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About Squash Source

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Back Story

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Hi, my name is Pierre Bastien and I’m the resident squash hack here at Squash Source.

This site is mostly about squash equipment. Sometimes I write about my struggles to get better at squash, but usually I post about squash rackets, squash shoes, and other equipment. I’m not an expert on squash equipment, but I enjoy learning about it and posting about it, and nobody’s stopped me yet, so I persist.

Squash Source isn’t my day job; I work on the site at night. It’s healthier than watching TV!

I’ll be updating Squash Source continuously, so please subscribe to my email newsletter in order to receive free updates when great new content is available.

I’ve been playing squash since I was about 13 years old, when my dad got me into it. Since then, I played on the varsity teams at Exeter and Princeton. I stopped playing for a few years after college, because I was burned out. But eventually, I needed some exercise, and I picked up squash again. I joined a New York City squash league and eventually became captain of my team there. Later, I moved to Philadelphia and joined the league here.

I’d wanted to create a site about squash for many years. I had a “trial” site up and running for a while, but I never posted that much. In 2011, the US Open was played in my adopted city of Philadelphia, and I didn’t go see any of the matches. I did have some excuses (young children) but mostly I felt pretty embarrassed. So I dedicated myself to writing about squash in the hopes I’d get into the game a bit more.

And it kind of worked! I’ve been to every US Open since 2011. I watch Squash TV. I recognize pro squash players on the street. Or I would, if they were walking on my street.

How Squash Source Makes Money

I have some modest business goals for this site. I’ve put up some ads, and you’ll often see links to buy the products you see on this site. Those are sponsored links, usually. That means if you end up buying something, I’ll get a (small) referral fee, at no extra cost to you. Hopefully it’s a win-win-win situation — I help people find cool squash equipment, help some retailers find new customers, and make a little money writing about squash. (If you’re a retailer interested in working with me as an affiliate, please get in touch.)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Pierre

22 responses to “About Squash Source”

  1. Hugo Leprince

    Hey,

    We’re selecting a handful of premium sports retailers in the UK to carry HiStrips and I think your store would be a very good fit.

    HiStrips is worn by millions worldwide. Brand of choice for Carlos Alcaraz, NBA players, HYROX world champions, and MotoGP riders. Their latest collab with Juan Lebrón, the world’s #1 padel player, sold out online within hours.

    If this is of interest, please put me in touch with the right buyer for me to send over more information.

    Best, Hugo
    Founder, Aldren.com

    Reply
  2. Jack

    Hi,

    Why it’s so difficult to find the 2019 ASICS Fastball 3 (blue/yellow) in the men’s popular US sizes 10 or 10.5?

    Only SquashGear seems to carry them.

    Any other leads?

    Thanks.

    Reply
  3. Salma

    hi
    I am a 58 years old female and I just started playing squash (twice)

    which rackets do you recommend ?

    – Dunlop Sonic Core Evolution 120 Hl Squash Racket
    Or
    – Tecnifibre Cross Shot Squash Racket

    These are the ones with reasonable price in the market in my country.

    Regards
    Salma

    Reply
    1. Mubeen

      Hi Salma,

      Any racket will get you started – however your level of game play would necessitate the right racket. Generally a good go to for new and intermediate players with the right swing would be a Head Cyano 115. Its got loads of power to get the ball to the front wall, a massive sweet spot to allow you to mis-hit but still get a decent shot out of it and a balance of head heavy – so that you dont dib at the ball for a shot, you actually make a proper swing and get some weight behind the ball.

      I hope this helps !

      Reply
  4. Peter

    In relation to using badminton shoes
    I ues Yonex 65m

    And found them better than any of the ASICS Gel squash shoes I used previously

    I have been playing squash for around 30 years

    Reply
  5. Barry Werth

    Pierre, I agree with your comments regarding squash shoes. I have a wide foot and always had trouble finding the right shoes until I discovered the Prince NFS shoes which fit perfectly but now they are discontinued. I wish I had bought more than one pair last time! Can you suggest which shoes I should try that might suit wide feet now that the NFS ones are no longer available??

    Reply
    1. Tim

      I used to wear Prince NFS shoes too. I’ve seen some players recently wearing Python racketball shoes that look very similar. Check them out.

      Reply
  6. Peter

    Keep up the good work. Squashgreetings from Holland.

    Reply
    1. Pierre

      Thanks!

      Reply
  7. agac

    see a number of squash players t my club using Li-ning badminton shoes, any feedback or experience with this brand is appreciated.

    Reply
  8. Ari

    Don’t you have some pull to get more indoor court shoes for kids? Asics doesn’t seem to have kept up.

    Reply
    1. Pierre

      Hey Ari – I’m actually just finishing up a video on kids squash shoes. Bottom line, I bought the Asics Gel Upcourt 2 for my daughter.

      Reply
  9. Jonathan Hope

    Started recently using and distributing Blade rackets here in The Bahamas. Top quality rackets. Definitely worth letting people knowing about, as they are the same moulds as Harrow, Tecnifibre and Wilson’s best sellers, only tweaked to play and feel even better. If you are at the Masters in July you can try some of mine ?

    Reply
    1. Roy Sweeting

      I’m one of the players that bought a Blade racquet from Jonathan, specifically the Samurai. At 110g, this is the lightest racquet in the range. It’s immediately become my favorite racquet. It’s light, powerful and nicely balanced. I have 2 Heads, an Eye and a Dunlop. I like them all, in roughly the order listed, but the Blade is the best.

      Reply
  10. Nawar

    Hi Pierre,

    i wonder if there’s a Hi-tech watch / Bracelet could monitor Squash game activity and give accurate readings of heart rates, Calories burning and other vitalities ? any specific brand ??

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Pierre

      I tried the FitBit and it was pretty good, although at this point I don’t use it much. It’s on my list to review 🙂

      Reply
      1. Nawar

        Thanks Pierre, just checked it, plenty of options from the FitBit…
        hope to get some feedback from squash community on this & will wait for the reviews.. Cheers

        Reply
    2. Roy Sweeting

      I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch for about 3 years now and always just used the “other” workout setting along with a heart rate monitor to measure calorie burn during my squash games. However I just noticed that during the last software update for the watch they added a ton of new types of workouts including squash. I assume this must be at least a little more accurate than the general setting I was using before.

      Reply
  11. Brent

    Looks like Feather is back.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Barracuda-120-Feather-Squash-Racket-2017-/152601721524?hash=item2387c57ab4:g:~eMAAOSw-89ZUdTX

    Reply
  12. Graham

    Hi can anyone give me a idea what squash racket I should go for I have a Wilson py pro but I just cant get on with it seems way to light for me and don’t give much power ive been playing for about 8 months now at least twice a week ive been looking at the prince inspire 200 but can only look online as not much available qhere I live and advice would be appreciated thanks

    Reply
    1. Lawrence

      Hi Graham

      I would suggest that you look at rackets that are heavier (130g+) and/or head-heavy (balance 365cm+) if you want to generate power. Some of the brands /models would be:
      1. Prince – Rebel, Pro Tour
      2. Head – Xenon
      3. Harrow
      4. Black Knight

      Best if you can do some research. Here would be a great place to start!

      Hope this helps. Enjoy the game!

      Reply
  13. Mohammad Al Fiky

    Do you have branch or agency here in UAE?
    Tel & Address please.
    Regard Import Service.
    Thanks & Regards

    Reply

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