A Bit Of Racquetball

Talent is not merely enough to put you on top of the game. You must first acquaint yourself with some of the basic stuffs about your chosen sport. In this case let’s take some time off to know a thing or two about racquetball.

The sport is presented in varying number of players which can reach up to four. A two-player game called singles is the usual format. It is also termed as one-up wherein two individuals go head to head for the entirety of the competition. The four player format is coined as doubles. This features two pairs going against each other.

There is another form of racquetball that is called cut-throat or ironman. This is a three-player game which means that two person compete with a single individual. Players take alternating turns at service chores. Service is then received by the other two individuals who will play as a unit.

California or in-and-out is also a three-player game. This involves two persons going head to head while the third competitor waits in the back court. A rally takes place with the winner coming out to serve the waiting player. The loser then serves as the player on stand-by.

Sevens is another variation of the three-player format. It showcases a single player going against a pair that will play as a team. If the pair reaches 7 points first the game reaches conclusion but if the single player makes it to 7 first the game continues up to 14. If again the individual playing solo moves up to 14 points first the game heads up to 21. The game ends regardless of who gets to 21 first.

Now that you have an idea of how game play goes on let’s have an understanding on how points are earned. Put in mind that points are only awarded to the serving player or serving team in doubles talk. They can be achieved by pulling away with a rally win after a successful serve.

A player loses a rally in certain instances during game play. This can happen if the ball bounces on the floor more than once before the player is able to strike it. A point is also lost if the ball does not come in contact with the front wall during the rally. Another scenario would be if the ball goes overboard into an out-of-bounds surface such as the spectator’s gallery, wall opening, or any area that deviates from normal playing field.

Furthermore, a slow ball can also cost a player a rally particularly if it hits another player due to the lack of velocity required to reach the front wall. A hit striking another player due to the actions of the other player or his partner is another no-no. Penalized hindrances can also be a cause of losing a rally. Other actions that may place the player on the losing end of a rally are carrying the ball using the racquet, not utilizing racquet cord for wrist safety, switching of racquet hands during the actual rally, and allowing the ball to hit the uniform or other body part.

According to USA Racquetball rules matches are slated as best of three games. The first two games entail competitors to reach 15 points in order to win while the third game demands 11 points. USA Racquetball standards do not include winning by a margin of at least two points in each game which make it different from its Canadian counterpart.

Racquetball – A Primer On Rules

As one of the world’s more popular indoor sports (around 14 million enthusiasts around the world and 10 million in the U.S.), racquetball owes much of its popularity to the simplicity of the game itself. The rules are easy to assimilate and implement, and the nature of the game itself is quite simple.

For amateurs who might have forgotten how the game is played and for those who do not know how to play the game but are curious to know it and its rules, the following are the major game makeup.

Single double or trio

Racquetball games are played by two people against one another (singles) or four people with two for each team (doubles) and three people (cutthroat) where each one plays the other two.

Players who are serving the ball score points. Losing a serve is called a sideout. In doubles, each player can serve before sideout happens.

The first to win two games (up to 15 points) wins the match. If both teams have one win each, the tie-breaker is done up to 11 points.

Courts and required racquets 

Racquetball courts have four walls – two are 40 feet (length) and two are 20 feet (width) with a ceiling height of 20 feet.

There are markers for the receiving line, drive serve line, service line and the short line.
These lines mark the serving area, serving boxes, and the receiving area.

Racquets for the game have bumper guards (grommets) and handles with a nylon rope to secure the racquet to the wrist. Also, all players are required to wear protective eye gear.

Game proper

A racquetball game starts with a coin toss, with the winner choosing to either serve or receive the first game. In the second game, the server becomes the receiver.

The player or team that scores the most points in the 1st two games chooses to serve or receive during the tiebreaker. (If both have equal scores in the 1st 2 games, there is a coin toss.)

In regular everyday games, players or teams offer the other to choose first as a matter of courtesy.

More rules

The server has to stay in the service area when serving, stepping on a line but not pass the line. The server can pass the short line once the serve (ball) passes that line.

There should be a continuous motion throughout the serve while the receiver allows just one ball bounce, and hitting it before the second bounce.

In doubles, only one player does the first serve. After that, each player serves during every team serve. The non-serving player meantime has to stand erect with his/her back against the side wall and both feet on the floor, not moving until the ball break the short line plane.

Rallies and hinders

A rally (a succession of point wins) remains in force until any of the following happens: the player carries the ball, the ball goes out of court, the ball does not make it to the front wall, and the ball bounces twice before the receiver hits it.

Hinders happen for safety reasons. Play or the serve is over if a hinder occurs. These consists of such moves as a screen (opponent blocks the view of the ball), holdup (holding the swing for safety) or court hinder (court deflect the ball).

Do you feel you can play racquetball now?