Racquetball Tendonitis and Inflammation

 Stroke Techniques  No Responses »
Jul 272011
 

Tendonitis and inflammation in a wrist, elbow, or shoulder is a signal from your body telling you that something is wrong.

Typically, inflammation occurs from stress and overuse. If your tendonitis is the result of playing too much racquetball, then the cure is to rest for a week or two. The standard treatment for tendonitis in a joint can be remembered by the acronym RICE — rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

However, if you continue to get repeated cases of inflammation in a joint, then most likely you have some technical glitches in your swing. The most common problems which can bring on tendonitis are:

  1. Not hitting the sweet spot on the racquet face.
  2. Gripping the racquet too tightly.
  3. Not following through to a complete finish on your swing.

All three of the above problems can be corrected with a smooth, effortless, efficient swing.

So remember to keep as light a grip on the racquet as possible. You only need to hang onto the racquet tight enough to keep it from slipping out of your hand. Also try to release your grip from the racquet in between points. This helps keep your hand and forearm relaxed. If your hand, wrist, and shoulder are relaxed, then it is much easier to hit the ball squarely and with a complete follow-through.

Many players rely on a short punch-like stroke with almost no follow-through. If effect, they must use their arm and body to abruptly stop the motion of their racquet after it impacts the ball. This means that the racquet is slowing down at impact with the ball. But you want the opposite to happen! For an efficient and powerful swing, you need your racquet to accelerate through the ball. The only way this can be accomplished is to have a complete follow-through as if you are throwing a ball side-arm.

If you fail to consistently hit the sweet spot, then you are hitting the ball inefficiently. You can feel the vibration in your arm from a mishit ball. Players who mishit a lot of balls then compensate by gripping the racquet tighter and shortening their swing. A vicious cycle!

Again, it is the tight grip and a short swing which can lead to getting tendonitis.  So work on keeping your grip as light as possible and really exaggerate your finishing position.

In Racquetball, Control Center Court to Win

 Court Positioning, Passing Shots, Racquetball Strategy  No Responses »
Jun 132011
 

Hitting a racquetball kill shot may give you a nice buzz, but if you want to win, then control center court position. And to control center court, you need to use down-the-line and wide-angle passing shots.

In a recent Jennifer Johnson article Are You Playing Racquetball or Just Hitting Shots? she looks at the difference between a “shooter” and a “control player”.

According to Rocky Carson,

“Most players put emphasis on killing the ball, but if you don’t understand how to play the game you could be shooting at the wrong time. As a pro or as a player, our job is to figure how to win, and there’s more to that than hitting the shots.”

To control center court, and thus, control the rally, always know your opponent’s location. Your main objective is to control center court. So most of your shots will be passing shots to keep your opponent on the back wall. This forces your opponent to take the lowest percentage shots from deep court.

One of Carson’s (priorities) is to control center court. What does it help him do? “It gives me more lanes and opportunity to hit winners. Keeps my opponent off balance rather than gives him the shots he wants. It forces him to hit winners.” In short, “If I’m there,  you’re not.”

So work on your passing game and start to celebrate a winning wide-angle passing shot as much as a you would for a rollout.

Racquetball Shot Selection Basics

 Racquetball Strategy, Shot Selection  No Responses »
Jun 092011
 

Your shot selection depends on two basic criteria, the location of your opponent, and, the position of the ball. This means that you must always be aware of the court location of your opponent at all times.

If the ball is above waist height, then your options are limited to hitting a defensive ceiling ball. But if you can strike the ball at knee height, then a wider range of shots are possible, depending on the location of your opponent.

In general, you want to hit to the open court area. But this can be difficult if your opponent has claimed the prime center court position. The highest percentage shot is to hit a passing shot either cross court or down the line. You do not want to hit a passing shot too high or hard such that it will rebound off  the back wall.

Other factors which may determine your shot selection include the speed of your opponent, your shot selection skills, and the current game score.

The safest shots to get your opponent out of center court are the cross court pass and the cross court ceiling ball.

Racquetball Court Positioning

 Court Positioning  No Responses »
Jun 072011
 

The correct center court position will enable you to cover the high percentage passing shots. Only get beat by the low percentage kill shot and NOT the passing shot.

  • The most advantageous center court position is located a foot behind the 5 foot receiving line.
  • Keep your racquet up in a ready position above waist level.
  • Never take your eye off the ball.