All you hear from squash players that seem to want to talk about how much tougher it is than badminton, who cares? I would say that squash probably is physically more demanding, though not vastly, but technically badminton is way more varied and requires a far greater range of racket and footwork skills.
Do they interfere or complement each other? Squash requires lock of wrist, and bigger arm swing (I think) than badminton that requires more wrist agility and fingers. Do we have any good (pro, or close to it) squash players here that also play badminton for a while (1-2 years), or vice versa? Better still if you play (and have trained) both at about the same advanced levels for a (long) while. I'd like to know if these two sports interfere with each other. E.g. if I play 2 days of squash and 2 days of badminton in a week, would this be better off than if I play only 2 days of badminton but no squash? After all these swings in squash, would your badminton coach start to complain about your bad form? Or after all the wrists, would you be prone to injure your wrist in squash? Do you find your agility or stamina improved when playing the other sport?
Maybe these 2 guys would be best placed to give a good opinion. strange that both the finalists in the WC are Badminton players primarily. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L797M-CnoFE
Thanks for the video. Interesting indeed. Still wondering about any personal experience, esp. in the use of the wrist and fingers when transitioning from one to the other, and then back again. Is it effortless (just by using weight of racket as a clue)?
Playing rec squash at university is very difficult. That was my first time playing squash and my wrist started hurting almost immediately. Squash definitely uses less wrist, considering that I don't wrist-smash or clear in badminton, my swing is more balanced in the arm and fingers. I didn't really hit hard in squash but it still hurt.
I have just started badminton, hence registering here, hopefully to get some advice but you'd have to be crazy to think badminton was more physically demanding than squash. the reason I've switched over is because badminton is a hell of a lot more fun, there's more tactical play, the rallies are more varied and there's more techniques. Squash is just brutality, if you've only played a few times you've probably been using red or blue balls, it's a whole different game when you're using a double yellow ball. It's not the moving that's demanding it's having to repeatedly hit the ball (using a far heavier raquet) as hard as you can over and over again, using your whole body. It's raquet sports equivalent of boxing. in terms of movement, badminton seems to reward agility more, though the amount of agility training you would be expected to do as a squash player means I doubt there's much difference in the agility levels. I am loving starting my adventure in badminton, and wish I'd started sooner, I'm enjoying watching the sport in order to see how it's played at the highest level, squash is just a mindless slog these days whereas the matches I've watched in badminton seem nuanced and interesting with great skill on display. It's great, I'm really enjoying it and looking forward to getting a few coaching sessions, but in terms of the physical demand it's not even remotely close.
I have just started squash, hence posting here, hopefully to get some advice but you'd have to be crazy to think squash was more physically demanding than badminton. The reason I've switched over is because squash is a hell of a lot more fun, the pace is a lot slower and you have time to think about what you're doing. Badminton is just brutality, if you've only played a few times you've probably been playing with people who don't know how to move you around the court, it's a whole different game when you're trying to defend against precision drop shots, powerful jump smashes and perfectly placed attacking clears. It's not the hitting that's demanding, it's having to repeatedly move around the court, running, lunging, jumping, changing direction and reacting in a split second over and over again, using your whole body. It's raquet sports equivalent of kung fu and ballet combined... [Actually, I suspect the two sports are about equally demanding, if you're equally good at both. But if you're expert in one and a beginner in the other, you'll have a different perspective.]
very good. but simply not true, lunging around a relatively small area in short bursts is quite easy even for someone of moderate fitness. i imagine playing against a better badminton player is lot harder than playing against a weaker squash player, but as you say, that comes down to perfect placement, or precision with technique. that's where you haven't really just switched the words around, you had to include those qualifiers because you know without them swatting a shuttlecock against a basic intermediate player is quite obviously not as difficult as hitting a small, heavy ball against a wall as hard as you can repeatedly. this is really all there is too squash, the only tactical difference is how accurately you can keep it while also hitting hard, or how long you can keep it up without tiring, very few players are able to go the jon powers route and play as shot makers and use deception. I do like the ballet comparison though.
