How To Play Racquetball
A Quick Guide on How to Play Racquetball
Learning how to play racquetball doesn’t have to be a difficult ordeal. Racquetball is a terrific sport that combines the fundamental movements of other racquet sports like tennis and badminton with the quick, reflexive skills of ping pong. The difference between these sports and racquetball is that there is no obstacle in racquetball—just an enclosed rectangular-shaped room. This doesn’t sound very exciting, but there is much to learn about this sport that will surely entice you into giving it a try!
Equipment
In order to learn how to play racquetball, you need to have an idea of the equipment needed to play the game. The first piece of equipment you will need is a racquet. A racquetball racket is shaped quite differently from that of any other racquet sport. The head of this racquet is shaped like a rounded triangle with the point ending at the handle of the racquet. These racquets usually don’t exceed 22 inches in overall length. The next piece of equipment you will need is a racquetball. This is a bouncy rubber ball with a diameter of about 2.25 inches. These are the only necessities needed to play racquetball, however during competitions (if you choose to compete), you will be required to wear protective eye gear to prevent vision damage should the ball go astray.
Object of the Game
The object of the game of racquetball, in basic terms, is to take turns hitting the ball against the front wall until one person misses their hit, allowing the ball to bounce twice on the floor. If the player who missed the hit was not serving, then the server will gain a point. The first player to gain 15 points wins the game.
How to Play
As with most racquet-based games, this one starts out with a serve. In order to determine who will serve first, both players will take a turn serving from the dotted line. Whoever makes the rebound closest to the dotted line will serve first. Whoever is going to serve will do so between the two solid lines in the middle of the court. The other player must remain towards the back end of the court between the dotted line and the back wall.
When the ball is served, it must hit the front wall without bouncing before the second solid line. The ball must also not bounce off of the front wall and directly hit the back wall without bouncing in between. The ball must also not hit more than two solid walls before bouncing after a serve. If any of these result during a serve, the server will receive a fault. If the server receives two faults in a row, then the other player must take their turn to serve.
If a good serve has been made, the players will take turns hitting the ball against the front wall. A hit may be made either before or after the ball has bounced. A hit against the back wall is considered valid as long as it is able to rebound directly to the front wall without bouncing or striking another wall in between. The players continue this back and forth sequence until a player misses their hit by allowing the ball to bounce twice before it is struck. If the player who missed the hit was the server, then they must step back and allow the other player to serve. If the player who missed the hit was not the server, then the server will gain a point.
Again, the first player to reach 15 points wins the game. Games can be played as either one-on-one, couple teams, or three-against-three. Racquetball is an exciting game that requires very little athletic ability in order to be enjoyable. Now that you have a better idea of how to play racquetball, why not give it a try?