What is it? A fast-paced racket game, beloved of businessmen and 90% of psychopaths in films, where you repeatedly bounce a ball off a wall as hard as you can.
How much does it cost? According to England Squash & Racketball, you can expect to pay an average of £8 for an hour on a pay-to-play court.
What does it promise? A great cardio workout, better muscle tone, a stronger core, improved posture, more efficient fast twitch muscles, the hand-eye coordination of a much younger person. Plus you get to make your shoes squeak on the floor a lot, which is probably the most satisfying sound in the world.
What’s it actually like? Much harder than it looks. Even at beginner level – which, after 10 years of on-off practice, I’ve never really progressed beyond – squash is a fast game. It’s played in extraordinarily intense blink-and-you’ll-miss-them bursts, each of which have to combine quick thought, speedy reactions, perfect form and explosive movements. Squash starts difficult – just timing your swing to hit the ball is hard enough, let alone aim it at the right part of the wall – and then remains difficult, as you improve and play more experienced opponents. The trick, as with most sports, is to control the game by anticipating your opponent’s moves several steps ahead. I’ll get to that point eventually, I’m sure.
Best and worst bit It’s a great sport to play for a workout, even if you just want to dabble in it. However, it’s quite hard to shake the feeling that it’s the sort of thing Apprentice candidates do when they’re not comparing themselves to winged sharks, which is quite off-putting.
Is it worth it? 110%.
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