When a squash player is just starting out, it is often hard to decide which racquet to purchase. Many players are guided towards one racquet or another depending on who they ask and what brand and model those people play with. Even squash pros at the various clubs around the world are never completely reliable, often recommending a certain racquet out of habit, or personal experience, rather than fitting a racquet to a person. This article is intended to help you to make that choice yourself, using your own tendencies, to pick out a racquet that is truly right for you.

The first thing to realize is that often, the brand of a racquet does not matter. Different brands have different trademarks, but these are merely guidelines to the range of racquets found within each brand. It is the weight, balance, stiffness and shape that make the difference, no matter the brand.

Dunlop is well known as an all round solid racquet, as is Head. Both are middle of the pack in terms of price, and the result is just as expected for that price range. These racquets often are not fancy, without the gimmicks that may or may not work but often drive up the prices of a racquet. Prince racquets tend to be less impressive at the low end of the price range, though for high-end racquets Prince dominates the line-up. There are more brands of course, and each has it’s own advantages and disadvantages (Black Knight, for example, has racquets with impressively large striking areas on the whole). As a general guideline, Prince and Head tend to be more uniquely engineered products, while Dunlop, Harrow and others tend to rely more on marketing than on engineering.

The important thing for a first time player is to shy away from the extremely cheap, £10-£60 racquets that are marketed exclusively for beginners. It may seem like a good idea to go cheap on a racquet, especially when one is not sure if he/she will like the sport. However, the quality of a racquet can make a surprising difference in the level of enjoyment a person can get out of playing. Cheaper racquets tend to be heavier, and since beginning players rarely have comparable arm, wrist and shoulder strength to veterans, it is counterintuitive for those starting off to have the heavier racquets. Developing a correct swing, learning how to hit boasts, drop shots, and power shots all tax a player’s arm, and with a heavy racquet it can be extremely frustrating. To control a heavy racquet, and swing it at the right velocity to strike the ball at the correct moment, is a challenge for a beginner.

However, the issue remains that racquets tend to get more expensive the lighter they are. This is true, but I am not recommending that people go out and buy the most expensive, 120g racquet on the market. A racquet between 140 and 160 grams is generally light enough for a beginning player, and you can find plenty of those in the £110-£150 price range, which is about average for a squash racquet.

As with the heavy racquets, the lightest racquets are also more difficult to control. The player needs to generate more of the power when using a light racquet, so light racquets, while favoured by many pros, are also not recommended for beginners.

As for stiffness, balance and shape, these are all matters for personal preference and your personal style. Be aware of the differences, and learn which work best for you.

Now that you’ve heard a couple of tips about squash racquets, it is time to buy one. So maybe borrow some from those around you, see what type of racquet you like (head heavy or light, 130 or 160g, stiff or supple), and demo as many as you can. Then, when you’re ready, get your own and start learning this great game of squash.

Are you satisfied with your squash racquet? Has your latest opponent told you he beat you because of his great racquet? Here are some ideas on selecting a new racquet

Your most indispensible tool for squash is your racquet. How have you gone about selecting one?

I wish I could have a dollar for every time a player barged into her club's pro shop and asked the pro point blank, "Which racquet is best for me?" The answer is rarely satisfactory: And usually the pro is going to steer the player towards one of two or three models carried in that shop.

Before getting into specific factors that you can look at, I must emphasize that trying out the candidate racquet is the best way to choose a racquet. Play with the racquet on court, to get a feel for the swing and balance. Try several different racquets to establish the differences in how they feel. The combinations of weight, balance, and stiffness are endless, and the choice must come down to personal preference.

The key variables in squash racquets The first thing you need to understand in selecting a squash racquet is how they differ. Here are some of the main characteristics of squash racquets; and my view on how those characteristics affect how the racquet will play. Understand, though, that there is no consensus on these playing parameters.

Weight of the racquet. The weight of the racquet is its most obvious characteristic, and the weights are quite variable. The lightest racquets weigh in at about 120 grams, and heavy ones can be 210 grams or more. Most typically, racquets in the 140 to 170 gram range are used. As an oversimplification, less expensive racquets are the heaviest, and lighter racquets will cost you more. Stronger materials must be used to allow a racquet to be fabricated at a lighter weight. Who needs a light racquet? Players selecting lighter racquets tend to be skilled control and touch players, juniors, and women. A lighter racquet lets the player "feel" the ball as he hits it. This gives the beginner an impression of control. However, it is the experienced player who can best use a light racquet. The beginner will have a lot of difficulty with the necessary accuracy required to use a light racquet. Put another way, a lighter racquet requires the player to add her own strength to put power into a shot -- because the lighter racquet generates less momentum. Therefore, though often juniors and women select very light racquets, this is sometimes a mistake on their part, since it can make it more difficult to impart speed and direction on the ball. Skill and technique is required to make use of a light racquet.

In summary, a lighter racquet is easier to swing and give better "feel" of the ball, but also will be harder to control and will be more expensive.

Balance of the racquet. Racquets vary substantially in where their centre of balance lies. Here is a factor that can best be established by trying out the candidate racquet on court. It is usually fairly easy to feel when the racquet has "bad balance" -- that is if it is head heavy or head light. Try out the racquets and reject ones that don't feel right: A racquet that feels really heavy is usually head heavy. The balance varies from one racquet to another within a model line -- so you need to insist on trying out the specific racquet you propose to directsp

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