Squash is a fun sport to play and for some it is even better than tennis.
“Squash is like chess at 400km/h,” said Randburg Squash Club manager Marc de Villiers. “It is both physical and mental as you have to be a shot ahead of your opponent.”
Club member Neil Bailey who plays socially said he played squash because it exercised most muscles in his body.
“It also helps to release a lot of aggression in you that builds up during the week,” he said.
For de Villiers squash is better than tennis. “There are more angles to play off in squash. In tennis if you have raw talent you can do really well but in squash you can get beaten by a three-year-old if he or she is smarter than you.”
Professional coach Mike Tootill, who played for South Africa in the 90s, said squash was not better than tennis in terms of the money professional players earn. But the game was better because squash was easier to learn, players improved more quickly, it was easier to get a long rally going, and players of different skill levels could still have good games because of being able to play from almost any position.
Bailey said he played both sports but was much better at squash. “Squash is easier and a better workout. It also has better hand-eye-coordination than tennis.”
Squash was physically demanding and the most common injuries that occurred were torn leg muscles, De Villiers explained.
The squash club enters teams in the Gauteng men’s, women’s and masters (35 years and older) leagues.
The club also has its own doubles league and social/business league.
Squash is an indoor racket and ball game where players can play the ball off all four walls, where demarcated, as long as the ball hits the front wall above a certain line before it bounces on the ground.
Details: Randburg Squash Club 011 789 2226.
