The National Police Racquetball Association (NPRA) was created by two Houston area police officers who realized just how great of a role racquetball plays in their lives and well-being. 

The NPRA promotes physical fitness and furious fun for officers around the nation. The days of “donut shop cops” are being replaced with better nutritional awareness and increased fitness.  As officers, we are often forced to take fast, decisive actions that require alertness beyond the norm.  These split second decisions need to be the right ones the first time.  Police officers everywhere need to find a way to be quicker, stronger and faster. 

Playing racquetball provides a lot of what is needed to sharpen your skills in the field.  A competitive match in racquetball closely resembles the physical requirements and mental acuity needed in police confrontations.  The reaction to a racquetball as it screams past in excess of 100 mph in many ways equates to the reaction time and foot speed required to gain the advantage of making a better shot or protection mandated in a tense situation. Decisiveness, fast muscle movements, alertness to available alternatives and overall core strength and conditioning are essential in both cases. 

Competition runs high in police work. Racquetball is a balanced athletic competition that benefits officers on and off the job.  Racquetball works nearly every muscle group, accelerates mental agility while increasing endurance and reducing body mass. The stop and start running during a game for that amount of time is the equivalent of running two miles. Officers compete against each other in various sporting events from weight lifting to basketball already.  For the time spent racquetball provides great benefits for what is needed to keep fit while having fun and building camaraderie.