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It?£¤s a common experience. You have been planning to play since Monday, but just as you are heading to the courts with your T-shirt and tennis racket a sudden rain shower upsets your plans. Before you change your clothes and put away your racket in disappointment, you should think about an alternative sport. Squash can offer much of the same joy as the weather-dependent tennis. "Shanghai people are not as familiar with squash as they are with tennis, because squash is not an event in the Olympic games," said David Hu, Fitness Center manager at Shanghai JC Mandarin and member of Shanghai Squash Association. "But squash, in my opinion, is better than tennis because of its flexibility." As an indoor sport, squash is not affected by the weather. It can be played by up to four people. A squash court is three-dimensional. The ball can be bounced off the four walls which surround the floor of the court. It is as easy for one person to play as it is for four. Jack de Vries, general manager of 1st Travel Group China, and member of Shanghai Squash Association, said, "Compared with tennis, which is a two-dimensional game, squash makes greater demands on the speed and reactions of the players." When Vries was a beginner, squash seemed to be more difficult to play than tennis, but after three months, he came to realize the sport becomes more interesting "because of the different ways of hitting the ball." Squash requires a player to do more short-distance running because the ball can bounce in any direction. Hu believes the running will improve the player's cardiovascular system more effectively than tennis. "In tennis, there is more of a requirement for endurance," Hu said. Squash also makes greater demands on the player's mind. The ball may come from any of the four directions, so the player needs great concentration. On the other hand, in order to beat the opponent, a player needs to vary the ball's direction. "Squash is a body-mind game in the real sense that it offers extremely intensive exercise, " Hu said. Many executives whose offices are located near JC Mandarin will go for a game during their lunch time. "In a 45 minute game, the players will sweat a lot and burn more fat than in other sports," Hu said. Squash is a rewarding activity that more people should try, according to Esdon Lee, chairman of Shanghai Squash Association. Lee's efforts in promoting the sport have been fruitful. The association currently has more than 100 members, approximately 80 per cent of whom are expatriates. In order to stimulate enthusiasm around the sport, Lee divided the members into about 20 boxes according to how well they play. Each box contains four or five people. The association will hold three games a year. After each game, the ranking of players will change according to the results of the game. "Thus, our skills are improving with the competition," Lee said. Lee used to be number one in the Victorian Squash Federation in Melbourne, Australia, and then he was the professional coach for the national team of Australia. "I love the sport so much, and I have a little dream that China will be successful in squash, and I will be one of the people who contributed to the success," Lee Obsessive-compulsive disorder