Introduction
It's not about what the pros use — it's about what's right for you.
Squash balls come in a variety of sizes and speeds. These differences are defined by the number and colour of dots on the ball. There are good reasons for this, but from a beginner's or casual player's point of view, it is unintuitive. The types of balls and their uses are covered further down this page.
The World Squash Federation only has specifications for three types of balls: Single Yellow, Double Yellow and Green.
The actual colour of the rubber is unimportant. Squash balls can be any colour.
The Challenge
To communicate exactly which ball should be used — and why.
I propose three ideas that, with the support of all sections of the squash community, could help more players enjoy the sport. Before I describe them, let's look a little closer at the current situation.
The Problem
Some players use the wrong ball — for two very common reasons.
1. Miscommunication: Squash uses two concepts to differentiate the types of balls: "hang time" and "speed".
"Hang time" describes how long the ball stays in the air — essentially how bouncy it is. "Speed" describes how fast the ball moves.
Now imagine you are new to squash and you see two balls labelled "Slow" and "Fast". Which ball would you pick as a beginner? The "slow" one, of course — because new players naturally want to avoid fast balls. The problem is, the "slow" ball is the double yellow dot used by professionals. A beginner needs the bounciest, fastest ball they can find.
2. Ego, Pride, Snobbery: I have often heard people say "If the pros play with a double yellow dot, then so should I!" It's wrong. You should play with a ball that allows you to hit it easily and have longer rallies. A club player using a single yellow dot ball will get the same sort of bounce as an advanced player using a double yellow dot ball.
The Correct Ball
The correct ball is one that gets and stays hot during a game.
How hot the ball gets mainly depends on three things: how hard the players hit on average, how often the ball is hit (which depends on rally length and the gap between rallies), and the temperature of the air, walls, and floor — which can be dramatically affected if there are outside walls.
It's worth noting that a room-temperature red dot ball behaves very similarly to a hot double yellow dot and can therefore be used to practise certain shots — drop shots, for example.
The Solution
A chart, some simple skill tests, and some carefully worded sentences.
I propose the creation of a new chart that defines the balls based on bounce, using both the player's standard and the court temperature — not speed or hang time. I also propose some simple racket/ball skill tests to help players quickly identify which ball to use. Finally, I suggest some sentences that could be used in a campaign by pros to succinctly explain the situation.
The Tests
No test will perfectly define a player's standard — but these help.
These tests are designed to ensure improvers, casual players, and club players use the correct ball — either single yellow dot or double yellow dot. Try one to check you are using the right ball.
- Test 1: Side-to-Side. With a double yellow dot, if both players can hit 15 side-to-side shots quite hard with no mistakes, use the double yellow dot. If not, use the single yellow.
- Test 2: Racket Bounce. If both players can bounce a cold double yellow dot on the floor with their racket 10 times very quickly, use it in the match. If not, use the single yellow.
- Test 3: Off the Back Wall. If both players can hit 5 consecutive straight drives off the back wall on their backhands with a hot double yellow dot, use that. If not, use the single yellow dot.
The Posters
Five posters you can download and display at your club.
Download the posters: Poster 1, Poster 2, Poster 3, Poster 4, and Poster 5.
Note: I let the Squashball.info domain lapse and lost the original files, so the posters haven't been updated yet. I'll get to it.
The Balls
All available ball types, split into standard and specialised.
Standard Balls
Standard balls are the ones most players can buy and use.
- Single Blue Dot: Designed for complete beginners. Bouncy at room temperature — no warming up required. Perfect for new players.
- Single Red Dot: Designed for people who have been playing for a little while, or for some beginners. Not as bouncy as the blue dot but bouncy enough that you don't need to warm it up. Perfect for most new players, improvers, or casual players.
- Single White Dot: No longer considered official — not listed by the World Squash Federation in their Ball Specifications. Believed to sit between the red and yellow dot in speed. Good for colder days.
- Single Yellow Dot: Designed for the club player on normal courts and for better players on colder courts. Requires some warming up before it becomes sufficiently bouncy for enjoyable play. Designed for most club players.
- Double Yellow Dot: Designed for players who can play the ball after it has hit the back wall. Requires constant hard hitting to reach its optimum temperature. Perfect for players who can consistently hit hard.
Specialised Balls
For use in certain specific situations.
- Dunlop Intro: 12% bigger than a standard squash ball, designed specifically for beginners. Its size and bounciness make it ideal for people who have just started playing. Made only by Dunlop. Designed for beginners.
- Dunlop Progress: 6% bigger than a standard squash ball, designed for improvers — players who have passed the beginner stage. Made only by Dunlop. Designed for improvers.
- White Ball: A single yellow dot ball created specifically for glass courts. It is equivalent to a double yellow dot black ball. Suitable for glass courts or very dark courts.
- Green Dot: Designed for high-altitude locations such as Denver, USA, where a standard double yellow dot would play too fast. Can also be used in very high humidity or temperature situations. Very difficult to buy outside of the locations that use them. Designed for high-altitude locations.
About This Page
Created to make it easy for players to choose the correct ball for their standard and court conditions.
It was heavily inspired by a post on the Squash SubReddit: How does your club encourage the use of different balls? Unfortunately, there was no real answer to the question.
My objective was to create a guidance chart that made sense to players, with some flexibility built in. I also wanted a simple test that players could perform to avoid arguments about standard.
There is no perfect test that would quickly and clearly define a player's standard — but if something could be formulated that would stop players using the double yellow dot simply because the pros use it, that would be good enough.
The chart and test are open to update and change at any time. If you can help promote this project, please let me know.
Last updated: June 2024. This page will also act as the framework for a future video.
