Racquetball Safety

Safety

As with any sport or rigorous physical activity, racquetball does bring with it certain risks. However, with some good common sense and some safety suggestions (that are taken seriously and practiced constantly), many of these risks can be minimized.

As noted on the Health Benefits page of this site, racquetball is strenuous on a player's body. One should be checked out by a physician before beginning to play racquetball or any other demanding activity.

Being in good physical condition before starting the sport is just the beginning of racquetball safety. It should not surprise anyone that injuries to players do occur while playing. When two, three, or four people are confined to and run around in a 20' x 40' room with solid walls while hitting a ball at speeds of 150+ mph with fast-swinging racquets, accidents sometimes happen. Running into walls, runing into players, getting hit with the ball, getting hit with racquets, slipping on sweat spots on the floor, and twisting joints and pulling muscles can all happen when playing racquetball.

Players must constantly "think safety" when playing. Some safety tips are common sense, while others are specific to racquetball. "Don't run into the wall" and "wipe up sweat on the floor" should seem fairly obvious. Attention will now be given to some racquetball-specific safety tips.

Protect Your Eyes!
You don't have to spend much time around the sport of racquetball until you hear or read about someone being seriously injured while playing racquetball after being hit in the eye with a ball. This is one of the scariest and most permanent injuries associated with the game and it is also one of the most preventable.

ALWAYS WEAR RACQUETBALL GOGGLES! Never step in a court without proper eye protection. Goggles worn need to be made specifically for racquetball. Regular eyeglasses are not designed to withstand the impact forces of a fast moving racquetball. Buy goggles and wear them! If the goggles you own regularly fog up during play, purchase some that allow for an air flow over the lenses.

Don't ever watch your opponent make contact with ball if he/she is next to you or behind you in the court. Always turn your head forward to the front wall before contact is made.

Watch the game through your strings. When your opponent is behind you (or when you are standing in the doubles box while your partner serves), hold your racquet to the side of your head and look through the strings of the racquet while your opponent sets up for his/her shot. Turn you head forward before your opponent contacts the ball. Whenever you sense the slightest possibly getting hit in the face with the ball, put your racquet next to your head, look through the strings, and protect your eyes.

When hitting (or rebounding) the ball off of the back wall in a defensive manner, always duck your face to the floor before making contact with the ball. Never have your face looking at the back wall--let the top of your head be the closest thing to the wall.

Avoid Getting Hit by Racquets
When racquets hit human bodies, they hurt. Welts, cuts, and bruises tend to quickly follow encounters between racquets and bodies. In many cases, players are struck by their own racquets much more frequently than by those of their courtmates. Here are several safety rules.

Wear your thong. The thong is the strap or cord that is secured to the handle of the racquet and is worn around a player's wrist. This is a rule, not a suggestion. (Rule 2.4 RACQUET SPECIFICATIONS; (c) The racquet frame must include a cord that must be securely attached to the player's wrist.)

Give your courtmates room to swing. Don't crowd other players.

Be conscious of the positions of others in the court and be prepared to restrict your follow through to avoid hitting others.

Call a safety holdup hinder and replay the point.

Avoid Getting Hit by the Ball
One of the most common injuries that occurs while playing racquetball comes from getting hit by the racquetball. Except for the permanent injuries that can come from getting hit in the eye, most ball hits only sting for a short while. They can leave red marks or bruises on the skin that can last several days.

Although center court may be the desired defensive destination of a player during a rally, one can not take up residence in center court if it deprives your opponent of his/her right to hit a shot straight to the front wall and a cross-court shot to the opposite corner. The rules state...

Rule 3.15 AVOIDABLE HINDERS (a) Failure to Move. A player does not move sufficiently to allow an opponent a shot straight to the front wall as well as a cross-court shot which is a shot directly to the front wall at an angle that would cause the ball to rebound directly to the rear corner farthest from the player hitting the ball. Also when a player moves in such a direction that it prevents an opponent from taking either of these shots.

Get out of the way! If you hit such a terrible shot that it allows your opponent to return it down the center of the court, that is your fault. If you get hit standing in your opponent's hitting lane, it is an avoidable hinder and you should lose the point!

This same principle holds true for doubles. When serving to the same side of the court as the side where your partner is standing in the doubles box, you are probably setting your partner up to be in the hitting lane of the returner. Give your opponent his/her entitled hitting lanes.

Play smart and anticipate where others will hit the ball and where others will be in the court when you hit the ball.

If you are not sure where the other players are in the court (especially when you are playing a ball off the back wall and not looking toward the front of the court), go to the ceiling.

When uncertain about the location of players in the court, or when you are not confident in your ball control ability, back off of the power and hit the ball softer.

If you are absolutely afraid of hitting another player or being hit by another player, call a hinder and play the point again.

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