In Response to Guy Cipriano
by David Kerr

August 20, 2020

Thanks Guy, everything you stated is of course true as I have observed in my own 40 year paying career.  I also think too much focus within squash has been on junior competition which has sucked up the attention of pros, facilities and our national organization. I can’t blame them because that is where demand and the money is, but our sport needs to increase play more broadly.  You can't build a sport where the largest focus is on members that are 8 – 18 years old. Anemic play over age 30, disappearing clubs, events and courts are signals that squash has significant issues.  The post you cite argues for more promotion, better advertising or creating less expensive facilities or outdoor public courts, but I think that all is cosmetic.
 
In my opinion, the fundamental challenge in growing squash exponentially is the pro ball makes it too hard for new players to quickly learn and play, and for older players to keep playing.  No one is going to walk up to an outdoor court not having played and be able to get any sort of rally going with the pro ball unless it’s 90 degrees outside.  People are busy with many options on how to exercise (think a Pelaton in a bedroom at home) and (especially the younger generation) want easy and convenient. Squash’s problem is that the pro ball is too hard for a new player or older player to warm up and create an extended rally that is the essence of an enjoyable game.  There are alternative balls like the Progress, but there hasn’t been enough effort promoting them as anything but just a step on the path to using the pro ball. People can denounce pickle ball but the sport is getting non-racquets people to pick up a racquet which is the goal.  We as a sport need to entice new casual players and also keep older players playing.  And we need to do it immediately because if the tide really turns and we start losing courts at a faster rate (which we’re seeing in clubs and potentially at colleges), it will be impossible to get them back.

Personally, I think Squash 57 is the answer and it has been growing in the UK, South Africa, Malaysia, New Zealand and more, and is now supported by the World Squash Federation as a supplement to squash. Unfortunately it seems many US squash players consider Squash 57 too different, too much like US racquetball, and not real squash which is unfortunate because I’ve been playing and think it's great.  For competitive players, it demands all the elements that I love about squash such as racquet skill, agility, fitness and strategy without killing myself in a match with the double yellow ball. And due to the much more lively ball, it’s also super easy to pick up and start to play. And you can play doubles which adds a social element (see the video of Nick Matthews playing S57 doubles).  At our club, I've had friends (former squash players in their 50’s and 60’s who quit) buy equipment so they could play with their non-squash playing spouses which is awesome.  I’ve heard of schools buying equipment to offer the sport for gym class which is another fantastic application. There might be other ball options but I think at this point, different is good when it comes to broadening the appeal of and growing squash. There is no reason squash play has to be restricted to the 40mm pro ball.  The US is attracting some of the best pros in the world and I urge them and their clubs and other facilities to help us grow the sport beyond junior competitive players to save squash.

If you want to see a good example of Squash 57 being played, check out this video: https://youtu.be/Z6SeuWq9qYw

SquashGear has balls as well as racquetball racquets.