Simplified Rules of Squash Scoring The Service and

Simplified Rules of Squash • • Scoring The Service and Faults Play and Good Return Rallies - How Won Hitting the Opponent with the Ball Further Attempts to Hit the Ball Interference Let – Allowed – Awarded • • • New Ball and Warm Up Play in a Match to be Continuous Terminology Video Officiating Responsibilities

Traditional English Scoring • Points can only be scored by the server. • When the server wins a rally, he/she scores a point. • The first player to win 9 points wins the game, except when the score reaches 8 -all – Then the receiver will indicate to his/her opponent that he/she chooses to extend the game by 1 or 2 points. (set 1 or set 2) – This is only called once in a game. – The first player to score 1 or 2 points wins the game.

PAR Scoring • Scoring is to 11 or point-a-rally ( PAR ), where every rally is a point, regardless of who served. So if you serve and lose the rally, then your opponents get a point and gets to serve. • The professionals play best of five games , PAR scoring to 11. Where the score reaches ten all, the game will be won by two clear points (which will be expressed as 11 -10, irrespective of the actual score ).

The Service • The right to serve first is decided by the spin of a racquet. The server continues to serve until he/she looses a rally. • The server may begin to serve on either side. If he/she scores a point he/she alternates sides. • If he/she serves a fault or a rally ends in a Let, he/she serves again from the same side. • To serve, the ball must be dropped or thrown into the air. It must not touch the walls or floor before being struck.

• The serve must go above the cut line and land behind the short line in the opposite back quarter of the court. • If the server serves one fault, he/she may serve again. If the opponent returns that serve, the ball is considered good and continued in play

A Service is a Fault • If while striking the ball, the server does not have part of one foot in contact with the floor and completely inside the service box. That foot must not touch the line. • If the ball is served onto or below the cut line. • If the ball does not land behind the short line in the opposite back quarter of the court. • 2 or more of the above faults on one service count as only one fault.

The serve would result in a “hand out” • If he/she serves 2 consecutive faults • If the ball hits the wall or floor before being struck by the server, or if the server fails to hit the ball or hits it more than once • If the ball is served into the tin, or out of court, or against any part of the court before the front wall • If the ball lands in the server’s quarter of the court.

A Player Wins A Rally If • the server loses his/her service due to service faults • the opponent fails to make a good return of the ball in play • the ball in play touches the opponent or his/her cloths

Hitting the Opponent With The Ball • If a good return of the ball is made, but before reaching the front wall it hits the opponent or his/her racquet, then: – if the ball would have gone directly to the front wall, the striker wins the rally – if the ball would have gone off the side wall to the front wall, a Let may be awarded. – if the ball would not have been a good return, the striker should lose the rally. The rally ends as soon as the ball touches either player

What is a Let? • Let : a let is an undecided rally. The service or rally shall not count when a Let is played. The server serves again from the same side from which the last service was hit.

Let - May Be Awarded • Provided that a player could have made a good return, a let may be allowed: – if, due to the position of the striker, the opponent can not avoid being hit by the ball (ball was going to side wall) – if the ball in play touches any article lying on the court – if a player does not hit the ball for fear of hitting their opponent and is more than 1 meter away from the ball • If a player is less than 1 meter away from the ball but their opponent interferes, the Referee will call stroke to striker. – if a player drops his racquet, calls out or otherwise distracts his opponent so that the opponent loses the rally

Let - Will Be Awarded: • If the receiver is not ready and does not attempt to take the service • If the ball breaks during play • If the ball goes out of court on is first bounce

• New Ball: a new ball may be substituted at any time, when the ball is not in play, by mutual agreement of the players. • Warm Up: before the start of play, players have 5 minutes to warm up the ball – When a new ball is substituted, the ball shall be warmed up to playing condition.

Play in a Match to be Continuous • Following the first service, play in a match shall be continuous. • There is an interval of 1 minute between games and of 2 minutes between the 4 th and 5 th games of a match. If a player is not ready to play at the end of the interval, the opponent shall win the next game. • In the event of an injury, a player must continue to play or concede the match, unless the injury is contributed to by the opponent. If the opponent is guilty of dangerous play, the injured player wins the match.

The Ball • The Blue dot is ideal for beginners who wish to practice solo, because of the extra bounce • The Red dot is ideal for anyone wishing to practice drop shots, a routine in which the ball remains cold • The White dot is ideal for anyone wishing to play a friendly on a cold court • The Yellow dot is the ball used in all competitive matches

Important Terminology

• Boast - a shot which hits the back or side wall before hitting the front wall • Clear - immediately after hitting the ball, a player must make every effort to clear out of his opponent's way • Crosscourt- a shot hit directly to the front wall at an angle sufficient to make it land on the other side of the court. • Cutline - a line across the front wall 1. 8 m above the floor which extends the full width of the court

• Die or dying - when the 2 nd bounce of a shot stops dead on or near the side or back walls. A ball can also die by being hit directly into the nick. This is called a dead nick. • Drive - a ball which is hit after the bounce, to good length • Drop Shot - a shot played to land short in the court • Feed - a ball fed with the racquet for “the worker” • Feeder - the person who hits the ball to the designated area for “the worker”

• Good Length - a shot which bounces on the floor behind the short line • Good Return- a return is good if the ball, before bouncing twice on the floor, is returned by a player onto the front wall above the tin. • Kill - a heavily cut, hard, low drive • Knock Up - a period of 5 minutes before the match starts, during which players practice by hitting across to one another • Loose - a weak shot that comes out too far form the side wall

• Lob - a soft shot designed to go over your opponent and drop in the back corner • Nick - the junction of the walls and floor • Rally - the playing of a series of shots • Service - the shot which puts the ball into play • Shortline - a line on the floor parallel to the front wall and extending the full width of the court

• Target Area - a defined area on the floor into which the player attempts to have the ball land • The T - the junction of the short and half court lines • Toss - a ball fed by hand • Volley - a shot in which the ball is hit before it bounces on the floor • Target Zone - area of the side wall which the ball should hit before landing in the target area