. For example, Player one is leading 5–3 and the clock stops. Player two wins the next two points and the score is 5–5. Whoever wins the next point wins the game. This is called sudden death. If the score is 0–0 when the clock stops the clock is reset and the game restarts. For Let Calls the clock reverts to the start time of that point. Further rules include that there must be

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3848-894: The largest individual junior squash tournament in the world. US Squash organizes Women's Squash Week to bring women players together around the world. Women’s participation has doubled since 2008, now playing more than 30,000 matches each year. Men%27s National Champions (Squash) (Redirected from Men's National Champions (Squash) ) [REDACTED] This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:   "Men's US National Champions" squash  –  news   · newspapers   · books   · scholar   · JSTOR ( March 2010 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) The Men's National Champions are

3922-410: The left or right service box. For a legal serve, one of the server's feet must be in the service box, not touching any part of the service box lines, as the player strikes the ball. After being struck by the racket, the ball must strike the front wall above the service line and below the out line and land in the opposite back quarter court. The receiving player can choose to volley a serve after it has hit

3996-444: The legs in running around the court and the arms (especially the racket arm) and torso in swinging the racket. In 2003, Forbes rated squash as the number-one healthiest sport to play. However, one study has implicated squash as a cause of possible fatal cardiac arrhythmia and argued that squash is an inappropriate form of exercise for older men with heart disease . As of November 2019, there were players from eighteen countries in

4070-399: The out line. It must not hit the floor after hitting the racket and before hitting the front wall. A ball landing on either the out line or the line along the top of the tin is considered to be out. After the ball hits the front wall, it is allowed to bounce once on the floor (and any number of times against the side or back walls) before a player must return it. Players may move anywhere around

4144-417: The players themselves if there is no official) then interprets the extent of the interference. The referee may allow a let and the players then replay the point or award a "stroke" to the appealing player (meaning that he is declared the winner of that point) depending on the degree of interference, whether the interfering player made an adequate effort to avoid interfering, and whether the player interfered with

4218-402: The psychological aspect of the game: "With the nine points scoring system, matches were more mental and physical and could go longer, but now with the 11-point system, every rally counts, and even if you go behind you can still recover. That makes it a lot more attacking." Maj Madan, one of the game's top referees, similarly stated that PARS had "destroyed the fitness element and, more importantly,

4292-621: The reasons for switching to PARS was that long, taxing matches became less frequent and promoters could more easily predict match and session length. Gawain Briars , who served as the Executive Director of the Professional Squash Association when the body decided to switch to PARS in 2004 hoped that PARS would make the "professional game more exciting to watch, [and] then more people will become involved in

4366-415: The referee. The referee may also take away points or games due to improper etiquette regarding conduct or rules. Improper etiquette may include swearing, purposeful physical contact, and throwing equipment. The referee is also usually responsible for the scoring of games. Three referees are usually used in professional tournaments. The Central referee has responsibility to call the score and make decisions with

4440-477: The score reaches 10–10, play continues until one player wins by two points. Competition matches are usually played to "best-of-five" games (i.e., the first player to win three games). Squash can also be played with different scoring systems, such as PARS to 15, traditional English or Hand-in-Hand-Out (HiHo) scoring to 9, or RAM scoring (see below). Players often experience PARS and Hi-Ho as requiring different tactics and player attributes. Point-a-rally scoring to 15

4514-422: The shape of the floor lines. A key strategy in squash is known as "dominating the T" (the intersection of the red lines near the centre of the court, shaped like the letter "T", where the player is in the best position to retrieve the opponent's next shot). Skilled players will return a shot, and then move back toward the "T" before playing the next shot. From this position, the player can quickly access any part of

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4588-441: The side walls before the ball reaches the front. They are used for deception and again to cause the opponent to cover more of the court. Rear wall shots float to the front either straight or diagonally drawing the opponent to the front. One goal of a player is to try to move the opponent into each of the four corners so that they have to cover a lot of distance and will get tired. Advantageous tactical shots are available in response to

4662-545: The sport will be included in the Olympic Games , starting with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) organizes the pro tour. Squash has its origins in the older game of rackets , which was played in London's prisons in the 19th century. Later, around 1830, boys at Harrow School noticed that a punctured ball, which "squashed" on impact with the wall, offered more variety to

