Okay, so maybe playing squash falls short of being a scientifically
proven psychotherapy. But who can deny the emotional satisfaction that
comes from smashing a small black ball as hard as humanly
possible?
"It's great stress relief," says Ellie Pierce. And she should know:
Pierce is currently the top-ranked female squash player in the United
States.
What makes squash an ideal psychological vacation is that it's
simply impossible to mull over the day's problems at the same time you're
following the bouncing ball. "The game's so quick that there's no time to
think about other things," notes Pierce.
And as an added challenge, you have to avoid colliding with your
opponent as the two of you maneuver frantically around what is basically
a 20-foot box. No wonder Pierce calls the sport "a combination of
physical chess, boxing, and ballet."
Given its reputation as a pastime of the elite--some-thing to do
between polo matches and yachting--it's ironic that squash was likely
invented by the destitute denizens of a 19th-century debtor's prison. But
the sport is finally making inroads among average Americans and the
number of U.S. courts has increased fivefold in less than a
decade.
In Europe, squash is even becoming something of a spectator sport.
At the British Open, some 4,500 fans watched the championship match
played in what was essentially a giant fishbowl: a court with four glass
walls.
Pierce cites the following among squash's psychological rewards and
advantages:
o Variety. With four walls to play off, the ball may never bounce
the same way twice. That unpredictability keeps the game from growing
stale. Says Pierce: "How many times can you do step aerobics, no matter
how often they change the music?"
o Personal expression. Adjust your playing style to suit your mood
or personality. Pierce says: "If you want to make it boxing, you can be
that physical. If you want to make it ballet, you can. It's up to your
creative abilities."
o The ball always comes back. Hit a tennis ball off-kilter and it
veers into the next court--or over the fence. The beauty of squash, says
Pierce, is that no matter how hard you hit the ball, it comes to rest
within a few feet of you.
Tags:
added challenge,
athletes,
bouncing ball,
british open,
debtor,
denizens,
ellie,
emotional satisfaction,
exercise,
fishbowl,
four walls,
glass walls,
inroads,
pastime,
personal expression,
physical chess,
polo matches,
spectator sport,
sports,
squash,
squash player,
step aerobics,
stress,
stress relief,
unpredictability
