Racquetball is an amazing sport for having fun and getting in a great workout. It will not only build up your cardio, but it will further develop your hand eye coordination and build strength in your legs, core and forearms.
The game has been around for several decades and reached its peak popularity in the 1970’s and 1980’s. However, it still remains a popular game today.
It is played in a 40×20 court and can be played in the following formats: 1 on 1, 2 on 2 and there is even an option called “cut throat” where 3 people can play and compete against each other.
The great news about racquetball is that people of all skill levels and ages can play, compete and get a great workout. It is important to find other players with similar skill levels.
Below we will provide a comprehensive overview on how to play racquetball. We will start with the basics, move on to the rules, and provide some key tips to help you play better racquetball.
We finish with some safety tips and some frequently asked questions. At the end of the day, the majority of us are looking for a good workout and an activity or sport that allows us to compete against others while enjoying the camaraderie that comes with competition or teaming up with others of similar interests.
The Basics of Racquetball – How to Play Racquetball
Racquetball is an indoor sport played in a 40×20 room that has a high ceiling. The ultimate goal is to hit the ball against the front wall after your opponent has hit a shot, but you must get to the ball before it bounces twice. Once you hit the ball, it cannot touch the ground until after the ball has hit the front wall. Below is a picture of a racquetball court with the key lines and the front wall marked. We will reference this picture in the paragraphs below:
The game is composed of three different sets. The first two sets are played until the first person reaches 15 points. Points can only be scored when you serve. This takes place when your opponent fails to get the ball to the front wall by the rules of the game. The third set is only played to 11.
To start the game, someone serves. Each point starts with one team serving. The serve must first hit the front wall and has to hit the ground between the short line line and the back wall. If the ball hits the back wall prior to hitting the ground, it is considered a bad serve and the person serving gets one more chance, called a second serve.
The ball also cannot hit three walls before hitting the ground on the serve. If this occurs, the person can also receive a second serve. If either of these situations happen on the second serve, the opponent now takes over the serve and can win points with a successful rally.
The serve takes place from the service zone and then the rally continues until the ball bounces twice after hitting the front wall or the other players fails to get the ball to the front wall before it hits the ground.
Players often try to hit shots that return low or with great speed to get the ball past their opponents and have it bounce twice past the opponent. If the person serving wins the point, he or she continues to serve until the opponent is able to break the serve.
If the person receiving the serve is able to beat his opponent on that rally, he or she then gets the opportunity to serve and possibly earn a point. Once again, you can only earn a point when you are serving. Many of the best players have powerful serves that try to put the opponent in a bad position.
You will also see different lob shots if a person is not a position to hit a “kill” shot in the game of racquetball. This is a shot that rolls outs really low and is impossible to return. This sometimes is a result from the angle at which the ball hits the ball or if the player hits a perfect shot in one of the front corners.
The game continues back and forth with either a point being scoredor a side out occurring. Games, when evenly matched, can last a decent amount of time because points can be difficult to come by. Overall, each player or players can get an excellent workout. To read more about the workout benefits, check out our post here. We discuss 9 benefits of playing racquetball.
The Rules of Racquetball
- Some of the basics include:
- The ball cannot hit the ground twice before the player returns a shot to the front wall.
- The shot must not hit the ground prior to the front wall, but the ball can hit other walls on the court.
- Points can only be scored by the person serving. When the receiver breaks the serve, he or she now has the opportunity to serve and score points.
- The serve cannot hit three walls prior to hitting the ground beyond the short line.
- The serve must first hit the front hall before hitting anything else.
- The serve cannot hit the back wall prior to hitting the ground between the short line and the back wall.
- The server receives a 2nd serve if the first serve is a fault.
- If the 2nd serve is a fault, there is a side out.
- A hinder can be called if obstruction of the ball or a players effort to get to the ball occurs. Typically this results in a replay of the point.
7 Tips to Help you Play Better Racquetball
1 – Learn to serve at a high level
Serving is a vital part of the game. The goal is to put your opponent in a position where he or she might struggle to get the ball to the front wall or even if they do it leaves you wide open to hit an excellent shot and win the point. If the person returns a quality shot and you are snow in a weaker position, a lob shot might be your best option.
If you fault on a first serve, we would recommend a serve that tries to get your opponent in one of the back corners.
A fast, hard serve that goes to your opponents back hand side is ideal. You want to dry low to the ground when serving to help the ball stay low to the ground after it hits the front wall.
Occasionally, it is wise to mix up the location, height and velocity of your serve to keep your opponent from seeing a pattern.
