Encyclopedia
Racquetball is a sport played with
racquets and a hollow
rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. It was invented by Joe Sobek in 1949 incorporating rules from squash and
handball. Unlike most racquet sports , usage of the walls, floor, and ceiling of the court is considered legal in the context of the sport, rather than out-of-bounds. The game is normally played by two opposing players, though variations involving three and four players are also commonly played. Games involving two players are called singles or '1-Ups' , three player games are typically called 'Ironman' or 'Cutthroat' , and four player games are called doubles or 'Paired Pirates'.
History
Joe Sobek is credited with inventing racquetball, though not naming the sport. Sobek, a
tennis professional, and handball player, was looking for a fast paced sport that was easy to learn and play. He designed the first strung paddle, devised a set of rules based on those from squash and handball and named his game, "paddle rackets". In February 1952, Sobek founded the International Paddler's Racquets Association, codified the rules, and had a booklet of said rules printed.
The new game experienced rapid growth & take-up through Sobek's continual promotion of the game, but was also aided by the estimated 40,000 existing handball courts across the country in
YMCAs and
JCCs which could be also be used for racquetball.
In 1969 with the help of Robert W. Kendler—the president and founder of the U.S.S.R. Handball Association —the International Racquetball Association was founded using a name coined by professional tennis player, Bob McInerny. That same year the IRA took over the National championship from the National Paddle Rackets Association. After a dispute with the board of directors of the IRA in 1973, Kendler went on to form two other racquetball organizations but the IRA has continued to be the dominant organizing force within the sport, recognized by the US Olympic Committee as the U.S. national governing body for the sport. It organized the first professional tournament in 1974 and is a founding member of the International Racquetball Federation. The IRA eventually became the American Amateur Racquetball Association and then changed again in the later 1990's to the United States Racquetball Association . The USRA in 2003 then switched again to mirror other Olympic sports by changing its name to USA Racquetball .
Kendler used his publication
ACE to promote both handball and racquetball. Starting in the
1970s and aided by the
fitness boom, the popularity of the sport surged with an estimated 3.1 million players in 1974. With the increased demand racquetball clubs and courts were founded and sporting goods manufactures began to produce equipment specific to the sport. This period of growth continued into the early
1980s but declined in the latter part of the decade as fitness clubs converted court space to serve a wider clientele with aerobics classes and newer fitness machines. Since that time the number of players has remained steady with an estimated 5.6 million players.
Currently the International Racquetball Tournament , Legends Tour, and Women's Professional Racquetball Organization handle the professional aspects of the game. The game is televised a few times per year, with the biggest televised event being the US Open championships, held in Memphis, TN. In 2005, another Grand Slam event was added to the roster: Pro Nationals. This event has to date been held in
Chicago,
Illinois and Rehoboth Beach,
Delaware.
Rules
A standard racquetball court is
rectangular and is 40 feet long, 20 feet wide and 20 feet high. The court is marked by several red lines to define service and reception areas. The
short line is a solid red line running the width of the court and is parallel to the front and back walls and is twenty feet from the back wall. The
service line is parallel to the
short line and is five feet closer to the front wall. Within the area created by these two lines , there are two sets of
lines perpendicular to the short and service lines. The first set of lines are 18 inches from and parallel with the side walls and along with the short line, service line and side wall define the doubles box where the non-serving partner in doubles must stand during the serve. 36 inches from the side wall is another set of lines which, along with the short line and the service line, define an area that the server must not enter if he wishes to hit a drive serve between himself and the nearest side wall. The
receiving line is a dashed line five feet parallel behind the short line . To serve, the player must bounce the ball on the floor once and then hit it directly to the front wall -- making the ball rebound beyond the short line and touch the floor either with or without touching one side wall. The server must stand within the service zone during the serve. The service receiver must stand behind the receiving line when the serve is being made and until the ball bounces on the floor or crosses the receiving line. After the serve is hit by the service receiver, there are no restrictions on where players must stand.
The choosing of whom has starting service is typically chosen by one of several methods, which include: calling which side a player hopes a spun racquet will fall, hitting a ball on its first bounce closest to the short line when standing near the back wall , or, more in line with traditional equal-choice decisions, flipping a coin.
The player who won the last point makes the next service. The server must bounce the ball once on the ground, then hit the ball against the front wall, at which point the ball either must hit the floor behind the short line directly or hit one side walls and then hit the floor behind the short line; otherwise it is a fault. . Once it passes the back of the service box, the ball is considered 'in play' and can be returned by the opposing player. The server is allowed two attempts at serving, like tennis, before Side Out. If the ball strikes any surface before the front wall it is a Side Out.
After a successful serve players alternate hitting the ball against the front wall. The player returning the hit may allow the ball to bounce once on the floor or hit the ball on the fly. However, once the player returning the shot has hit the ball, either before bouncing on the floor or after one bounce, it must strike the front wall before it hits the ground. Unlike the serve, a ball in play may touch as many walls, including the ceiling, as necessary as long as it reaches the front wall without bouncing on the floor.
Points are scored only by the server, or in the case of a doubles match, the server's team, when the served ball is not returned by an opposing player, or for some of the following rules below. Professional players play best of 5 eleven-point games, requiring a two-point margin of victory. Amateur players play 2 fifteen-point games, with an eleven-point tiebreaker if necessary. It is not necessary to win by two points in amateur racquetball.
