In the realm of racquet sports, where Padel and Squash stand as close kin, the enduring debate rages on: which of these racquet cousins truly outshines the other? Its a complex decision, as these sports exhibit a multitude of differences that make the choice anything but simple.
Squash, Padel – racquet cousins
With Padel is designed to keep you fit, in comparison Squash is a game that is played with friends and family, in addition to fellow enthusiasts in club-level tournaments sanctioned by governing bodies and club directors.
According to article by our good friends, Squash Mad, Padel is becoming more popular than Squash in the US because it is played outdoors. This trend poses a threat to Squash provision at indoor venues.
Nevertheless, what are the major differences between Squash and Padel? Just like a distant relative, there are some things that people will need to know about Squash’s other cousin.
History of racquet cousins
Squash and Padel are two racquet sports that share the similar origins but have unique histories.
Squash was first played in the 18th century on an enclosed court in Harrow, England. However, no one knows who invented it. Historians believe that two British officers were responsible for creating the sport.
In contrast, Padel was invented by Enrique Corcuera in Mexico in 1969, but it only made its competitive debut at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Despite being a relatively new game, Padel has spread rapidly from its origin in Spain, where it was officially recognised by Spain’s Federación
Española de Deportes de Pádel (FEDEPADEL) in 2007.
Interestingly, both games have some common DNA, but they were developed independently. Squash was invented by British Army officers stationed in India during colonial times, while Padel was developed by Spaniards who were not professional athletes or squash players themselves.
Played with racquets and balls
In both sports, the players use racquets and balls. The rules of each game are very similar, but here is a list of important differences:
- In Squash, the front wall is normally made from glass and the back wall is made from metal. In Padel, they are both made from plastic or wood.
- There are no sidewalls in Padel. Instead, there are three small walls called “sidelines.” You cannot hit your opponent with these sidelines as you can with Squash’s walls because they are so small (they are about 2 meters away from where most shots land).
- The ball is bigger than a tennis ball but smaller than a squash ball, with a Padel racquet being shorter than its Squash counterpart, as it must accommodate the larger ball.
Image credit: Everything about Padel
This also means that you will be doing less running around when playing Padel compared to squash since you will not need to lean down as much when hitting the ball over the net!
Also, with a Padel ball it is larger than a tennis ball but smaller than a Squash ball, which makes for faster rallies.
Courts are of different sizes and shapes
When you look at the size of both a Padel and a Squash courts, well there are differences:
- Squash and padel courts are of different sizes. The squash court is 9m x 6m (27′ x 20′), while the padel court is 10m x 5m (33′ x 16′).
- The shape of the two courts is also different. The squash court is rectangular, while the padel court has a pentagonal shape to allow all five players to fit on it at once, as well as backboards and nets for each side of the netting.
Just like Squash, Padel is also played in doubles and can be played as singles with a backboard attached to the rear wall. The padel racquet has a bigger head than a tennis racquet but smaller than a squash racquet, so it is easier to play with an underslung grip.
Image credit: Propadel Court
Padel gameplay is like Tennis
Another difference is that in Padel, the ball has to hit the front wall first before bouncing twice on the floor. This means players have more time to prepare for their next shot. The ball used in Padel is bigger than a tennis ball but smaller than a squash ball and can bounce above its outline without landing beyond the short line at the back of the court.
In squash, players must hit the ball against the front wall in such a way that it does not bounce above its outline without landing beyond the short line at the back of the court. The racquets are shorter than those used in tennis and there is no net to serve over.
The game is played on a smaller court with a smaller ball, which makes for quicker rallies compared to tennis. Squash also allows players to hit anywhere on their side of centre line (a diagonal painted stripe) without penalty; thus many shots can be ‘short-hopped’ back so as not to bounce higher than allowed — an approach familiar from baseball!
Final Thoughts
While many people love playing both sports in their free time, each one of them are relatively fast-paced racquet sports, with the main difference being that in Squash you use a smaller ball and play on a smaller court.
Furthermore, the rules are also different, with Squash being tactical and requiring more strategy than Padel (which is much closer to Tennis).
On the face of it Padel has become increasingly popular over the last few decades due to its accessibility—you don’t need much equipment to play it—and popularity has grown among celebrities like David Beckham who have helped raise awareness of this sport around the world.
Compared to Squash has also seen an increase in attention over recent years thanks largely to British players dominating international competitions like British Open and Qatar Classic; their dominance has inspired many more young people to consider the sport, either outdoor Squash wall or at local Squash club – either way the sport has a popularity in countries were its considered a good sport socially.
Hopefully, once outdoor Squash provision grows, it will showcase how great the sport is and be on the same level or even be more popular than Tennis and give Padel some serious competition in outdoor racquet sports!
To sum up, there are some major differences between squash and Padel, either way, both sports are becoming more popular than badminton and tennis – hopefully, soon all four will feature in the Olympic Games.
