Psychological benefits of playing squash (Extract from Psychology Today 1996)

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 - something 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:

* 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?"

* Personal expression. Adjust your playing style to suit your mood or personality. Pierce: "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."

* 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.