How do you get back into a sport you played years ago?

There is a particular joy in picking up a racket, a ball or a stick after twenty years and finding your hands still know what to do. There is a particular comedy in the half-second later, when the rest of you arrives to the ball rather late. Both are part of the comeback, and both are worth enjoying.

Old memory, current capacity

Expect the gap. The mental map of the game, where to stand, when to move, how a good shot feels, often comes back surprisingly quickly. What was built by playing three times a week at seventeen, though, is not waiting for you in the cupboard.

So the first sessions are mostly about recalibration:

• Play at half the intensity you think you can. You are gathering information, not proving anything.
• Notice what has stayed. The pass you can still thread, the serve that still lands. That is the foundation.
• Notice what hasn't. Sprint, reach, the third set. Note it without drama. It is simply where you are.
• Leave while it's fun. Ending the first session wanting more is the best possible outcome.

Managing the ego

The ego is the real opponent in a comeback. It remembers you at your best and has not been informed of the intervening decades. Some ways to keep it in line:

• Don't announce your old level. "I used to play county" sets expectations you will then spend the evening failing to meet. Let your play introduce you.
• Laugh first. When you shank one into the car park, be the first to find it funny. Everybody relaxes, especially you.
• Compare yourself to last week, not to 2004. The only useful comparison is the one where you are improving.
• Accept the new role. Perhaps you were the fast one. Now you might be the clever one, the steady one, the one who reads the game. Plenty of players are happier in their second version.

Finding the right format

Most sports have friendlier ways back than a full competitive league. Look for:

• Social or recreational sessions at clubs, often called "turn up and play", "club night" or "social doubles".
• Returners' or improvers' groups, which assume rust and are pleasantly unbothered by it.
• Adult leagues with divisions, so you can start in a lower one and move if you wish.
• Adapted formats. Walking football is a good example: England Football describes it as a game with no running, jogging or heading and with reduced physical contact, aimed at all ages, abilities and fitness levels. Several other team sports have similar slowed-down versions.
• A cousin sport. If your old sport feels too loaded, a related one can scratch the same itch. Former tennis and squash players often find padel a very easy door to walk through.

Kit and practicalities

You do not need to buy everything at once. Borrow or hire for the first few sessions, and find out which version of the game you actually want to play before investing. Check whether your old equipment still fits the rules; sports change their kit regulations more often than you might think. And book a few sessions in a row rather than one, so that the first one doesn't have to be perfect.