Should a beginner start with a heavy or light squash racket?

Do you play once a week with a few friends or do you want to play local tournaments? There is no “one simple answer” because each person is different. So let’s look at the reasons those questions matter. Before we do that though, let’s talk hypothetically.

The weight of a squash racket is less important than its balance, i.e. where most of the weight is. If most of the weight of the racket is in the head, a light racket can feel heavy, and conversely, a heavier racket with most of the weight in near the handle may feel light. If you use a very light racket when you first start to play squash, your technique has to be good otherwise you generally won’t have racket solidity when you hit the ball. However, if you use a heavy racket or head heavy racket when you first start playing, you may develop bad habits because you are unable to control the racket correctly due to lack of strength.

In general, I always recommend a medium weighted and medium balanced racket for new players. Over the first six months, players

Cheap rackets are heavy. It’s pretty much the same for most sports equipment nowadays. Basic aluminum rackets are durable but quite heavy. If you only play recreationally and are on a limited budget, then they are perfect. In fact, a look on second-hand sites can get you a basic squash racket for 5 Pounds/Euros/Dollars etc. You can buy a brand new graphite racket for around 25 (£/€/$), but of course for that price you are not going to get a high quality frame or strings, and it is not going to be light.

Mid-range graphite rackets are lighter than cheaper ones, but should feel better when using them. Personally, this is a good choice if you are sure you want to play competitively or you have progressed from once-a-week with friends into a “club squash” situation. At this point in your development, you are beginning to develop better technique, better understanding of tactics, starting to learn more about your strengths and weaknesses and how they affect your tactics etc.

The time for a light racket comes when A: you can justify the price and quality jump from the cheaper graphite rackets and B: you have good enough technique that you can still hit the ball very solidly with it. I know it seems that light or lighter rackets MUST be better for new players because they feel nice to use, but remember that a having the best paint brush doesn’t make you a great artist. Buying and using a very light racket may seem like a good idea, but in the long-term it just makes it harder to find the perfect racket for you.

Final Thoughts

A squash racket is a tool, and like all tools they are only as useful as the skill of the person using it.