Primalness of Racquetball? page

[Groktimus Prime]

I've always wondered what primal elements racquetball incorporates, besides it being fun and social.

Racquetball has been a blessing for me in terms of obtaining a cardio workout. I get bored with running, jogging, spinning, biking, etc... But because I'm thinking in terms of points in a game versus my opponent, I'm not focused on a clock or how many calories I burn or even really as exercise, but by the end, I get a great workout after an hour or 2 each time, as long as I play someone with a similar skill level to me.



Either of these professional women's racquetball players in the above video would convincingly beat me in a game. I'm like a Class D player. As one get better, one becomes a Class C, Class B, Class A, then professional player.

Any other primal racquetball players out there?

[Rojo]

I've played off-and-on. I'm with you on it being a fun way to get some running and jumping in.

The problem I've had is finding partners. If someone's way better than you, they lose interest, naturally. If they're way worse, you lose interest (plus you don't get an exercise making your opponent run all over the court).

I'd like to try handball. The old school handball -- not the dumb new one. Even tougher to find partners.

[Uncephalized]

...ooh. Were they playing some kind of game? I seem to have zoned out for some reason while watching that video...

[lssanjose]

...ooh. Were they playing some kind of game? I seem to have zoned out for some reason while watching that video...

ha ha ha!

[Bukawww]

I love racquetball! It is 2nd only to swimming (specifically playing in the ocean). I feel exactly the same way as you - I can play for days and not realize how much of a workout it was except that I'm dripping with sweat.

[McNack]

I really like squash, which is pretty similar. I agree the sprinting, changes in direction, swinging and technique involved all make for some excellent exercise (speed, stamina, balance, hand-eye coordination all involved). Most importantly, I lump it in my 'fun' category.

I think my favourite element I get out of it is from the competition. The guys I play with all started around the same time, so the skill level has always been very close. We are all good friends, but the adernalin and testosterone can really get pumping sometimes.

Look into a league if you can, sometimes they have divisions based on skill level. This helps keeping things interesting.

[mike_h]

I'm also a squash player. I think it can get to be like chronic cardio, depending on the level and duration of matches, and more likely the sport-specific training you might do.

On the other hand it's not steady-state, it uses anaerobic and aerobic energy systems, there are recovery periods between rallies and it's a lot more fun than jogging 10km.

[Groktimus Prime]

I've played off-and-on. I'm with you on it being a fun way to get some running and jumping in.

The problem I've had is finding partners. If someone's way better than you, they lose interest, naturally. If they're way worse, you lose interest (plus you don't get an exercise making your opponent run all over the court).

I'd like to try handball. The old school handball -- not the dumb new one. Even tougher to find partners.

I agree that finding suitable opponents is the key ingredient. I've been fortunate enough to join an amateur tournament league where most of the players are about my skill level with different sets of strengths/weaknesses and everyone is evolving their play over time. The coach who runs it is like #1 or #2 in the state of Indiana; he can literally beat me in less than 5 minutes without breaking a sweat!

One guy I play used to play handball competitively, and he was pretty good at racquetball (until he got hit in the eye despite wearing goggles). I've also noticed that squash and tennis players also tend to adjust pretty well to racquetball as well.