Squash is two players, a hard ball travelling fast, and a small enclosed court. That combination makes etiquette less about being polite and more about being safe and fair, and most of the unwritten rules are practical responses to real risks. The guide below covers what actually matters: eye safety, lets and strokes, honest calling, sharing the box, and the small habits that keep clubs and matches running smoothly.
Safety Comes First
The single most important rule is not really etiquette at all, it is safety. A squash ball can travel at well over 200 km/h off a hard hit, and the court has nowhere to escape to.
- Wear eye protection. The World Squash Federation requires polycarbonate squash goggles for all juniors at sanctioned events, and many adult leagues require them too. Even for casual play, wear them, eye injuries are the one squash injury with potentially permanent consequences, and goggles cost less than a couple of court bookings.
- Never play a swinging shot if your opponent is in danger. If the ball comes off the back wall and your opponent is close behind you, stop and ask for a let. The point is not worth a follow-through to the face.
- Do not turn on the ball when your opponent is in front of you. Pivoting and hitting a ball that has gone behind you is one of the most dangerous shots in the sport.
- Apologise for accidents. A quick "sorry" after an accidental clash or stray ball is standard, regardless of fault.
Lets, Strokes and Calling It Fairly
This is where most squash etiquette actually lives. A let means the point is replayed; a stroke means the player who was interfered with wins the point outright. Without a referee, the players agree on these calls themselves, and how you call them defines you as a partner.
- Ask for a let when you genuinely could not get to the ball because of interference, your opponent's position, swing, or sight blocked. Do not ask for a let after a clean winner just because your opponent was slightly in the way.
- Award a stroke against yourself if you were directly in the line of your opponent's straight shot to the front wall, or if your opponent could not safely swing because of where you stood. Self-awarding strokes is a cultural marker of a good squash player.
- "No let" applies if you ask for a let but were never really going to reach the ball, or if you made minimal effort. Do not take it personally, and do not ask for the same kind of let twice.
- When in doubt, play a let. A replayed point beats an argument every time.
Sharing the Court
Squash has two players on a few square metres of useful space. Movement and position are everything.
- Clear after every shot. Hit the ball, then move out of the path between your opponent and the front wall. Failing to clear is the single most common cause of lets and strokes against you.
- Give your opponent room to swing. They are entitled to a reasonable swing, follow-through and access to the ball, not just the bare minimum.
- Do not deliberately block. Stepping into your opponent's line to draw a let is poor form and, when intentional, a stroke against you.
- Incidental contact happens. Squash is technically a non-contact sport, but in practice players brush past each other constantly. Light contact is fine; a clash that affects either player's shot is a let.
Honest Calling and Self-Officiating
In club and recreational squash there is rarely a referee, so the players police themselves. The convention is simple and slightly counter-intuitive: call against yourself before you call against your opponent.
- Down or not up? If your shot hit the tin or bounced twice before you got there, say so, even if your opponent did not see it.
- Out? Call your own ball out if it caught the line on the way up. Borderline calls in your favour without a clear view erode trust quickly.
- Double bounce? If you genuinely do not know whether you got it on one bounce, offer a let.
Before, During and After the Match
- Respect the booking window. Arrive ready, and finish on time so the next pair can start.
- Share the knock-up. Five minutes is the standard warm-up. Hit the ball roughly equally to both sides and feed your opponent shots so they get to feel the ball as well.
- Agree the format up front. Best of three or best of five? Point-a-rally to 11 or hand-out to 9? Settle it before you start.
- Shake hands at the end. Always, win, lose or grumpy. A brief acknowledgement of your opponent's effort is how the game closes.
- Leave the court tidy. Wipe up sweat, pick up any broken strings, take your water bottle with you.
At the Club
- Do not walk onto a court mid-rally. Wait for the players to finish the point, then signal that your booking is about to start.
- Wear non-marking court shoes. Black gym soles leave scuffs that cost the club money and look terrible for the next pair.
- Keep changing-room noise down, courts are usually close by and sound carries.
- Pay your court fees and report damage. Both are basic membership courtesies.
Common Etiquette Mistakes to Avoid
- Playing without eye protection, the one rule worth being slightly evangelical about.
- Failing to clear after your shot, the main cause of collisions, lets and strokes against you.
- Arguing every let, dispute respectfully and play a let when in doubt rather than turning each rally into a debate.
- Dangerous swings or turning on the ball, if a safe shot is not possible, stop and ask for a let.
- Distracting noise or excessive celebration, loud grunting, calling out and big reactions all break your opponent's focus.
- Turning up late or leaving a mess, respect your booking time and the players coming on next.
The Bottom Line
Squash etiquette boils down to two things: play safely (wear goggles, never swing through your opponent, do not turn on the ball) and play fairly (clear after your shots, call against yourself when in doubt, award the stroke when you blocked the ball). Everything else, the handshake, the tidy court, the on-time arrival, flows from those two. Get them right and any club, anywhere in the world, will welcome you back.
