News Physics

No player can return this killer shot. Physics explains how it works

In squash, the nick shot comes down to height, timing and the squishiness of the ball

A person prepares to hit a squash ball with a racket.

In squash, players hit a bouncy ball off four walls, aiming to return it before a second bounce — or to end the rally with a perfect, unreturnable nick shot.

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By Celina Zhao

It’s the shot every squash player dreads and dreams of.