It’s no surprise that playing sports has many physical and mental health benefits. A study examining participants aged 30 to 98 found that regularly playing racket sports (tennis, badminton, squash) was associated with a 47% lower chance to die from all causes and a 59% reduced chance of dying due to cardiovascular disease.

For someone looking to improve their health through physical activity, Nathan Washam serves one of Egypt’s most popular sports–squash.

Introducing Squash

For those unfamiliar, the game doesn’t involve the fruit (yes, it’s a fruit not a vegetable) but from the ball getting “squashed” upon impact on the wall. It’s a lot like racquetball, which is like tennis if it was played in a confined room.

Squash is an indoor racket sport that uses a small, hollow rubber ball in an enclosed court. Two to four people can play at a time, and its fast pace makes it an excellent cardiovascular workout. If looking to play with others, squash centers and clubs allow players to meet and compete in friendly tournaments and games.

Rules are outside the scope of this article, but for a quick rundown: players are side-by-side facing a wall taking turns to hit the ball, if the ball bounces more than once the opponent gets a point. A player does not have to serve to get a point, and the game ends when a player reaches 11 points.

So, why play squash?

Squashing the Court

Aside from being easy to pick up, it’s less physically demanding than other racket ports like tennis while still offering many of the health benefits, some of which are:

• Improved cardiovascular health
• Weight maintenance
• Increased spatial awareness
• Better hand-eye coordination
• Strength, agility and balance improvements
• Practices lateral and backward movement

In one hour of squash, a player can burn approximately 600 to 1000 calories, higher than most cardiovascular activities. The constant motion around the small court and hitting the ball also provides a good upper and lower body workout, while also training coordination and using the entire body as a unit.

Aside from that, the enclosed court allows for more socialization during play sessions, improving communication skills and self-confidence.

These benefits, when put together, are particularly helpful for the elderly. The increased physical fitness and coordination makes accidental falls less likely, as well as improved overall health to fight back or recover more quickly from minor aches and pains.

More opportunities to socialize and build camaraderie is also a major benefit, as loneliness has been seen to negatively impact chances of getting sick or dying, especially loneliness among the elderly.

How to Get Started

All that is needed is a racket (which can be bought or rented) and choosing the appropriate type of ball. Balls are based on skill level, the difference between them is how much they bounce. For beginners, it’s recommended to use the blue or red ball, which are larger with more bounce compared to tournament official balls.

For more information about squash, visit the Professional Squash Association or the World Squash Federation.