Which Is Faster, Squash Or Racquetball?
Squash and racquetball may look like the same thing to the untrained eye, but there are a few key differences between them. If you’ve been paying attention to these sports, you may notice one is faster than the other. So, you may wonder, which is faster, squash or racquetball?
Racquetball is faster than squash. The average racquetball serve travels at 160 miles per hour, with a world record of nearly 200 miles per hour. In contrast, the average speed in squash is 100 miles per hour, and the fastest serve recorded in squash was a little over 170 miles per hour.
Balls bounce incredibly fast in most racket sports, though some bounce faster than others, no matter how similar the sport may seem. Other elements are important, like how difficult each sport is, which is vital for beginners. However, most fans want to know which one is faster first, then find out about the rest.
Is Racquetball Faster Than Squash?
Racquetball is faster than squash by a wide margin. Everything moves faster in racquetball, both the ball and the players. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean racquetball is more difficult than squash. More often than not, it’s the other way around.
When you watch these two sports for the first time, they may seem similar (and almost identical) if you don’t pay too much attention. However, the more you watch, the more things you’ll pick up. You’ll soon notice difficulty and speed among the most noticeable differences.
Playing feels different too. Although racquetball is faster, it’s also the easiest to pick up, as squash is more physically demanding. However, that’s not to say you won’t get a good workout from playing racquetball.
Both sports have advantages, and you should play both to see which is best for you.
Why Is Racquetball Faster Than Squash?
The speed of each game comes from its balls, and racquetballs bounce much faster than squash balls do. Even though balls look similar in both sports, they are slightly different, and those small differences create big contrasts between each sport.
These two sports move at different speeds and even sound different if you pay close attention. There’s a reason for that, and that’s the balls the players use. You’ll probably slow things down considerably if you switch things up and use a squash ball in a racquetball game.
A squash ball is smaller than a racquetball. The first is 1.5 inches and 0.8 oz, while the second is 2 and ¼ inches and 1.4 oz. Rackets follow the same pattern, as they are bigger in racquetball.
What’s The Average Speed In Racquetball?
On average, a racquetball serve will travel as fast as 160 miles per hour, and the fastest ever recorded was close to 200 miles per hour, which is way more than the fastest tennis serve ever recorded at a little over 150 miles per hour.
Top amateur players and professional athletes can turn racquetball into a lighting speed sport where you may lose track of what’s happening on the court if you blink too much.
Nevertheless, in a friendly game between recreational players, a serve will not be as fast. That doesn’t mean things won’t speed up! When you play racquetball, taking it easy is not an option. You’ll always have to make an effort if you want to stay in the game.
Is Racquetball The Fastest Racket Sport?
While racquetball is faster than most racket sports, there are faster ones. Badminton is the fastest, with a birdie that travels over 200 miles per hour and a world record of over 300 miles per hour.
That doesn’t mean badminton is harder than racquetball (or squash, for that matter). Each racket sport has its difficulties, and although badminton has speed on its side, racquetball can be demanding for other reasons.
When you compare how fast racquetball and squash are, the first comes out on top, but that doesn’t mean squash is less demanding. In fact, it’s the other way around. Nevertheless, they’re both fun in their own way, no matter the speed!
Is Squash A Slow Sport?
Squash is far from a slow sport. On average, a squash ball travels 100 miles per hour, almost twice as fast as cars should go on a highway. The fastest serve in squash was a little over 170 miles per hour.
Squash is far from a slow sport, but it’s nowhere near the fastest. As you now know, racquetball is a bit faster. Both pale in comparison to sports like badminton, where the fastest serve ever recorded was a little over 300 miles per hour.
In this sport, the real challenge doesn’t come from speed but endurance and explosiveness. If you don’t have good cardio, you’ll gasp for air after playing for the first five minutes.
Which Sport Is Harder, Squash Or Racquetball?
Squash is one of the hardest sports there is. Nevertheless, both sports require developing a certain set of skills to get good, and the degree of difficulty varies depending on your chosen sport.
For example, racquetball is faster than squash, yet squash is more physically demanding than racquetball. You’ll need different abilities to play each sport, even if they seem similar at first glance.
If you want to lose weight, you should start playing squash, as you’ll burn twice as many calories as you would playing racquetball. However, racquetball may be the right choice if you want to have fun with your friends (and you have never played either sport before).
Are Squash Players The Fittest Athletes?
Squash players are among the fittest of them all, and that comes as no surprise since you’ll burn anywhere between 600 to 1000 calories if you play for one hour. Nevertheless, that’s not saying there are not fitter athletes out there.
One hour of water polo burns almost the same calories as an hour of squash. However, other athletes train for harder, longer competitions, like triathletes. Completing one triathlon burns close to 3,000 calories.
The most extreme type of triathlon, the Ironman competition, takes 13 hours to complete and burns more than 10,000 calories.
Nonetheless, squash is one of the hardest racket sports that produces very fit athletes, and there’s no need to train for an Ironman competition if you want to be in good shape.
Conclusion
Racquetball is faster than squash, but squash is more demanding. People who want to develop a good physique and like a challenge should start playing squash. Those who want to exercise, pick up a new sport without much effort, and have a good time with friends should play racquetball.
