| Instruction Over time, this section will highlight some of the fundamental
techniques and philosophies of the game. In addition to this section, Racquetball
Magazine published by the United States Racquetball Association provides
instructional lesson sections in each edition of their publication. Cliff Swain's Total
Racquetball video is also a wonderful instructional aid.
The tips and ideas provided in this section come from more
than two decades of on-court experience playing racquetball, years of collegiate teaching
experience, and the insights into the game provided through the
AmPRO instructor program.
PHILOSOPHY OF THE GAME
A game is defined by its rules. Change a rule and
you change the essence of the game and the nature by which the opponents compete and the
strategies that they employ to win. The first and most important step in
understanding racquetball is to become intimately familiar with the rules. Once the
rules are understood, the philosophy and strategies of the game can emerge.
Plain and simple, the goal of racquetball is to hit the
ball so that your opponent cannot return it before it bounces twice. It sounds so
simple, however, making that happen time after time is difficult. Racquetball, like
most sports, is simple in principle, yet complex in practice.
In thinking about making the ball bounce twice before your
opponent can retrieve it, two strategies come to mind. The first is to simply hit
the ball past, around, or away from your opponent (shot selection), the second is have the
ball not bounce off of the front wall, or to have the ball bounce twice very quickly after
it contacts the front wall, so that the ball fails to return to a place where the opponent
has a chance of a return (stroke mechanics).
Hitting the ball is only part of the game. Your
opponent will also try to hit the ball so that you cannot return it before it bounces
twice. Court positioning, the third dimension of the game, is critically important
to prevent points from being scored against you and to put you in a position to hit rally
ending shots come your turn.
Proper shot mechanics, shot selection, and court
positioning are three main dimensions of the game over which players have control.
Learning where to be to hit the ball, how to hit the ball, and where to hit the ball (and
doing all three of these things consistently) will improve any player's game. Once
these dimensions are mastered, the game takes on a new and additional dimension--the
dimension of gamesmanship, strategy, and mental toughness.
On the following pages, the four primary dimensions of
racquetball will be described in further detail. Before beginning any discussion of
racquetball play, however, a lesson in court safety should first be presented.
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