During play, the following result in the loss of rally by a player
- The ball bounces on the floor more than once before being hit.
- The ball does not reach the front wall on the fly.
- The ball is hit such that it goes into the gallery or wall opening or else hits a surface above the normal playing area of the court that has been declared as out-of-play [See Rule 2.1].
- A ball that obviously does not have the speed or direction to hit the front wall strikes another player.
- A ball struck by a player hits that player or that player's partner.
- Committing a penalty hinder. See Rule 3.15.
- Switching hands during a rally.
- Failure to use a racquet wrist safety cord.
- Touching the ball with the body or uniform.
- Carrying or slinging the ball with the racquet.
Any rules questions should be refered to the sport's National Rules Commissioner at ODietrich@usra.org .
Shots of the Game
Service
Serve style varies drastically from player to player. Generally, they are divided into two types: offensive and defensive. Most players use an offensive serve for the first serve, and a defensive serve if they need to hit a second serve. Of the offensive serves, the most common is the drive. The intention with this serve is for the ball to travel low and fast towards either back corner, and to bounce twice before striking either side wall or the back wall. If the opponent is adjusting to the drive serve, the server will throw in any variety of jam serves.
A jam serve is an offensive serve which attempts to catch the opponent off balance by making use of difficult angles and unfrequented play space. The most common jam serve is the Z-serve, which strikes the front wall close to a side wall. The ball bounces quickly off the side wall, then strikes the floor and then the opposite side wall about 30-35 feet back. Depending upon the spin the server gives the Z-serve, the resulting carom may prove unpredictable and difficult to return. Side spin may cause the ball to bounce parallel to the back wall.
A pinch serve is similar to a drive server, however, the ball strikes a side wall very low and close to the serving box. With the appropriate spin, the ball has little bounce, and is difficult to return. It is possible that a successful serve would strike the sidewall before the service line, and land on the floor after the service line.
If the player faults on the first serve, they will usually hit a defensive serve. Defensive serves do not usually garner aces, but they are designed to generate a weak return by the opponent, thereby setting up the server to win the point. Most defensive serves are any variety of lob serves. A plain lob serve is a ball hit with a long, high arch into either back corner. The goal is to hit the ball so that it lands as close as possible to the back wall, giving the opponent very little room to hit a solid return. A junk lob takes a shallower arch, and lands close to the side wall somewhere between the dotted line and the back wall. This lob is intended to deceive the opponent into thinking he has an easy kill. However, since the ball is in the deep zone, it will more likely set up the server for an offensive shot.
Offensive shots
Straight-in shots are usually meant to hit the front wall as low as possible. If the ball contacts the front wall so low as to bounce twice before it reaches the service line it is called a "kill" shot. Straight-in shots are normally attempted with the idea of hitting toward the area of the court the opponent cannot cover. Straight-in shots hit where the opponent can't return them are called down-the-line and cross court passing shots.
Pinches and splats are shots that strike the side wall before the front wall. This often makes the ball bounce twice quickly to end the rally. Pinches normally strike the side wall towards the front part of the court, often within a few inches from the front wall. The "splat" shot is an elongated pinch that strikes the side wall towards the back part of the court. It often makes a distinctive splatting sound. Pinches are classified as frontside or reverse. A right-handed player shooting a forehand shot to the right front corner is shooting a frontside pinch. A right-handed player shooting to the left front corner is a reverse pinch. A right-handed player shoots a backhand frontside pinch to the left corner and a reverse pinch to the right corner. Everything for a left-handed player would be the opposite.
The dink is another very effective offensive shot designed to end the point. It is a shot very low to the front wall hit very softly so as to bounce twice before your opponent can get to it. It is most effective of course when opponent is positioned deep in the court
Defensive shots
The ceiling ball shot is the primary defensive shot. This is a shot that strikes the ceiling and then the front wall to bounce high and make the opponent shoot from deep in the court. Other defensive shots are the high Z and the round-the-world. The high Z is shot ten feet high or higher into the front corner. The ball then bounces from the side wall all the way to the opposite side wall, usually traveling over the top of the opponent, hitting the opposite side wall and dying deep in the court. The round-the-world shot is hit high into the side wall first so the ball then hits the front wall and then the other side wall, effectively circling the court.
Racketball
A similar game, known as
racketball, was adapted from racquetball by Ian D. W. Wright in the
United Kingdom in 1976. It is played on a squash court , does not utilise the ceiling, and is played with a smaller and less bouncy ball. The ball is bounced on the floor before striking the serve. Scoring is similar to squash, but with point-a rally scoring up to 15 points. The British Racketball Association was formed on 13 February 1984 and was confirmed as the sport's governing body by the
English Sports Council on 30 October 1984. The first National Racketball Championships were held in
London on 1 December 1984. The sport is now played in a number of countries where squash is played, including
Australia,
Bermuda,
France,
Germany,
Malaysia, the
Netherlands,
New Zealand,
South Africa, and
Sweden. It is also now played in some places in
North America. The British Racketball Association merged with the English Squash Rackets Association on 1 September 1998.
External links
