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Complete PST Rules of Play (pdf)

Squash 101

squash court

 

Court: 32 feet front to back. 21 feet left to right

 

Match: Pros play best of five games.

 

Games: Each game is played to 11 points, but players must win by two points.


Rallies: Every rally results in a point, regardless of who served. So if you serve and lose the rally, then your opponent gets a point and gets to serve.

 

The ball can hit any number of walls but must eventually hit the front wall before bouncing on the floor. A rally is lost when one of the following occurs:
  • The ball bounces twice
  • The ball hits the tin at the bottom of the front wall
  • The ball is hit outside the out lines
  • Interference resulting in a stroke, i.e. point to the obstructed player.

 

Serve: The serve is done by having at least one foot in the service box, then hitting the ball to the front wall, above the service line and having it bounce in the opposite quarter-court. The receiver can stand anywhere as long as they do not interfere with the server. Only one serve is allowed. There is no second serve as in tennis. A serve is illegal if it hits any sidewall before hitting the front wall!

 

Following the serve, the ball can hit any number of sidewalls before hitting the front wall. The red lines mark the out of bounds of the court. If the ball touches the line it is considered out!

 

You cannot carry the ball or hit the ball twice, but you can make several attempts at striking the ball as long as contact is made only once.

 


Interference: In squash you must clear your shot to give your opponent direct access to the ball once you have played it. When interference does occur it results in a 'Point' to the person whose shot was obstructed.

 

On rare occasions, a referee may order the previous rally replayed if interference was unintentional and created a safety issue for the players or for equipment issues (i.e. the ball breaks).