2 – Stay towards the middle of the court
Positioning in racquetball is vital. The closer you can stay to the middle of the court, allows you to maximize the angles with the ball bouncing off the walls. As you gain more and more experience, you will improve at playing the angles and making the proper adjustments to where the ball is going. You will find yourself being more efficient with your movements.
The back wall can be difficult to navigate. Using the back wall to your advantage will help you win more points.
3 – Learn the lob shot
Not every shot can be an amazing best shot when playing racquetball. Sometimes you have to think 1 to 3 shots in advance by playing the lob shot and using it to your advantage.
The goal is to get your opponent to hit a bad shot to leave the ball in the middle of the court so you can hit a shot it went to the point
4 – Perfect your roll out shot
The game of racquetball can be difficult against someone that is quick and able to get to a lot of the shots. The key to becoming really good at the game is being able to hit a shot that rolls out and doesn’t give your opponent the opportunity to return the shot. This can be done by hitting the ball low on the wall from the right angle or using one of the corners.
The shot often comes from the middle of the court and gives you plenty of options. This leaves the opponent guessing where the ball may end up. This high risk, high reward shot can sometimes leave the ball in the middle of the court and your opponent can hit a great shot to beat you. Pick your spots wisely, but overall remain aggressive.
5 – Be able to hit a quality backhand
Frequently, you could find yourself pushed up and forced to hit your backhand. Being able to hit a shot that allows you to continue on with the point is very important. When in doubt you could always hit the lob shot with the back hand and hope that your opponent gets put in a difficult situation in the back corner.
As you advance in the game, the backhand can become equally as powerful as the forehand. However, it takes work for most people as it is typically more awkward and less powerful.
6 – Use the walls to your advantage
The walls can be used to your advantage. Using the front corners can help the ball roll out and not give your opponent a chance to return the shot.
Also, learning to use the back wall when stuck in the back corner can help with the lob shop. When serving, the Z shaped shot can get your opponent moving in different directions. Hopefully, resulting in a shot that allows you to win the point. Hitting the lob shot close to walls, especially in the back corner, can help put your opponent in a difficult positions and sometimes even lead to an easy point if they get crossed up.
7 – Read your opponent – Find their weakness
Most players have a weak spot somewhere in their game. Whether that is receiving a serve or playing the lob shop. Find out where the weaknesses and attack it. Try different serves to see where the weakest return is for your opponent and continue to try to take advantage of the opportunity.
3 Safety Tips for Racquetball
1 – Wears protective eyewear
While the protective eyewear can get somewhat sweaty or uncomfortable, I highly recommend investing in a pair and getting used to them. This little bit of inconvenience and the uncomfortable nature sure beats taking a ball to the face and even worse to the eye. Your eyesight is extremely valuable, spend the money, deal with the inconvenience and protect yourself.
2 – Be aware of your opponents location
Know where your opponent is at all times. This not only helps you play better, but it can keep you say. Different opponents will have different movement patterns, but the last thing you want to happen is to get hit by a follow through swing.
Also understand that the more you hang out in the middle of the court, you increase your chances of getting hit by a ball. I guess it depends how bad you want to win.
3 – Don’t look back when your opponent is hitting behind you
Keep your face protected by glancing back, but overall, keeping your focus on the front wall. If you turn around to look right as the opponent is hitting, you might catch a ball in the face. Protect yourself and your face by focusing on the front of the room.
Related Questions…
How to Play Racquetball – 3 Person
There are two different options for playing 3 person racquetball, often referred to as “cut throat.” The person serving can play against the other two playing partners. It essentially becomes a game of 1 on 2 for the person service.
The player once again can only earn points by winning the rally against the other 2 players. This format of the game can take awhile because it can be more difficult to score because of the 1 on 2 setup. The server rotates equally amongst the three players.
Another version that I have played is the server is serving to one other player. The third player stands in a back corner and stays out of the way. If a sideout occurs, the player who earned the side out is now serving and can earn points by winning a really.
You only get to serve if you can earn the side-out. This game is fun and it keeps the court less crowded than traditional cut throat racquetball.
Take Action…
Racquetball is a great game for an awesome workout and is highly competitive and fun to play. The non stop action increases the heart rate and produces an awesome sweat. Looking for a court near you and consider playing the game once again or picking it up for the first time.
The long term benefits of a social game that brings about a great workout is phenomenal. Make sure you stretch and warm up and are ready for the exertion that it takes to play the game. Overall, you might find a game that you truly love and can play at any time of the year, rain or shine!