Participation Module 8
Complete two (2) physical activity sessions, on two (2) separate days this week, for 20-60 minutes each. People During this participation session, try to find something you haven’t done before or a physical activity you don’t do on a regular basis. The two physical activities I have chosen to participate in this module are Racquetball and Swimming.
Participation Module 8
Day 1: Racquetball
Date: 24.07.2022
Time: 08.00 AM
Duration: 60 minutes
For day one, I chose racquetball as it was available in my housing complex. It was played in a four-walled court with a ball (larger than other handballs) and a short-handled racket (Norton, 2020, p.15). It can be played alone or with a partner, I played with one of my neighbour friends, the person who introduced me to this.
The game started with serving the ball. I was standing in the serving zone between two solid lines present in the middle. Then bounced the ball once and hit the wall. Then that ball was backed and hit by my friend then again the ball came and I hit. The continuation going on. We both hit the ball repeatedly. I missed the hit sometimes but my friend played very well. The ball hit my legs and hands a few times, my friend instructed me how to focus on the ball only otherwise I get hurt and the score will be deducted. There were some techniques involved like holding the racquet with a forehand grip, backhand grip, and different types of shots like straight-in, cross-court, pinch, splat, ceiling, and so on. For the first day that was too much to understand, but I could only learn about the straight-in shot and cross-court shot.
There are some benefits of playing racquetball, it can burn 600-800 calories after playing for twenty minutes which helps in weight loss (Dowd, 1991, p.31). It also strengthens our bones and increases flexibility. It is very good for heart health, reduced stress, blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. Overall it was fun.
Day 2: Swimming
Date: 25.07.2022
Time: 09.00 AM
Duration: 60 minutes
For the next day, I had chosen swimming as physical activity. The pool was located nearby my colony. I enjoyed it with my family after a long time. For swimming, I just needed a swimming costume and goggles to protect my eyes from chlorine water. I had learned to swim in childhood so I did not face any problems from the beginning.
Swimming is a relaxed sport that leads the body into the water with help of arm and leg motion and flotation of our body. It is a very light exercise with good therapeutic benefits (Webb & Blake, 2013, p.120). I taught swimming to my nephews during the activity, they had learned somehow not fully. I practiced for almost forty minutes straight. There are many types of swimming like freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, sidestroke, and so on. We had practiced freestyle only.
There are numerous benefits of this simple exercise regarding health. It releases stress and strain from joints and improves heart health. Swimming is used to cure many injuries, including stroke. It is a stress-relieving exercise that cures insomnia and enhances mood and confidence, flexibility, and balance (Webb & Blake, 2013, p.125). It also burns calories like 500-600 Kcal for one hour of swimming. The best part is it can be continued for lifelong periods despite every age group.
References
Dowd, D. A. (1991). A factor analysis of selected beginning-level racquetball skill tests.
Norton, Z. E. (2020). Method to Improve Satisfaction of Racquetball Racquet Purchases.
Webb, P. W., & Blake, R. W. (2013). Swimming. In Functional vertebrate morphology (pp. 110-128). Harvard University Press.
