Racketlon – The sport that is made of four components
Nowadays, there are many sports with a racket. From badminton, to tennis, to squash. It can be difficult to choose. For those who can not decide, there is Racketlon.
The name alone suggests that it is a sport that requires a racket. To everyone’s delight, the sport combines the four most popular racket sports at once, such as table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis. All four are played in succession; that is, from the smallest to the largest racket.
The beginnings of Racketlon are in Scandinavia. In the 90’s it started mainly in Finland and Sweden. These two countries developed the sport further and finally brought it to the other nations. Especially fans of versatile sports should try Racketlon for themselves. In the style of biathlon, triathlon and decathlon, it is about the interdisciplinary combination of the most widespread backstroke sports in Europe.
Rules of the Game
The players compete in the 4 disciplines. Basically, the rules of the individual sports remain the same. The order of the 4 sports, can only be changed under one premise: if the infrastructure of the sports facility does not allow the correct order.
All four disciplines have the same rules regarding points: a set is considered a win as soon as one player scores 21 points. If the score is 20:20, the match has to be played until one player is ahead by two points. Important to know, the total points count – the winner is the player who has collected the most points in total after the four sets played. This means that even a player who has lost the first three sets can walk off the court as the winner. The match is stopped as soon as the winner has an unassailable lead and the remaining points have no meaning.
Who starts serving is decided by a draw. The winner can then decide whether he prefers to have service or return serve. So whoever has serve in table tennis has backstroke in badminton. The server always has two services in a row. The service starts from the right to the left and then the other way around. The exact service rules are the same as for each sport.
There is always a change of sides and a 30-second break when the first player has scored 11 points. In squash, a player can ask for a short break from 11 points.
Locations and competitions
Racketlon can of course only be played where you can play all four sports. If you want to try this sport and you don’t know where the nearest club is, you can easily check the website of the German Racketlon Federation. There you will not only find helpful information about the sport, but also a list of clubs.
Due to the fact that all four sports need different conditions, it is difficult to organize a competition by yourself. Although badminton and table tennis can be played in the same hall, a tennis court and squash courts are also needed in the same area. The latter is not so easy to find.
Racketlon players must have good physical condition and the ability to change quickly, because there is little time to get used to the different rackets and balls. Therefore, a relatively high level is needed for any sport. Nevertheless, Racketlon promises a high level of fun.
Statement
If you want to try Racketlon, you should do it. At sportduell.com you can find a club near you that offers Racketlon.
Quelle Titelbild: AdobeStock/ petrroudny
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