Wednesday 2 March 2016

"Doctors urge schools to ban racquets in squash"

From the BBC:

More than 70 doctors and academics are calling for a ban on racquets in squash matches played in UK and Irish schools.

In an open letter to ministers, they say injuries from this "high-impact collision sport" can have lifelong consequences for children. They argue two thirds of injuries in youth squash are caused by contact with the opponent's racquet and urge schools to move to catching and throwing the ball instead.

Supporters say dodging your opponent's swings to avoid injury builds character and other forms are less challenging.

The concerns have been raised as a seven-year programme headed by England Squash is on target to introduce the game to a million children in state schools across England. The programme, which began in 2012 and is running until 2019, has so far reached 400 schools, with 350 to follow.

3 comments:

Bayard said...

"and urge schools to move to catching and throwing the ball instead"

That's called "Fives".

Ralph Musgrave said...

Solution: put some sort of rubber cushioning round the racket. Doh. That's why boxers wear boxing gloves. The additional air resistance would slow the racket down a little bit, but not all that much.

Ralph Musgrave said...

Solution: put some sort of rubber cushioning round the racket. Doh. That's why boxers wear boxing gloves. The additional air resistance would slow the racket down a little bit, but not all that much.