When you’ve been playing a game of squash for some time, you may well notice the ball getting very hot!
For those more experienced and long-time players, this is par for the course when playing. Yet, if you’re new to this ever-popular ball sport, you may well find it a little worrying the first couple of times you hold a red-hot squash ball in your hand!
Fortunately, there’s a perfectly logical explanation behind the process. Here we explain it further.
All Squash Balls Need to Be Warmed up
No matter how long you’ve been playing the game of squash, you’ll be aware of the need to warm your squash ball up before you play. This is a ritual all squash players should take part in as cold squash balls, or even those that have been left at room temperature, will not have anywhere near the bounce in them needed to play a match effectively.
Thus, warming up on the court is not just essential for players but for squash balls also!
If you’ve ever tried to start a rally with a cold squash ball, you’ll more than likely have noted it impossible. Therefore, all you need to do to get started on warming up the squash ball is allowing it to bounce each time you hit it, rather than simply volleying.
Hot Squash Balls Are All About the Physics!
When looking for the answer as to why squash balls get so hot during a game, we inevitably need to look towards physics.
You’ve probably seen for yourself the effect warming up a squash ball has when you first take to that often-cold court. Thus, imagine the effect of this same squash ball heating up throughout your gameplay!
In scientific terms, squash balls aren’t the most bounciest of balls. So, when they do hit the wall or the floor, they deform a little each time. However, this means the energy that is generated here gets converted to heat during this impact.
Thus, throughout a squash game, this heat increases as the air becomes more and more pressurised or because the rubber itself becomes more flexible. Either way, as this heat intensifies, so too does the ball get bouncier as a result.
However, it’s also worth noting that the hotter the squash ball gets throughout the play, the more intense gameplay will become!
Not sure which squash ball to buy? We’ve broken it down for you here.
Factors That Affect the Temperature of a Squash Ball
As scientific as it may seem, the time it takes for a squash ball on average to heat up can make a great deal of difference to your gameplay.
Experts suggest that a standard squash ball in the most normal of circumstances will take on average around five to ten minutes to reach what is considered the optimum of temperatures. But, this time can and will vary and is usually determined by several factors, including:
Court Temperature
Perhaps one of the most obvious factors influencing the heat of your ball is the temperature of the court itself. This is indeed a primary factor which can also contribute to the actual outcome of an entire squash game!
Floor Temperature
As well as the court itself being an important factor in determining how long it takes for your squash ball to heat up, the floor temperature is another concept to factor in.
Squash Ball Storage
It’s recommended that you store your squash balls at room temperature in a bag as where they are kept before the game will affect their temperature as you start play.
Our Final Thoughts
Ultimately, an extremely hot squash ball is nothing to worry about, and it should not present too much of a problem for either player when on court.
So, if you do find your squash ball getting very hot each time you play a game, you may well want to take it as a sign that you’re playing at peak performance!
