squash vs badminton

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by kmodak, Jun 15, 2006.

  1. kmodak

    kmodak Regular Member

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    Badminton Vs Squash (Major Argument)

    I regularly play both these sports at the intermediate level.

    Yesterday I had a major argument with my friend who plays squash alone.

    He claims that squash is much more demanding, faster and tiring as compared to badminton. I competely disagreed with him based on the following observations:

    1. Badminton is quicker and more relexive. Shuttle comes on to you quicly as compared to squash where the opportunity to leave the ball and take it off the recochhete exists
    2. Most of baddy shots are played overhead and hence more taxing
    3. Quicker movements are required for badminton

    Does anyone have any material comparing the two sports. Any comparison on speed reflexes etc. Pls post so I can dispel the myth once and for all. My personal experience is that baddy is quicker and more tiring than squash.

    - kmodak
     
  2. chewablemorphin

    chewablemorphin Regular Member

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    Well badminton is faster because when your opponent hits the ball you have the time it takes for the ball to reach the wall and the time it takes for the ball to come back, and you also have can hit it after a bounce. So my theory is you have half the time to react in badminton.
     
  3. twobeer

    twobeer Regular Member

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    "Demanding" is such an inprecise term...

    To not get confrontational with your friend, I would say:

    Both games are VERY demanding... But they are demanding in different ways..

    Badminton is definitively, quicker and require more speed and explosiveness (fast-twitch muscles, ie more demandning for leg-strength, jumping, skipping etc.. )

    Squash is very demanding on a cardio-level. I would guess top-squash player would be better marathon runners than top badminton-players.. but 100m, leg-press, and long-jump, high-jump etc.. a top badminton player would easilly beat the squash players...

    As you noted a squash player generally can move from the T to the ball in a few steps without any jumping, skipping.. Very different from a badminton player.. Who also needs to jump to get angles etc..

    Squash rallies tend to be very long as there are no real "killing" shots like the badminton smash (apart from nick-shots, which could be compared to net-rolls in badminton) thus requiring lots of stamina, but in most cases i think top-squash palyer can play without going above maybe 80-85% of their max heart-rate...while a badminton player needs to be pushing close to 90-95% of max-heart rate in intense rallies..

    This is like comparing if Marathon is more "demanding" than K1 :D
     
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  4. Smash-Tajam

    Smash-Tajam Regular Member

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    Badminton vs Squash..

    I have been playing badminton consistently twice a week for 3 years now (after stopping for more than a few years). And I've just pick up Squash recently(since 3 months ago), frequent of play is about once a week to once every 2 weeks, the main reason for me to practice Squash is to participate in the company's inter departmental games, I consider myself a beginner to this sport.
    To my surprise, during the competition I manage to put up a good fight for a regular player at the team final event(3-9, 9-3, 8-11, lost the game but still happy coz I played with a wound under my left toe) and I manage to upset one of the squash player at a earlier game, that's before I had the bad cut at the toe from a separate activity(9-1, 1-9, 9-6, won).

    In my oppinion, stroke wise there is definitely a gap between myself and my opponent because I am a badminton player and I was not exactly hitting the squash ball correctly, but what gaves me the advantage is the speed that I have gained from badminton which enables me to react quickly to the game and able to reach the estimated landing zone of the squash ball to anticipate a good position for the next stroke.

    From the game I find that Squash is defnitely more taxing in terms of lasting stamina, there was a few serves that I just couldnt find the energy to return it properly because of the exaustion after a long rally. And I realise my opponent was facing the same problem too, and I find ways to take advantage of it. (e.g. serve a very powerful fast shot straight to the opponent's back hand), when the squash opponent is tired, he probably wont be able to return a good shot, and you can take the opportunity to ride on the situation you have just created. But I think this only works for the beginner's level.

    As for badminton, I feel that there is a higher requirement of quick, short movement and it is more taxing in the sense that the body has to be at 'alert' at all times. Not to mention the deceptive shots which can be very tiring and demanding to the body. I am not saying Squash does not need high level of focus and alert to play the game but the requirement for the sudden short reaction is not as demanding.

    I think it is simply becoz of the average time for the ball/shuttle in play to be consider as 'dead' during a rally.
     
  5. Eurasian =--(O)

    Eurasian =--(O) Regular Member

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    Both sports are as demanding as your ability to read your opponent. Squash I find is much easier to read your opponents shots therefore leading to less change of directions. Badminton, because of lighter racket and shuttle is easier to decieve therefore making it harder to read your opponent and harder to get to the shuttle.
     
  6. ViningWolff

    ViningWolff Regular Member

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    I play both sports and find that squash is far less physically demanding than badminton.

    I find that I have to cover way more ground in badminton and way more stop-go type of movement which kills my legs faster.

    There might be slightly more upper-body fatigue from swinging the heavier squash raquet, but most the time I fell it is easier to swing as very few times do I hit the ball above my head.
     
