http://usra.org/AboutUSAR/HistoryofRacquetball.aspx
In the
grand scheme of things, the sport of racquetball has been
around a relatively short amount of time. Racquetball
is a sport that came about in the early twentieth century,
"It is a combination of handball, tennis, a Spanish sport –
Jai Alai, and squash". The orgins of racquetball can
be traced back to prisons in the 1800's, when inmates would
bounce balls against wall, then it was simply called
racquets.
Since
then the sport has evolved into a game of true skill, where
one must have speed and agility. Today racquetball is
played on an indoor court that has dimensions of forty feet
long by twenty feet wide. By the late nineteen
sixties, racquetball had become an internationally played
sport being played by more than 100 million people more than
95 countries world wide. Unfortunately since then the
sport has lost popularity and is only played by roughly 20
millions internationally today.
Given the
complexity of this sport and the large space that it needs
to be played in within a building, it is not a huge surprise
that it has lost popularity. It is a shame however,
because for one this game is a great high intensity workout,
yet very enjoyable as well. But more than that it also
increases hand eye coordination, as well as ones motor
skills.
Photo Credit Thomas Northcut/Photodisc/Getty
Images
http://www.livestrong.com/article/343161-the-history-of-racquetball-rackets/
The equipment that
is involved in racquetball has evolved as the sport has
grown. The racquets are larger for increased hitting
surface area, as well has higher tension while also being
lighter and stronger. "These things in turn allow for
the ball to be hit harder with less effort", which makes the
game that much more challenging.