Squash

Squash is an indoor racquet sport that was formerly called "Squash racquets," a reference to the "squashable" soft ball used in the game (compared with the harder ball used in its parent game Racquets (or rackets; see below)). The game is played by two players (or four players for doubles) with 'standard' rackets in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. Squash is characterized as a "high-impact" exercise that can place strain on the joints, notably the knees.

The court size was codified in the 1920s at 975 cm (32 feet) and 640 cm (21 feet) wide. The front wall has a 'front wall line' 457 cm (15 feet) above the floor, connected by a raking 'front' line meeting the 'out' line on the back wall at 213 cm (7 feet) above the floor. The front wall also has a 'service line' whose top is 183 cm (6 feet) above the floor with the 'board' (the equivalent of a net) 48 cm (18.9 inches) high. The floor is marked with a transverse 'half-court' line and further divided into two rear 'quarter courts' and two 'service boxes', as shown in the diagram above.
The traditional 'American' court for the USA game, (now referred to as 'hardball squash') is a similar size, but narrower at 18 feet 6 inches (564 cm). The floor and wall markings differ slightly from the 'International' court and the tin is lower, at 15 inches (38 cm) high. However, hardball squash was replaced by softball in America as the standard version of squash and has since almost completely died out.
A 'Converted Court' is the result of converting racquetball courts to squash. Racquetball courts are 20 feet (610 cm) wide and 40 feet (1220 cm) in length, so it is relatively easy to install a back wall, producing a squash court of 20 feet (610 cm) wide by 32 feet (975 cm) long.