Health Benefits Of Playing Racquetball
Last updated
Last updated
Racquetball is a racquet sport that is played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor court. It involves hitting the ball against the walls of the court until someone misses. It is a popular individual sport in the US and measures an athlete’s endurance, speed, and strength.
Racquetball is a game played on an indoor court with three walls, a rubber ball, and a small racket. Outdoor courts exist but are rare. Solo, double, and even four-man play is possible. Unlike many other sports that are popular today, racquetball does not have a long and complicated history. Rather, it was developed in the early 20th century by combining other popular sports, tennis, handball, squash, and Zai Alai, a Spanish sport. The roots of racquetball may have started in prison in the 1800s when inmates were given a ball hitting a wall. During this time, sports were called "racket." In the United States, the game first appeared in the 1920s.
The inventor of the game was Joseph G. Sobek, a professional handball, squash, and tennis player from Greenwich, Connecticut. In the 1940s, Sobek worked in a rubber factory and designed rubber balls used in sports today. With his partner, he decided to combine the rules of handball and squash and start the racquetball rule, then known as the "paddle racket". Racket, paddle, ball, etc. all appeared in different shapes and forms over the years, and the search for each ideal model continued.
Sobek founded the paddle racquet society in 1952 and distributed a set of rules to all YMCAs in the United States to publicize the popularity of paddle racquets. In 1969, the game became very popular around the world, and a man named Robert Kindler founded the International Racquetball Association and renamed the sport "Racketball." In the same year, the first official racquetball tournament was held in st. Louis, Missouri. It was also during this time that sports equipment stores began manufacturing official racquetball equipment for sports.
As more athletes became aware of the high intensity, the popularity of the sport increased, providing excellent exercise and sweating during the game. Sports clubs and country clubs across the U.S. embraced the enthusiasm of sports and began building racquetball courts in clubs.
Fat Reduction
An average racquetball game takes about 20 minutes. In one hour of play, the player runs more than two miles and burns between 600 to 800 calories. Playing racquetball regularly will decrease body fat levels and maintain healthy weight.
Cardiovascular Health
During a racquetball game, the player maintains high heart rate levels for a prolonged period, often at a constant rate of 75 to 85 percent of the maximum heart rate, which improves the aerobic capacity. Additionally, the constant quick bursts of energy during quick starts and stops improve the anaerobic capacity.
Strength, Coordination, Flexibility
Racquetball works almost every muscle group in the body, especially the larger muscles of the lower body and the core. In addition to building strength and quickness, playing racquetball improves coordination, agility, balance, explosiveness and suppleness.
Mental Well-Being
Besides the musculoskeletal benefits, racquetball improves mental clarity and quickness by making quick and strategic decisions. It helps with neural adaptation by stimulating faster connection between brain and muscle movements, which improves a player’s reflexes even off the racquetball court. Hand-eye coordination and eyesight are enhanced as well.
Fun Fitness Moves
Racquetball is fun and competitive, and it will make people return to the court as often as they can. A sport you enjoy is a strong lure to get moving on days when you're tempted to skip your fitness regimen. For a competitive game, you have the option to participate in amateur and professional tournaments throughout the entire year.