Back when I first tried to step onto a squash court for the first time for some squash drills, I thought it wouldn’t be challenging to handle a squash racket. This was because I had been playing tennis for over ten years.

I later realized that my thought was completely wrong. Although tennis and squash fall in the same category of racket games, they are not the same. For instance, I thought the difference was only about the courts and balls. There are also significant differences between the rackets.

So, can you play squash with a tennis racket? From my playing experience, I would say that it is unwise to use a tennis racket to play squash. This is because tennis rackets are heavier compared to squash rackets. As such, you risk serious injuries by using a tennis racket to play squash. Besides, according to the gaming rules, using a tennis racket to play squash is illegal.

Therefore, if you are a tennis player who owns a racket and would wish to play squash, it is recommended to rent a squash racket or buy a cheap racket for a start.

In this article, I will help you understand why it is unwise to use a tennis racket to play squash. I will also give detailed answers to some of the often asked questions about playing squash with a tennis racket.

Sound good? Keep reading for more detailed information.

Critical Differences Between Squash Racket and Tennis Racket

If you look at a tennis racket and a squash racket, you would argue that there is not much difference between them.

Having played both squash and tennis, I would say that the rackets used to play each game have significant differences in their respective parameters.

The below table will help you to have a better understanding of the differences in the racket parameters.

Racket Parameter	Squash Racket	Tennis Racket
Length	The maximum length of 27 inches	The maximum length of 29 inches
Width	Maximum width of 8.5 inches	Maximum width of 12.5 inches
Weight	90 grams to 150 grams	260 grams to 310 grams
String Tension	25 lbs to 35 lbs	45 lbs to 60 lbs
Head Shape	Oval or Teardrop	Elliptical

As illustrated in the above table, a tennis racket is heavier and bigger than a squash racket. The differences are associated with on-court situations or demands.

For instance, tennis players will be required to cover a larger or wider court. Besides, their rackets often deal with more ball mass and transfer greater power on strokes during rallies or drills.

On the other hand, a lighter and smaller design of a squash racket is a technological answer to the requirement of a more maneuverable and high pace squash game. Besides, the oval racket shape and lesser strings tension allow the squash player to produce lightning-fast shots with ease.

Why You Should Not Use a Tennis Racket to Play Squash

Logically, a tennis racket has been designed and made to specifically play tennis, while a squash racket has been designed to strictly play squash. For instance, tennis rackets are disproportionate to playing squash.

To better understand this, squash requires you to be quick in reactions and motions. Besides, the squash shot efficiency depends on you flickering your wrist rapidly. This means that the racket has to be very light. That is not the case for tennis rackets that weigh 2.5 times more than a squash racket.

The string tension of the racket is also critical. For instance, the stringbed of a tennis racket is hard and would even go beyond 60 lbs. As such, if a squash ball is hit by such high tension, it will go powerless. To maintain the balance between power and control, the squash rackets are strung with two times less tension than tennis racket.

Suppose you manage to play squash using a tennis racket, your playing technique would be all downhill. For instance, suppose you are using a proper squash technique, but with a cocked wrist and a whipping backswing, you will experience tremendous strain on your wrist and shoulder due to the heavier tennis racket. You need to understand the basics of backswing and swing-path through a shot are different for tennis and squash.

Whenever the technique is wrong, you will experience bad habits from the start. This means that the tennis racket feels very much heavy. As such, you will be required to adjust your technique subconsciously at the expense of added effort and health.

This would, as a result, discourage you from playing squash, not because it is difficult but because of the use of the wrong equipment. Or do you think you will find a reason for sticking to playing a game that is joyless and very difficult to play?

Although I had been using a tennis racket to play tennis for ten years, I found it destructive to my wrist when I used it to play squash. For instance, I felt my forearm muscles hurting due to excessive loading.

As I had explained before, the ultimate squash technique relies on whipping. Therefore, you will find it challenging to do this with a tennis racket because it is too heavy.

It is also critical to remember that squash involves playing with another player next to you on the court. You are both surrounded by walls and are moving rapidly, and as such, it is normal to experience unintentional contacts in the matches.

Now imagine being hit by a larger and heavier tennis racket. This would be the shortest route to unnecessary skin bruises and injuries.

Besides, the tennis tacket swing is very hard from squash. For instance, since the tennis racket is heavier, it will put your elbow, shoulders, and wrist at a high risk of injury or burnout.

FAQs

What Is the Best Racket for Squash?

Playing squash needs the best racket. Although there are many squash rackets available on the market, they are not all of the required quality standards that you are supposed to play with.

Here are the three best squash rackets that I have been enjoying playing with.

Racket Name	Weight	Technology	Head Frame	String Pattern	Head Size	Balance
Head Graphene speed 120	120 grams	Graphene 360	Teardrop	12/17	500 cm sq.	Head heavy
Dunlop	125 grams	Hyper fiber	Teardrop	14/18	500 cm sq.	Head light
Tecnifibre carboflex X-speed 125	125 grams	Graphene tech	Teardrop	14/18	500 cm sq.	Head even

How Much Should I Spend on a Squash Racket?

Playing squash with a good teardrop squash racket will subsequently improve your game. However, did you know that you can own a good racket at a reasonably fair and friendly price? For instance, with a budget of less than $100, you can get a good quality squash racket brands such as Head and Dunlop.

Final Thought: Can You Play Squash With a Tennis Racket?

I hope you now understand why tennis and squash each have their dedicated racket.

Tennis racket and squash racket are similar, and you might be tempted to play squash using a tennis racket. It is important to note that by doing this, you are limiting your performance and putting yourself at a serious health or injury risk.

I hope you found this article helpful.

Do you have any comments or suggestions? Let us hear from you in the comment section below.