Real Squash Doubles?

[Admin]

Marc Velkamp wrote (on Breaking News):

"First time ever in racketlon : real squash doubles in the Mens and
Mixed Doubles.

The rules will be explained in advance, Matches will be guided by
experienced squash players and referees.

The finals will be put on video so everyone can see it works."

Is it a good idea? Should the rules of Racketlon be changed
accordingly?

[Will B]

Squash doubles is a very exciting game and should definitely be
incorporated.

But in the interest of safety, appropriate eyewear should be enforced
(just as it is in official squash doubles tournaments)

[MJ]

Real Squash Doubles, on a Real Squash Doubles Court?

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[Lloyd]

Just a view, but I think this is dangerous with or without goggles and
there's potential to be hit by ball or racket. Also, at the better
end, I believe the rules are different on lets/strokes so that apart
from deliberate obstruction there are more lets than strokes...this
can result in very long matches. But I could be wrong...posting just
for discussion. That said, squash doubles CAN be great fun. In
context, I cannot recall hitting anyone with racket or ball in singles
and have played for 30 years...I've played about 20 doubles matches in
that time and got hit in the face once...

All racketlon squash should be 'goggled' IMHO singles or doubles...

On Oct 3, 1:13 pm, Admin <i...@racketlon.com> wrote:

[H]

Real squash doubles courts are a quite bit larger than the standard
size squash courts, right?

I wonder how many of those courts there are in Europe? I have only
seen them in North America - and I have also got the impression that
real squash doubles on real squash doubles courts are played almost
exclusively in North America. Am I right?

[P@]

Doubles squash is becoming very popular here with more and more
movable crts being built by a German company. in my day we played dbls
on single crts, it was a lot of fun, it certainly improved my
backhand. even though we were experienced players, there were some
close calls with being hit. with Racketlon there will be alot more
inexperienced players, especially in the B, C sections. i believe we
will need a medic on stand by. doubles rules were simple in that we
didnt use strokes at all, we accepted lets for everything, this
simplifies arguments but also lengthens games. it could be good to
trial such a change before implementing fully. i dont mind the current
system at all.my 2 cents.

[JOD]

At last squash doubles, we replace 3 doubles matches, table
tennis ,badminton and tennis and a mixed up squash game, hard hats at
the ready, maybe trial the sport just in A doubles, and yes Hans there
only real hard ball doubles courts in North America, i think Edinburgh
has one and somewhere in Asian have one, ,, but still think 4 good
squash players can play on a normal size squash court, i've ever seen
good squash doubles players play with a proper squash doubles ball on
a single court, now that thing flys.
that will take away all advances from two teams with one good squash
player playing the other teams weak player followed by weak player
getting hammered by the other team better player.

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[KL]

It's a good idea to try it. Could be a success - stressing the health
and safety points, it could be fun in a small Dutch event. Try doing
it at a larger racketlon event in one of Europe's "less traditional"
squash countries, then we may encounter some difficulty. Then again,
if those new to squash don't know the rules to singles anyway, what's
the difference?

How are the let and stroke debates decided in doubles? If as suggested
above more or less everything is given as a let, then that isn't
really proper doubles is it? Surely if it's going to be done, it
should be done properly? And how many "inexperienced players" won't
know when to stop and nearly whack their opponents with the ball
several times. This could be as many as the number of points Peter
Nicol made against Adamsson in tennis.

I even heard one person say "Lets face it doubles is a bit rubbish
full stop, rather than change 1 sport to traditional doubles lets just
change the other 3 sports to "half a singles each" that will be much
more fun".

[H]

Keith wrote:
"I even heard one person say "Lets face it doubles is a bit rubbish
full stop, rather than change 1 sport to traditional doubles lets just
change the other 3 sports to "half a singles each" that will be much
more fun".

That person must have been someone capable of "thinking outside the
box". I think it was you, Keith ;-)

[JOD]

That idea of half agame each was played in Finland, it works quite
well from the point you pick two sports where you start to 11 and two
where you start from 11, so depending on who you play is all important
on choice.
Kieth,you ask about rules on double, yes playing everything as a let
works, i see they being problem of course , doesn't mean we should not
be playing squash doubles though, its all about safety.

I've ask the mighty Ray Jordan, with his massive knowledge on table
tennis,(He didn't know), why at doubles do you only server\receive the
ball to one side, i thought tt came from tennis background so why no
serving\receiving from the left side

[H]

That's interesting about the Finish variant of doubles, JOD.

You say that "you pick two sports where you start to 11 and two where
you start from 11". Was there a procedure for those choices? I mean:
Were they done in a certain order? Did you sometimes know what order
the other pair had chosen in a particular sport before you made your
own choice? Or did each team perhaps have to make their choices for
the whole match before knowing anything about the opponent's choices?

[KL]

That's quite an interesting variant.

It takes away the ability of a pair particularly good at doubles which
is clearly part of doubles but does also address the current
discrepency in squash rules and addresses the health & safety point of
playing squash doubles and not half a singles each.

It's not doubles as such.....more "team".

But it may be worth a try.

[JOD]

If i remember Hans,you make the choice of who starts and finishes so
the other team don't know,so knowing the other team strengths and
weaknesses is what its all about, but as KL says its a 2 man team
event not doubles

[MJ]

KL "How are the let and stroke debates decided in doubles? If as

suggested
above more or less everything is given as a let, then that isn't
really proper doubles is it?"

No Strokes, everything a let, and yes it is proper doubles.

I play about 12-14 hours a week of Doubles on a real size doubles
court, yes there are more lets, but that is part of it, it doesn't
slow the game down. My Club has 3 doubles courts.

There are about 350 full size doubles courts around the world, this
doesn't include North American doubles courts.

[JOD]

MJ,
It depends on which doubles game your talking about, the North
American's have a longer court with the out of court lines at a
different angle to the wider courts you play in England, plus the ball
is hard rubber and dosen't need warming up it fly's like a bullet, the
new nations that play racketlon like in Czech open certainly don't
have those sorts of courts, and that goes for other former East
European countries , so only real chance of playing doubles, is a
standard singles courts.

You can get strokes if you hit you own team mate with the ball, right
MJ

[MJ]

I'm talking about softball doubles JOD, i've not seen hardball doubles
in Racketlon, yet.. :)
We have a doubles court with a sliding wall made by ASB a German
company, so i'm
sure there are quite a few doubles courts in Europe we dont know
about.
Shetland has a doubles court!! if they have one there, most countries
will have at least one.

Yes its a stroke if you hit your partner.

[Katy]

Actually, Shetland has 2 doubles courts (3 singles courts with a
sliding wall)!! But these are the only ones in Scotland.

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[H]

I have never heard of any squash doubles courts in Sweden. But I might
be mistaken.... Anyone knows?

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[sapo]

Isn't there one with sliding a wall in Malmö?

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[sapo]

I know it's not good manners to reply to your own posts, but there are
actually two doubles courts at the Bellevue Stadium in Malmö.

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[H]

Aha,

Bellevuestadion is the centre where the Swedish Open was played last
January (and where it will probably be played again in January 2009).
I missed these doubles features when I was there in January.

Thanks for info, Poku!

/H

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