Whether you have a game with the boss coming up and you’ve never played, or if it’s been a while and the rules aren’t as clear as they used to be, here are the basic rules of squash.

Rules of Squash Cheatsheet

Just like other sports like tennis, racquetball, or even football or baseball, there are hundreds of rules regarding every possible scenario of play during a squash game. But, just like those other sports, a few basic rules will have you off and having fun right away. You can pick up the others along the way.

How To Play Squash 101 – Singles

1. Two players alternate hitting the ball.
2. Each player may hit the ball only once during their turn to hit the ball.
3. If the ball hits the floor twice during a player’s turn, that player loses the rally.
4. The ball must not touch the top line around the court.
   • In many recreation centers or fitness clubs squash shares courts with racquetball. In these cases, there may be no top line, in which case the ball may not touch the ceiling.
5. The ball must not touch the ceiling (it is above the top line).
6. The ball must not touch the tin.
   • The tin is the bottom area of the court between the floor and the first red line up from the floor.
7. To start a rally, one player serves.
8. The server must stand with one foot inside of the service box.
   • The player’s foot may not touch the lines of the service box.
9. The server must alternate between service boxes for each serve
10. A serve must hit the front wall before hitting anything else
    • The serve must hit the front wall above the service line (the line running across the middle of the front wall)
    • The serve must hit below the top line
11. The serve must carry without bouncing to the opposite quarter court
    • A quarter court is the area behind the short line and between the half court line and the wall
    • The opposite quarter court is the one opposite of the side in which the ball was served from.
12. A serve is out if it hits the line.
13. Whenever a player strikes the ball that violates any of the above rules, the other player wins the point and serves next.
14. Players do not have to be serving to score a point.
15. Games are usually played to 11 or 15 points.
16. Players must win by at least 2 points to win the game.
17. Matches may be 3 or 5 games long.

For safety purposes, all players are encouraged to wear eye protection. A squash ball can get going pretty fast, and they are small enough to get into an eye socket and cause trauma damage to the eye itself. Like wearing a bike helmet, the odds are that you will not need it, but in the event that you do need it, you will be much happier to not lose your eyesight. Many squash players also play racquetball, or vice versa. Typically, the googles for either game work fine for the other game as well.

Of course, there are many, many subrules, and interpretations of the above. The interference rules alone take up several pages, which are very important when playing competitively, but not so much when playing squash recreationally, or for fun. All of those rules, more or less, are about dealing with “What happens if…” type questions. There are also different rules for different leagues. Individual clubs may have their own squash rules– usually dealing with issues arising from not having perfect squash courts. Different countries, tours, and tournaments may all also have their own squash rules.

A popular squash variation known as Squash 57 has its own rules as well. When in doubt, consult the official international squash rules.

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