How to Win When Playing a Shark

 Racquetball Strategy, Tips  No Responses »
Jan 162014
 

How can you tell when you are playing a racquetball shark?

  • Does your opponent like to play very fast?
  • Do they hit every shot really hard and straight into the front wall?
  • Do they hit hard drive serves on their first AND second serve?
  • At the end of a point, do they race to the service box and quickly serve?
  • Do you feel rushed and overpowered?

If you can answer yes to one or more of the above questions, then you are playing a shark. Racquetball sharks like to play as hard and fast as possible. They want to win their games as quickly as possible. Sharks know how to play at a very fast pace and will not give their opponents any chance to relax or to catch their breath.

Don’t Feed the Shark

So if you want to win against a shark, you cannot let them control the tempo of the match. Do not feed them by trying to hit the ball at their pace. This will only turn into a slug-fest, which the shark will win.

So, here is the game plan to use against a shark.

  • Serve lob serves or jam serves
  • Count to ten before serving the ball
  • Return all back court shots with either ceiling ball shots or around the wall balls
  • When the shark is in the service box to serve, hold your racquet up and count to ten
  • If the shark wins 3 or 4 points in a row, take a time-out
  • Never let a shark win a game without taking all of your time-outs
  • Try to keep your shots from rebounding off the back wall

The above tactics should slow the game down to YOUR pace. You want your points with a shark to last as long as possible. A frustrated shark will attempt to end a rally by taking riskier shots.

Above all, to win when playing a shark takes great patience, a trait which is alien to sharks.

5 Top Ways to Learn to Play Racquetball

 Practice, Tips  No Responses »
Oct 192013
 

There are many ways to increase your skills and knowledge of racquetball. To learn a new skill, you need to first understand the concepts behind the skill and then correctly practice the technique for the skill.

Learning occurs thru different and multiple mechanisms but the ones which have the greatest impact require direct participation and immediate feedback.

Lets look at the top 5 ways to learn to play racquetball:

  1. playing, playing, playing, and by doing repetitions during individual practice
  2. by example from watching live demonstrations (at clinics or private lessons)
  3. by watching live matches of high level players
  4. y watching instructional videos (also see below)
  5. by reading instructional books

There is no single magic bullet to learning to play racquetball. If you want to improve your talents, then there is no substitute for practice. Remember to always keep this formula in mind:

Talent = Practice x Motivation

However, take advantage of private or group lessons, watch live pro matches whenever possible, and attend clinics by local pros. If these events are not available, then watch pro IRT matches on YouTube.

Win More Racquetball Rallies with the Pinch Shot

 Pinch Shots, Practice  No Responses »
Oct 172013
 

The racquetball pinch shot is the most efficient way to end a rally. If you have a shot in the middle or front of the court and your opponent is behind you,  then hit the ball below knee level into one of the front corners.

A well hit pinch shot hits the side wall first, then will bounce twice on the floor before it reaches the opposite side wall. If there is one shot that really elevates your game to the next level, it is the pinch shot. So before every match, spend a few minutes warming-up with pinches.

To practice your pinches, stand several feet behind the 5 ft encroachment line and drop and hit to the right corner. Allow the ball to rebound back to you and then hit a pinch to the opposite corner pinch. Try to hit the ball low enough so it will bounce twice before reaching the opposite side wall.

You can continue hitting alternating forehand and backhand pinches for several minutes or until you reach 20 points (1 pt for good pinches, 0 pt for a high pinch, -1 pt for a skip). Do not skip the ball! You are not trying to kill the ball.