Balls!

There are various squash ball manufacturers, but Dunlop are by far the most prevalent and in many people's opinion - the best.

Balls come in a variety of speeds, identified by their spots and size. Slower balls bounce less therefore making them harder to play with.

• Double-yellow spot are 'super slow' and what players with a reasonable amount of experience should be playing with. I would expect at least Div 1/2 players to use these.
• Yellow spot are 'slow' and might be chosen by experiences players on a particularly cold day as they bounce a bit more. Slightly less experienced players may choose to use them to promote longer rallies.
• Red balls are 'medium' and 6% larger than a yellow spot ball. These are aimed as improvers.
• Blue balls are 'fast' and larger still - 12% bigger than a yellow spot ball. These are aimed at beginners and are easier to play with due to their extra bounciness and hang time in the air.

Note: Before about 2000 all balls were the same size and had single dots coloured yellow (super slow), white (slow), red (medium) and blue (fast)

Keeping your balls warm

It's important to get the ball warm before a game and keep it so during. Balls bounce less when they are cold.

On a warm day, the pre-game warm up will achieve this admirably. On colder days some players will hold the ball under their armpit on the way to the court (it may be frowned upon to do so during the game!). You will also often see players rubbing the ball back and forth on the floor with their foot.

Don't be afraid to use a quicker ball if you find the ball just won't stay warm and rallies are short because of it.