2023 USA Racquetball Official Rules & Rulebook

 Rules of Play  No Responses »
Mar 082014
 

The most current official racquetball rulebook (pdf file) can be downloaded from the teamusa.org website or from this link:   Downloadable/Printable Rulebook-2023 Version.

The most significant changes were increasing the length of timeouts to one-minute, but limiting players to two timeouts per game and decreasing the amount of time between games two and three to 2 minutes. You may also note several other wording changes made only to clarify previously existing rules including the addition of jumping into the section involving hinders.

Return Every Possible Racquetball Shot!

 Racquetball Strategy, Tips  1 Response »
Feb 262014
 

It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.
– Babe Ruth

Many racquetball games are won or lost by a slim margin of one or two points. So it is crucial to believe that you can retrieve every one of your opponent’s shots.

This means that you will never give up on a shot during a rally. Also, after every shot you take, you will try your best to get back to center court. Do not make an unforced error by giving up too early on a shot.

In addition, you must assume that your opponent is capable of returning every possible shot. Do not underestimate the speed of your opponent. Often a player will hit a ‘winner’ only to be caught flat-footed after their opponent returns their shot.

Perfection in racquetball is unattainable, for you, or for your opponent. So be ready to go after everything!

 Posted by at 8:51 PM  Tagged with:

4 Great Racquetball Tips from Cliff Swain

 Tips  No Responses »
Feb 152014
 

In a recent interview for Life Time Racquetball, six-time world champion Cliff Swain passed along some great racquetball tips.

If you could offer only one tip to a new racquetball player, what would it be?
Get quality instruction right away. It will make you enjoy the game much more and you’ll get the very best out of yourself.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming junior players?
Watch the pros play as much as possible. Find out who has the best serve, forehand, backhand, etc., and try to mimic those qualities while still keeping your own style.

It is so important to learn the basics from a qualified teacher. Advanced players can also benefit from private coaching by working on improving their game tactics.

What is your favorite shot?
The ace serve! One shot, one point and very demoralizing.

Your first serve is a weapon. In racquetball, the player with the best server usually wins!

What is the best racquetball advice you have ever received?
Play every point like it’s the first and last point. It’s very difficult to do but it’s a skill within every person’s reach.

The top racquetball players win their close matches by playing every point at 100% intensity. This means never giving up after hitting a loose shot, running down every passing shot, and always recovering to center court.

How to Improve Your Racquetball Game Using 3 Easy Rules

 Court Positioning, Tips  3 Responses »
Feb 072014
 

Most racquetball players get fixated on hitting the ball with more power. But in most cases, hitting the ball harder does not help win more matches.

In fact, forget completely about trying to hit every shot as hard as possible. Instead, diligently follow these three basic rules:

  1. The purpose of every shot is to maintain or gain the center court position.
  2. Never hit a shot any harder than is necessary to keep center court position.
  3. Hit every shot to keep your opponent as far away from center court as possible.

What are the ramifications of using these rules in a match? For one, you become focused entirely on controlling your center court position and not on winning points nor hitting the ball hard.

Second, you will concentrate on hitting the ball at a pace which keeps your opponent pinned against the back wall of the court (also see No Back Wall-Ever!).  This also means hitting many more ceiling ball shots than kill shots!

Most importantly, you will learn to focus more of your attention during a rally on your opponent’s position than the ball.

Using these rules, you will be winning more rallies, which in turn will win you more games.