How Physiotherapy Improves Speed, Agility & Endurance for Squash Players
by: Chin Yi Khern, Physiotherapist, Regis Wellness
Last updated: Febuary 6, 2026
Squash is a highly competitive racket sport that is popularly played in Singapore and is very accessible since you can even play it alone. This highly competitive sport requires explosive speed, quick changes of direction, and long rallies that challenge physical and mental endurance.
Squash is a highly efficient way for many working professionals to get a full-body workout in a short period of time. However, because it is a highly competitive and physically demanding sport, squash can cause a lot of stress on the muscles, joints, and cardiovascular system, especially when not conditioned properly, resulting in poor performance or injury. This is where physiotherapy for squash players comes in, not only in treating injury but also in improving speed, agility, and endurance on court.
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Physical Demands of Squash
Squash is very demanding, requiring the player to perform repeated high-intensity movements in a confined environment. This creates stress on the body’s various systems. The major physical demands of squash include:
- Powerful speed in sprinting and shot recovery
- Agility in quick direction changes, lunges, and pivots
- Endurance to sustain performance over a significant period of time in long rallies and matches
- Core stability to facilitate twisting, bending, and powerful shots in squash
Physiotherapy works on these demands by training and improving movements in the body.
How Physiotherapy Enhances Squash Performance
Physiotherapy is most likely related with injury rehabilitation. However, physiotherapy is also very important in performance enhancement for squash players.
Improving Speed
Squash speed is not only running fast but includes running with effective movement and proper acceleration and deceleration. Physiotherapy improves speed in squash by:
- Increasing strength in the lower limbs, especially in the calf muscles, quadriceps, and gluteal muscles.
- Increasing joint mobility in the hip, knee, and ankle joints.
- Increasing effective movement skills to decrease unnecessary movement when running.
- This way, the player is able to reach the ball in time and recover fast when moving.
Improving Agility and Footwork
Agility is an important aspect of squash, as players are constantly required to change direction according to the position of the ball. Physiotherapy exercises may include:
- Agility training exercises that involve lateral movement and rapid direction change
- Proprioceptive training to enhance balance and kinaesthetic awareness
- Strengthening exercises to build the muscles involved in joint stabilization in the ankle, knee, and hip joints
- Improved agility enables squash players to move effectively around the squash court without the fear of slipping, falling, or injuring their joints.
Building Endurance
Squash games can be physically demanding, and players need to make long-term efforts during the game. Low endurance can cause fatigue, which can lead to injury during the game. Physiotherapy can help improve physical endurance in the following ways:
- Designing sport-specific physical training programs
- Improving muscle endurance in the legs, shoulders, and torso
- Improving cardiovascular efficiency through exercise progression
Injury Prevention Through Physiotherapy
In addition to the physical performance benefits, physiotherapy is also important in the prevention of injuries among squash players. Physiotherapists can assist squash players in the following ways:
- Identifying muscle and movement inefficiencies
- Improving flexibility and range of motion
- Improving the strength of areas such as the shoulders, knees, ankles, and lower back
This will help you in the prevent injuries when playing squash.
Individualised Physiotherapy for Squash Players
The physical demands of each squash player are unique and depend on the style of play, level of experience, and history of injuries. Physiotherapy programs are designed to meet the individual needs of each squash player. The physiotherapy programs are designed to focus on the following aspects:
- Analysis of movement and functional testing
- Specific strength and conditioning work
- Education regarding recovery techniques
These physiotherapy programs are designed to ensure improvements in the speed, agility, and endurance of squash players.
Performing at Your Best on the Court
Squash, being a very challenging and rewarding game, demands more than just regular playing to achieve the highest level of performance. Physiotherapy, in this case, assists squash players to achieve better movement, better performance, and longer playing hours by improving their speed, agility, and endurance, as well as reducing the chances of injury.
If you are interested in improving your squash performance, or have nagging aches and pains that seem to accompany you to the squash court, consider consulting a Regis Physiotherapist to have a thorough assessment and physiotherapy programme designed to assist you in playing squash to the highest level and performing optimally, match after match.
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