This article was originally published in the U3A journal Sources in May 2014 and has been edited to bring it up to date.

The Bradford U3A racketball group started in January 2012 with the support of English Squash and Racketball (ESR) who provided equipment and initial coaching to introduce the sport and help get the group established. Racketball, currently the fastest growing racket sport in the UK, is played on a squash court with similar rules. It uses a larger, bouncier ball and a shorter racket. It is easier to learn to play than squash and is less physically demanding. Even complete beginners have found it quick to learn and get a good workout right from the start. It is an ideal game for men, women and players of different abilities to play together. Our group has 18 members with an average age in the mid 60s; our oldest player is 83. About half have played squash before but the others were new to racket sports.  We have two 1½ hour sessions a week, Monday and Thursday mornings, after which usually the group chat in the club bar over coffee and, for some, a light lunch. We play at the Heaton Tennis and Squash Club where we have been made extremely welcome by staff and members and particularly by the club coach, Saeed, who, along with Carol Cherry of the ESR, has given us a great deal of support and encouragement. U3A racketball groups are hosted by local clubs or public sports facilities. We play on normally under-used weekday courts and bring in welcome revenue. Typically a U3A racketball session costs £3 or £4.

Our sessions are led by our group leader, Doug, who is an experienced squash player and retired PE teacher. In addition two of our members have been on free ESR ‘activator’ courses to learn how to run sessions that include beginners with an emphasis on safety and enjoyment. A typical session starts with a warm up followed by a series of practice routines for developing basic skills. These are followed by a sequence of friendly competitive games, usually a ‘round robin’ or the ‘king of the court’ format so that everyone gets to play a number of games against different opponents. Games are usually played between two players but we often use variations of the game designed to be played safely when there are more than two players on court. Apart from being great fun, these versions of the game are usually less strenuous and can make a welcome change to give players a bit of a rest.

Another significant benefit of playing U3A racketball has been the opportunity to meet players from other U3As in friendly tournaments. Yorkshire now has 12 U3A racketball groups and there is a growing programme of inter-group friendly tournaments. Bradford U3A members regularly play with others from the Leeds, Ilkley, York and Skipton U3As amongst others. For 2 years now there has been a Yorkshire U3A Championship held at Ilkley. Like all U3A tournaments, players are placed in categories – beginners, improvers or experienced – so everyone, regardless of ability, is included and will have good games with others of a similar standard. Typically the beginner and improver groups are mixed men and women. The picture above was taken at the 2013 Yorkshire tournament and reflects well the age and gender composition of typical U3A racketball groups. Not everyone is competitive of course and many started playing as an enjoyable way of getting some exercise and burning off a few calories.  Competitive or not, we have found that the more skilful and fitter we get the more we enjoy the game and the more benefit we get from the sessions. There is no doubt friendly rivalry contributes to the fun and motivation.

In summary, racketball is an ideal sport for older players. It is easy to learn and safer than squash and usually beginners can play decent rallies and have good games quite quickly. It is particularly suitable for men and women of mixed ability playing together. It gives you a good workout, burns lots of calories, and is very sociable and great fun.  If you have access to the internet a short video entitled ‘Why I Love Racketball’ gives a good idea of what is involved, the benefits of playing and the wide range of people who play and enjoy the sport – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThQSJRGWp5c. For those that have Facebook accounts there is a U3A racketball group where we post notices and share ideas and information. You can join this at https://www.facebook.com/groups/U3Aracketball/.