Baddy is badder IMHO, you cant compare singles match in squash vs doubles match in badminton. You've to compare singles match for both sports and indeed its badminton that is more physically exhausting.....thus "tougher". I do play both. And the singles in baddy is way more demanding than the doubles in baddy for the simple reason that you can slip a "rest period" in between the times your partner hits the shuttle in baddy whereas in singles baddy, its only you. Both sports are commendable and deserve credit indeed. Im not ranking either in any way but in just responding to this thread topic, its definitely badminton that is more demanding. To prove that, why not lets all try both sports for awhile, esp the baddy singles. That would shed more light into this....
I definitely DONT AGREE that squash is the HARDEST SPORTS in the world. I play both sports and others as well, and if you haven't played full contact sports like rugby, american football, soccer etc................then you dont have the insight for such statement. Perhaps what you mean more is BETWEEN baddy and squash alone, then you would say that squash is more difficult.
I have joined this forum to answer this. Both Sports are exceptional and brilliant fun to play. I have played a lot of badminton when I was a teenager and played in a low ranked county team. 30 years later I now play squash and have been picked to play for my county and I have played master events and I regularly play 1st division squash for a team. There is a lot of misunderstanding of squash in this forum, probably badminton has moved on since I have played it? There is no criticism of badminton because I love playing badminton. 1. Squash is more a cardio sport. Wrong. Squash is an explosive sport and have to have very fast reactions, a squash ball can be hit up 180mph, you have to have very fast reactions and also the fitness or a marathon runner. Or someone has put a quick drop shot in and you have lunge in to play it. Or you have do a quick reaction volley. 2.You can not kill the squash ball. Wrong, you have not played with a descent enough squash player, You can smash the ball in to the nick or just straight dead, its all technique, cross court volley nicks are amazing to watch, you can boast nick if you know the angels, or just a normal straight volley nick can kill the ball. 3 Heart rate. I play many squash players who go above their heart rate maximum whilst playing squash. I know this because they are wearing heart monitors. 4. You can read your opponents shots. The best squash players use deception and delay all the time or do the reverse of the shots they are displaying. A good squash player will play so the opposing player has to return to the T because they do not know where the ball is going to go (they have played 5 different shots from the same position with the same arm action or they have used delay) . Deceiving the opponent is a good 50% of the game. But you need excellent technique to do it. 5.there is no jumping in squash, right but there is lunging and lunging and even more lunging with super fast multidirectional movements. 6. You can let the the ball pass you by and it will come back to you. Wrong. A good squash player will hit the ball hard and it will die at the back of the court right in the back corner. Or the hitting will hold the shot making the opponent go to the T then there is space to hit the ball where ever they want with weight and cut so it dies at the back. 7. Lets. This is old school, we are made to play the ball now, lets and strokes have dropped by 90%. The better you are you give less lets and strokes away because you are more accurate. 8. Being hit by a rackets, you are playing with someone with bad technique or you are not moving around your opponent properly. 9. Directional changes less in squash. Wrong squash is a 360 degree sport with walls and corners. A good squash player will change the direction all the ball all the time, left right front back. Cross courts. 10. You let the ball bounce in squash. The best squash players will get to volley the ball to cut out the recovery time of the opponent making the game faster. 11. Break the rackets on the walls in squash shows poor racket skills. 12. Squash is a beef cake game played by players hitting the ball hard. Wrong. Squash can/is be a game of subtlety, a medium hitting accurate player with deception can easily beat a fit beef cake player. 13. Locked wrist and big arm swing. Interesting. A big arm swing in squash is dangerous. Fingers and wrist are used to manipulate the ball all the time 14. There are walls and angels to learn in squash. 15. A squash ball and spin was not discussed in any of the above comments. Spinning the ball is very important in manipulating the ball around the court. 16. Squash is a game of chess with a ball. What is interesting when I play badminton now I let the shuttle come down to much, but I can easily beat the local club players but I know if I played some one half descent they would crucify me. Having said that my wife likes badminton more because squash does have this silly, aren't we tough attitude, and the sound of a fast hit squash ball is like an explosion which not so nice and can put people off, also people are scared of the ball coming back at them fast and being hit by a racket. In the 80/90s there was a lot of swearing and shouting on court which is not nice thank heavens this as changed. Badminton does have a more gentle village hall image and can be played in a lovely gentle manner. When I play Badminton now it does improve my volleys in squash. Both are fantastic sports and if you like pears eat pears and if you like apples eat apples. Some people like oranges. I like Apples pears and Oranges. I wrote the above because some of the comments above I disagreed with. Peace.
