Squash - Racquet

The squash rackets are required to smash the squash ball. The rackets can be maximum 686 mm (27 inches) long and 215 mm (8.5 inches) wide. These can have a maximum strung area of 500 square centimetres (77.5 sq inches). Squash rackets can have a maximum weight of 255 grams (9.0oz) but majorly weigh between 90 to 150 grams (3-5.3 oz).

The World Squash Federation (WSF) regulates the prototype for squash rackets’ specification. Squash rackets can have an evenly distributed weight, can be light-headed or heavy-headed. The light head rackets are easy to manoeuvre while heavy head rackets allow harder shots.

Types of Squash Rackets

There are two types of squash rackets based on their throat shape -  

• Open Throat - It is also regarded as a teardrop-shaped racket. It has a robust construction with the larger string-bed area and a bigger sweet spot to hit the ball. It aids in better ball control and allows a free movement of the string-bed too. These types of rackets are more forgiving and powerful.

• Closed Throat - The classic closed throat racket has a compact head and a smaller sweet spot to hit the ball. The throat area has shorter main strings but still offer better control and handling. The participants going for closed throat squash rackets are required to hit the ball with precision due to its smaller surface area.

Construction of Squash Rackets

The squash rackets are constructed very precisely and are symmetrical from the centre of the head to the shaft in the bottom. 

The head of the racket is the region surrounding the strung area with which the ball is hit. The strings are made of gut, nylon or any other substitute material except metal. It is protected via a bumper strip made from a flexible material that cannot crease into sharp edges. The strip is generally made from white, colourless or unpigmented material.

Each racket can have only two layers of strings which are alternately interlaced or placed to form a uniform cross pattern. The passage area between the cross-sections of the strings shouldn’t be larger than 50mm in diameter. Any changes to be made in the squash rackets should be presented to the federation with a notice period of two years before the application.

Evolution of Squash Rackets

Traditionally, the wooden squash rackets were used to play the sport. It had long handles and smaller head regions and used to weigh more than the modern ones. The wooden rackets were hard to handle with poorer head-handle weight balance.

The wooden rackets had smaller sweet spots to tackle the ball and hence require a lot of precision while playing. Later in the 1980s, the rackets were modified and made from fibreglass and aluminium. The modified rackets become more prominent with a large teardrop shape. Manufacturers such as Dunlop and Prince dominated the market and kept on modifying the rackets to generate high power with less effort.

During recent times, carbon, graphite and titanium were introduced and proved to be a better substitute for designing the racket's frame. These rackets offer more strength and power and reduce the overall weight of the racket to a great extent. The aluminium rackets are economically cheaper and ideal for beginners. The modern rackets are stronger, durable and ideal for absorbing maximum vibrations.