Women in squash

The benefits of playing Squash

Squash is one of the most exciting and fast paced racket sports out there, which makes it one of the most fun and rewarding games to play for both men and women. In this blog, find out the what the benefits of squash are for women, and how you can get involved.

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Improve your focus

Often, we try to multitask which means focusing on too much at once and can end up being incredibly overwhelming. Squash is a sport that allows you to practice maintaining your focus in a fast-paced game. This can improve your ability to concentrate on day-to-day tasks professionally and personally. Helping to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.

Get active and balance hormones

It’s well known that exercise can help to boost the ‘happy’ hormones in our brain, like dopamine, while reducing cortisol and resulting in better mental health. But did you know that regular exercise in women can balance hormones, like oestrogen? This supports healthy skin, sleep, energy levels and more.

Burn energy & release endorphins

With statistics showing that 40% of women could benefit from being more active, squash is a great sport to start with if you are looking to increase your activity levels and get that feel good rush! Set your own pace to burn calories, release endorphins, and boost your mental and physical health.

Gain a community

The squash community is considered as one of the most supportive and welcoming. Squash has provided many women with a support system. Find out some of their stories here.

Get inspired!

Learn about stories from women like Jennifer, who never felt sporty at school and would never choose to exercise for fun. By chance, she got involved with a charity squash event and has never looked back.

Watch more

Top tips for getting started with squash

We have spoken to Places Leisure colleague and part time squash player, Francesca Timpson. Francesca was introduced to squash in her 20’s during lockdown when you could only play sport with those you lived with. Luckily for Francesca, her Mum was an avid player and introduced her to the game at their local site, Tolworth Recreation Centre.

Francesca now regularly plays and has a real passion for the sport. “I enjoy squash because of the adrenaline it releases. The ball can travel quite fast and it’s fun trying to run around, whilst strategically thinking where to place the ball next to win the point. It’s unlike any sport... and I’ve played a lot!”

Here are Francesca’s top tips for getting started with Squash:

Choosing the right equipment

When starting out it’s important to recognise the equipment that you play with can affect how enjoyable the game is. There are 4 types of ball, double yellow dot, yellow dot, red dot and blue dot. The blue dot has the biggest bounce when cold which makes it perfect for beginners. Find out more about the different types of ball from this useful blog by Squash Point.

Bringing a buddy

Sometimes, it can feel daunting start something new, especially with new rules to learn and competitors to meet. So my biggest advice would bring a friend who is at a similar level to you. You’ll be able to build your knowledge of the rules together and make some friends along the way.

What to wear

Being comfortable in what you wear can improve your experience with a sport. I have been in a squash court too many times with too many layers on and it can get hot! My advice would be to wear shorts, a sports bra and a t-shirt on the top. England Squash recommend wearing goggles to protect your eyes, and Places Leisure ask that you wear white sole shoes to protect the courts for longevity.

What to bring in your bag

In addition to your squash racket and ball, having bottle of water, a towel, a snack are all must have's for your bag! If you would like to use a locker at one of our centres, it's worth checking out their useful centre information page (found under the 'more' tab) to determine whether you need a padlock or token for our lockers.

Get inspired, get started!