Racquet sports are sports of agility and speed in which athletes of different ages can participate. As with other sports, they carry a risk of injury that increases with age for different reasons such as the style of play, the size of the athletes themselves and contact forces. For all these reasons, it is important to know them and practice them carefully.
You have probably played one or more racket sports. Tennis and paddle tennis are two of the most popular, but there are more disciplines with the racket as the main game material. Knowing the characteristics of each of them will allow you to better adapt to the conditions and rules of each sport. To discover the different types of racket sports that exist, at OneHOWTO we recommend that you continue reading this article.
Tennis
tennis is probably The most popular sport of the world with racket. It can be played outdoors or indoors and includes different types of courts such as grass, dirt, parquet or cement. In addition, it allows you to compete in singles (two opponents) or doubles (two against two) matches.
Tennis matches are made up of games and sets. When one of the players or doubles pair wins 6 games with a difference of two or more with respect to the rival, he wins a set. Tennis is inspired by a French game, Palm gamein which a ball is hit with the hand: although one of its main characteristics is the yellow color of the balls, until 1973 they were white or black.
If you want to know more about tennis, we recommend this OneHOWTO article on the Size of a tennis court.
Squash
Squash is similar to racquetball. It is practiced in spaces or small enclosures and disputed in duels of one opponent against another. A hard rubber ball is used and is allowed to bounce off any of the 4 walls of the enclosure except for the serve.
The origin of this sport is in England and is considered as one of the healthiest sports practices because it requires the combination of dynamism and a successive alternation of movements. Still, it’s really exhausting.
There are different professional squash championships such as the World Open, the World Series and the British Open. In Spain, different professional tournaments.
If you want to learn more about high-impact sports like squash, we recommend this article on
Paddle
Padel is a racket sport that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. It has certain similarities with tennis, especially when it comes to hitting the ball. Padel is practiced in tracks closed with 4 walls that give continuity to the game. The serve system is simple: the bounce of the ball must be on the ground and it must be hit before it exceeds waist height.
English ship crews were the ones who invented paddle tennis in 1890 to entertain themselves on their trips. However, it was in the 1970s, in Mexico, when it managed to evolve into the sport that it is today. It has the great advantage over tennis that does not require exquisite technique to be practiced, so you can play regardless of the level you have.
The first professional paddle tennis circuit took place in Spain, a country from which it spread throughout Europe. It was founded in 2005 and, internationally, the World Padel Tourwhich emerged in 2013, is the most prominent professional tournament.
Ping pong or table tennis
Emerged at the end of the 19th century in England, table tennis is popularly known as ping-pong. In this sport dimensions are smaller: the table is 1.5 meters wide by 2.75 meters long, with a net whose height reaches 17.5 cm.
Ping-pong rackets are made of padded wood, with two faces: a black one whose stroke is similar to that of paddle tennis and a red one to give hits with effect.
Badminton
It is a sport that lies between two others: tennis and volleyball. A net and rackets are used to play. Used a shuttlecock instead of a ball, which cannot touch the ground. This steering wheel is made up of a hemispherical cork of approximately 30 cm in diameter and between 14-16 feathers on the flat part.
Except in professional championships, synthetic shuttlecocks are used to play badminton. In a shot, the midfielder is capable of overcoming a speed of 300 km/h. Although the dimensions of the field are smaller than those of tennis, those who practice badminton they usually run twice.
Fronton
Fronton is a racket sport that is practiced on a track made up of three walls: front, back and a side that is to the left of the players. The side wall has different distances marked that are needed to follow the rules of the game such as fouls and serves.
The front wall of the pediment has a horizontal line one meter high that indicates the altitude that the ball must go over on every bounce.
If you want to discover other sports, you can consult these other OneHOWTO articles on What is fitness and its benefits and Natural Running: what is it and what does it consist of.
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