UKC

The offspring (18 and at uni) has suggested that he might like a squash racquet for a Christmas present, which is fine with me except I know less than nothing about squash racquets. Although technically he is a beginner at the game he has an incredibly irritating habit of picking up new sports very quickly so a racquet suitable for a novice would inevitably have to be replaced pretty quickly :-

Anyone with a bit of squash knowledge care to offer some pointers vis a vis racquet types, manufacturers,models, prices etc etc etc ....

Many thanks for your thoughts.

In reply to GravitySucks:

Been playing squash since my late teens..... it's a great indoor sport.

Racquets are personal and there are brands and types that suit different players. I've pretty much used Prince exclusively. I'd suggest a gift token from a good sports shop where your son/daughter can get expert advice. As for price I'd say in the £80-£100 range would get you something decent and long lasting.

In reply to Indy:



Agree apart from the price, which is high. £60 gets a good raquet and discounts are so common paying more doesn't help. Also a new player is likely to break one or more raquests quite quickly.

In reply to MG:


Is breaking racquets considered normal/expected for a novice player? and if so how much of that is down to the cheapness of the racquet coupled with incorrect balls?

In reply to Indy:
I'm no expert but I suspect it's more to do with hitting the wall with it rather than the type of balls?

In reply to Aly:
The ball hits the wall.... if its a slow ball its not going to bounce too far leading an inexperienced player to whack the wall with the racquet. Using a faster ball is more forgiving allowing a beginner to let the ball bounce away from the wall or up from the floor meaning less chance of a whack against a hard surface.

Edit: I've never broken a racquet, strings yes but never a frame.

In reply to GravitySucks:

£50 should be fine as a nice starters racquet. As mentioned above, breakages are possible and the lighter the racquet the more fragile they are. As he becomes more experienced then he'll develop a preference for a certain type of racquet, string tension etc. Spend a bit more then.

On another note, might be worth suggesting some goggles. Now I'm being a total hypocrite as I never wore them in 30 years of playing, but my wife's lad has just knackered his vision in one eye by taking a mis-hit ball to the face. One of those things - a sliced shot and a fluke hit, but more common with beginners.

In reply to hang_about:


I'm pretty sure juniors have to wear goggles / glasses if they are playing club squash.