  7. Eurasian =--(O)

    Eurasian =--(O) Regular Member

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    haha I was trying my best to give an unbiased weighting but I do also agree that badminton is a more difficult sport phsyically. There is no real jumping in squash and its just too slow to get really difficult cardio vascularly if your in sufficient shape to start off with.
     
  8. twobeer

    twobeer Regular Member

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    Also, by nature of the walls and bounce allowed. you can in many cases let the ball pass you and let the ball bounce in sidewalls or back-wall work for you letting it be taken closer to you as a player thereby minimizing needed movement.
     
  9. Eurasian =--(O)

    Eurasian =--(O) Regular Member

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    exactly, there isn't as much start-stopping in squash because it is easier to read
     
  10. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    all fair assessment, no comparison at all.
    squash is also boring to watch. Players just work on the back corners. mostly the backhand corner. If a player make a touch shot near the front wall, i know the rally gonna end really soon. In badminton, one work on every inch of the court. Big difference.
     
  11. Qianer

    Qianer Regular Member

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    guys squash is far more demanding then Badminton
    my dad was a playing at national level in the 70s 80s in the 90s he drop to badminton then now he drop to table tennis
    he is still able to play all of them but physical is very impt in squash
    u dont have it u cant bend lower and hit the ball faster..
    badminton n table tennis r more stoke based playing with the wrist
    u try wrist in squash u will be out in 10min..
     
  12. kmodak

    kmodak Regular Member

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    Squash is boring to watch?

    To me squash is definitely not boring to watch. Particularly looking at set of games can be very intresting. The first game with rallies upto 100 shots a point. Players speeding and slowing the game down. Actually is more intresting to watch thatn badminton. That I guess in a more personal opinion rather than the subject of this thread which was on "Which sport is more demanding?"

    - kmodak
     
  13. kmodak

    kmodak Regular Member

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    Wish there were some statistics available to compare. That would take care of this debate once and for all.
     
  14. Simp84

    Simp84 Regular Member

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    For 1st timer in both respective sport..
    Squash will definatley appear to be a more demanding sport compared to badminton... because the speed of the ball is quite fast even for beginners...
    And then people will run like mad chasing after the ball and will find this extremely challenging...
    For badminton it is different.. initially when played together by 2 beginners.. it can be said to be boring and non challenging..... due to faulty technique and stratergy.. they will tend to return shuttle back to each other hence they stand there the entire day hitting back and forth to each other:p
    However, I believe badminton can be more challenging at higher end level compared to squash.. its almost like u can plot a linear graph for performance vs demand graph for badminton.. where as for squash its like square root graph (demand plateau off:))
     
    #14 Simp84, Jun 22, 2006
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2006
  15. hcyong

    hcyong Regular Member

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    I play both games, and I think definitely badminton is more demanding.

    The only aspect that would make squash more demanding is because it is very hard to kill the rally, so the rally can go on and on and on, and then it could be a let. Perhaps at my level, rallies are as easily killed as in badminton, therefore my misconception.

    I also follow professional squash quite as much as badminton, and the fitness of those players are astounding.
     
  16. Simp84

    Simp84 Regular Member

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    I see~
    I was watching squash PSA on astro just now :p
    The rallies do go on and on lol
    (off topic for a sec:))... whats is the rule? When you hit the ball.. and it bounce back to yourself.. does opponent gain a point for that? And the ball only allow to bounce once on the floor?
     
  17. Sealman

    Sealman Regular Member

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    very modest comments from a squash competition player :)
     
  18. RevoWithin

    RevoWithin Regular Member

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    dunno leh....squash is boring for me...
     
  19. mandm

    mandm Regular Member

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    i started playing squash last year, why? Well one of the guys at the club told me that if u play squash ur badminton will improve gtreatly!! Well i was naive enough to believe him and started playing squash with him. He was a very good squash player but i was a better badder :). Anyway i am still playing squash and it took me almost a year to become a decent squash player and now i can beat my friend in his own game. :) :)
    In my view they are two different games, u can not compare them, one thing for sure, i can still play badminton lot longer then squash, i feel that one hour of squash is a good work out but for badminton i must play at least two hours before i get shattered...
    One interesting aspect of my Squash game is that i'm good at above head ball, i find that very easy to hit, sounds like a easy smash to me :). I rarely get the above head ball to go behind me and recochhete from the back wall, its so tempting to jump and smash the squash ball :).
    so IMHO its unfair to compare the two excellent games, they both have their advantages as well as disadvantages so please dont make any attempt to compare the two, it just like comparing apple with banana....
    cheers
     
  20. twobeer

    twobeer Regular Member

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    I guess this thread is about comparing how demanding squash is vs. badminton for fit well-trained competetive athletes playing eachother..

    No disrespect to your father.. but it doesn't sound like he's a jumpsmasher :) if he finds it too demanding to "bend lower" :rolleyes:

    /Twobeer
     

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