Feb 042013
The 10 basic racquetball shots can be further categorized into two groups:
Back Court Shots – shots that force your opponent into the back of the court
- Pass Shot
- Cross Court Pass Shot
- Ceiling Shot
- Off the Back Wall
- Z-ball Shot
- Around the Walls
- Into the Back Wall
Front Court Shots – shots that should bounce twice before reaching the service box
- Kill shot
- Pinch shot
- Splat shot
I have been trying to hit this particular shot that I see about half of the players in my club hit. The bad thing is I do not know the proper name of it and I cannot find it anywhere on you tube or in any books on Racquetball. I have been referring to it as “The Reverse Z”. It is a shot hit high or low but rather than a straight path to the front wall you hit a side wall at a certain angle. The ball hits the side wall then the next side wall and then kisses the front fall and dies. I have never seen a pro hit it on you tube and it is not even listed in my favorite book “Championship Racquetball” by Fran Davis but dang near every “B and A” player effectively hits it so I want to add it to my arsenal but I wanted to get technical advice on the execution.
Hi James-
The three wall shot you describe is called a boast shot (from squash) and is not a very common racquetball shot. However, if hit correctly, it will just barely make it to the front wall and die, and make it very difficult to defend. But, if hit too high, or too hard, it will be very easy for your opponent to run up and return it with a drive shot or a drop shot.
With practice, it can be a useful shot if not used too often. It should be played when your opponent is standing too far back in the court, or, if you are trying to retrieve a well placed passing shot.
Normally it is hit when the ball is fairly close to the side wall, like when hitting a splat shot. With the forehand boast on the right wall, the ball will be struck in a position much further back in your stance and with a slightly upwards trajectory. It will feel like you will be facing the back right corner. You do not need to hit it hard, but just hard enough for it to make it the front wall after hitting both sidewalls.
If you are consistently getting beat by the boast, then you need to watch your opponent more carefully when they hit the ball and also make sure you are getting back to center court position after every shot.
Hope this helps and good luck practicing the boast shot.
Thanks for the reply and advice. I decided to use the ” boast” shot only when I am playing someone a level below me or when I am up at least 5 points because it is so low percentage but insanely fun to hit.
low percentage shot
I have a similar question to the one above. I find myself and a friend always hitting a certain shot, but cannot find any info on it. This shot occurrs when I hit the ball hard and high on the front wall and contacts the back wall without bouncing. This leaves the ball traveling very fast tweeds the front wall, forcing the opponent to sprint for the front wall following the ball. If you know what this would be called, of if this is even a legal shot I would appreciate it!
The shot you describe is called a blast shot, and yes, it is a legal shot.
You can find more information about this shot here: Three Ways to Return the Blast Shot..