Sports
Racquetball News - 20 Oct 2014
By Michael Haverty
20, Oct 2014 - 21:05

Racquetball

A sport that's good for you

Racquetball is a relatively young sport -- it officially debuted in Ireland 1979 and grew rapidly in popularity. Today, players enjoy playing racquetball in fully enclosed courts, which allows play all year. The game is played with a stringed racket and a rubber ball. Two to four people play games to 15 points, with specified rules. The racquetball game is intense and fast paced.

Weight Reduction

An average racquetball game to 15 points takes about 20 minutes. During this time, the player runs approximately 3,650 feet, according to U.S. Olympic training centre. 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.

New Season About to Begin Castlebar Racquetball Club will begin the new season with the Autumn Competition which will start in November in An Sportlann.  This is a round robin competition and is ideal for beginners and will entail one match per week for 4-5 weeks.Details on www.castlebar-racquetball.net. Junior CoachingThe club will coaching racquetball to boys & girls from 8 years upwards on Thursday evenings at the courts in An Sportlann. The training sessions are from 7 pm to 9 pm. For new players racquets and goggles are supplied. Upcoming EventsThe Ballinrobe Open will be held in the Lakeside Sports & Fitness Club on the 8th & 9th November.The Connacht Championships will be held on Sunday 14th December.The 24th Castlebar Open will be held on the 28th & 29th of March 2015.Full details of these and other events on www.racquetball-ireland.com