4736-514: The sport. Kevin Klipstein took over Page's position in 2004. In 2000, the organization founded the U.S. Squash Hall of Fame to honor the most distinguished players in every aspect of the sport, including hardball, softball, singles, doubles, men and women, masters and juniors, amateurs and professionals. Induction into the Hall of Fame is considered the highest honor in the sport of squash. The Hall

4810-401: The stroke. An exception occurs when the player hitting the ball has "turned", i.e., letting the ball pass them on one side, but then hitting it on the other side as it came off the back wall. In these cases, the stroke goes to the player who was hit by the ball. The referee is usually a certified position issued by the club or assigned squash league. Any conflict or interference is dealt with by

4884-460: The top fifty of the men's world rankings, with Egypt dominating with fifteen players, six of whom were in the top ten, including ranks one through four. Similarly, the women's world rankings featured players from sixteen countries, again led by Egypt taking thirteen spots of the top fifty, whilst holding spots one through four in the world. The men's and women's Professional Squash Association tour , men's rankings and women's rankings are run by

4958-431: The two side referees. Games are played according to point-a-rally scoring (PARS) to 11 points. PARS is almost universally preferred by the game's top professionals and is the current official scoring system for all levels of professional squash tournaments. In PARS, the winner of a rally receives a point, regardless of whether they were the server or returner. Games are played to 11 and must be won by two points. That is, if

5032-598: Was formed. In April 1907, the Tennis, Rackets & Fives Association of Queens, New York, which regulated those three sports ( fives being a similar sport using hands instead of a racket), established a subcommittee to set standards for squash. In 1912, the association published rules for squash , combining aspects of these three sports. In 1912, the RMS Titanic had a squash court in first class , available for 8 pence (£12.22 in 2022 terms). The 1st-Class Squash Court

5106-643: Was held in Boston, Massachusetts, and was won on February 24 by Gerald Robarts of England, defeating William F. Harrity of Philadelphia in the final. As the 1950s approached, the organization added positions to the board positions and hired full-time executives to run it; in addition, the organization opened two subdivisions to separate the players by starting both the Junior Nationals and the Senior Nationals. In 1957, US Squash incorporated as

5180-406: Was likely to have hit a winning shot had the interference not occurred. An exception occurs when the interfering player is directly in the path of the other player's swing, effectively preventing the swing, in which case a stroke is always awarded. When it is deemed that there has been little or no interference, the rules provide that no let is to be allowed in the interests of continuity of play and

5254-693: Was situated on G-Deck. The Spectators Viewing Gallery was one level higher, on F-Deck. Passengers could use the court for one hour unless others were waiting. In 1923, the Royal Automobile Club hosted a meeting to further discuss the rules and regulations. Five years later, the Squash Rackets Association, now known as England Squash , was formed to set standards for the game in Great Britain and internationally. The rackets were made from one piece English ash, with

5328-451: Was traditionally played with a harder ball and differently sized courts. Hardball squash has lost much of its popularity in North America (in favor of the international version). There is doubles squash a variant played by four players. There is also a tennis-like variation of squash known as squash tennis . Finally, racketball , a similar sport played on a squash court (as distinguished from racquetball ), has been rebranded as Squash 57 by

5402-489: Was used for the World Championships between 1989 and 2003. PARS to 15, with the tiebreak being two clear points (as per standard PARS) from 14–14, was used in many amateur leagues because PARS to 11 was considered too short. This system fell out of favor in 2004 when the Professional Squash Association (PSA) decided to switch to PARS to 11. Games were considered to last too long and the winner would usually be

5476-786: Was used until 1988; PARS to 15 from 1989 to 2003; and PARS to 11 from 2004. For the British Open: HiHo to 9 was used until 1994; PARS to 15 from 1995 to 2003; and PARS to 11 from 2004. The WSF's decision to switch to PARS 11 proved controversial in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth where games were usually played according to English or Hi-Ho. When the Veterans Squash Rackets Club of Great Britain surveyed their members in 2012, they found that 80% of their members were against switching from HiHo to PARS. President Philip Ayton argued that PARS would "kill

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