Racquetball

What is Racquetball?

An introduction to a racquet sport which is played with a bouncy rubber ball that you can hit off the ceiling as well as the four walls.

The History of Racquetball

What do you if you can't find a racquet sport that you like? If you're Joseph Sobek, a former tennis and squash coach in the United States in 1950, you simply invent another. Tired of his office job at a rubber manufacturing plant, Sobek wanted to be more active but didn't want to play any of the existing racquet sports.

For this new sport of his, to be played in an indoor court with four walls, he designed a new racquet and also created a hollow rubber ball with the right size and bounce. Soon others liked racquetball as much as Sobek did, and before too long he was in a position to quit that office job to develop the sport.

How to play Racquetball

While in tennis and badminton you have to lift the ball over the net, and in squash you have to avoid the 'The Tin' or area at the base of the front wall, there's nothing you have to hit the ball over in racquetball.

If that sounds very free and open, there are a few rules to learn. One of those is that you must bounce the ball before hitting your serve, and you must be on or behind the service line. After hitting the front wall first, the ball must land beyond the short line on the other side of the court. Otherwise it's a fault.

It's also a service fault if the ball touches more than one side wall, if it hits the ceiling or if it rebounds off the front wall or hits the back wall on the full. The server usually gets two serves, although in some tournaments they might say that you're only allowed one chance. The receiver, who is standing behind the receiving line, can play the ball once it has bounced beyond the short line or travelled past the receiving line. After the serve, there are fewer restrictions on the shots you can play. You're allowed to hit the ball off the ceiling. You can bounce the ball off the side and back walls as you please, just so long as you hit the front wall without the ball bouncing. You also have to hit the ball before it bounces twice.

Hinder and Penalty Hinder

If you prevent your opponent from playing the ball, but they probably weren’t about to win the rally with their next shot, you will be called for a 'hinder'. The rally will then be replayed. If you block your opponent from playing what would probably have been a winning shot, you will suffer a 'penalty hinder', which means they have won the point. It can often be a fine line between a 'hinder' and a 'penalty hinder' - it's up to the referee to make a judgment call.

The Scoring

You can only score a point when you're serving. If you win a rally as the returner, you gain the right to serve. You'll then serve, and add points, for as long as you carry on winning rallies. Matches tend to be the best-of-three-sets, with the first two games the first to 15 points, and the third set, if it's needed, played up to 11 points.

The dimensions of the Racquetball court

Rectangular in shape, the indoor court is 40 feet long, 20 feet wide and 20 feet high, and is enclosed with four walls and a ceiling. You can also play on an outdoor court, which has a front wall, but no ceiling or back wall, and sometimes has side walls.

Equipment for Racquetball

Whether you're a beginner, a recreational player or more advanced, HEAD has a racquetball frame to suit you, with the Extreme, the Radical and the Club series of racquets. For ultimate performance and comfort, choose HEAD footwear, which is engineered with state-of-the-art technologies and materials, while a HEAD glove delivers superior grip, control and comfort.

While playing such a fast-moving sport, you will benefit from HEAD's modern sportswear. On the way to and from the court, carry your belongings in a HEAD bag. Many players wear eye-guards or safety glasses to protect themselves from getting hit in the eye with the ball.

The balls come in different colors and have different playing attributes to suit various abilities.

What’s the difference between Squash and Racquetball?

In many ways, squash and racquetball are similar - you'll burn a lot of calories playing either one of these sports. But there are big differences, too, especially when it comes to size. A racquetball court is larger than a squash court, and a racquetball is bigger and bouncier. While a racquetball frame is shorter than a squash racquet, the stringed area is wider.

There are other differences. In squash, you don't have to bounce the ball before serving. And while racquetball players get two serves, squash players are permitted just one. A squash player is never allowed to hit the ceiling and also has to worry about 'The Tin'. The scoring is also different in squash, with sets played up to 9 or 11. In the scoring system played up to 11, you earn a point for every rally you win - you don't have to be serving to win a point. When you're playing up to 9, you can only win points when you're serving.