10 Major Differences Between Squash and Racquetball You Need to Know
Differences between Squash and Racquetball: Racquetball and squash have lots of similarities and it has been mistaken for each other every often.
Most of the confusion has been because they are both played using a ball and on an enclosed court, require similar skills, fitness requirements, and agility.
The Games’ History
The first difference comes in the history of these two games. In 1830, Creative English students invented squash at Harrow School, and it was an inspiration from rackets.
The students found out that once you quashed a punctured ball against the wall, it bounced back in different ways. This made the game more challenging, and they discovered they could actually develop a game out of it.
Racquetball was invented in 1949, but the events that led to its invention are much similar to those in squash. The game was developed by Joe Sobek, who was a bit bored and wanted to try something different from the usual indoor sports.
Due to his love for handball and tennis, he was able to come up with something that combined the two to come up with racquetball. This game took off and gained a lot of popularity in the 1970s and 80s.
The balls
At the surface level, there isn’t much difference between the balls used to play the games. The ball used in squash is made of rubber and is ideally 4cm in diameter. Racquetball, on the other hand, requires a bigger ball of about 6cm in diameter, which is also made of rubber, but in this case, it is more bouncy to fit the game’s requirements.
Scoring
Squash games go up to nine points in normal matches and eleven in titles and competitions. Games must be won with two clear points. Like tennis, focuses can be won whether or not the player is serving or getting.
In racquetball, games go up to fifteen focuses yet focuses must be scored when it is your serve. Like squash, games should likewise be won with two clear focuses.
Service
In squash, players are allowed just one service per point, in any case, in racquetball you are permitted two, which is like tennis.
For the squash game, there is no bounce before hitting the ball before service whereas in racquetball the ball must bounce once before striking it. In squash, the server needs to hit the ball into one of two service boxes whereas in racquetball the server can hit any part of the wall.
Playing Court
A racquetball court is an indoor or outdoor area that can be fully enclosed. It is usually 40×20 feet with a height of about 20 feet. There are red lines that define the service area and the serve-receiving areas.
A squash court is similarly a rectangular box area with four walls of varying heights, but there is a clear height above the court area. Its dimensions are 32×21 feet.
Popularity
Squash is by far the more popular sport of the two, with 20 million players across the world; racquetball, on the other hand, only has 5.6 million. But honestly, thinking about it, that’s pretty impressive for a game that was made up only 70 years ago by a guy named Joe. Thanks, Joe.
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CSN Team.
