Racquetball Rules – How to Play Racquetball
Racquetball is a popular game that is played on courts or YMCA centers with specially crafted racquet and a hollow ball made with rubber. The interesting fact is that it can be enjoyed both as an indoor and outdoor game. In terms of player count, there are two singles and four doubles as couples. Cutthroat is an updated version of the game in which three players participate. The racquetball rules were developed in 1952 and it became wildly popular among enthusiastic players. The US Olympic Committee named this game Racquetball and laid the foundation of the International Racquetball Association in 1969.
Let’s learn about the origin and popularity of the game before learning how to play racquetball. Moving ahead, Joe Sobek is the founder of the game who invented this game in somewhere between 1940 to 1950. As it is the perfect combination of paddleball, squash and handball, it was originally known as paddle rackets.
There are not many equipment requirements for this sport, and it is relatively easy to learn. Moreover, Racquetball is played in around 100 countries today by an estimated 20 million people. Let’s discover more about the racquetball rules in detail.
How to Play Racquetball
Racquetball Requirements
Racquetball is a relatively simple game, so it doesn’t require many requirements. In order to play the game, you will need:
• Racquets: When choosing racquetball racquets, a number of factors must be considered, such as frame quality, stiffness, weight and grip size. The grip size varies and can be 3 ⅝ and 3 ⅞ depending on the glove size. However the 22 inches is the maximum length of the racquets.
• Balls: Compared to a regular squash ball, this ball is larger with a diameter of 2.25 inch. The rubber material makes it hard and bouncy. Racquetball involves a variety of colors like blue, red, green, and purple to indicate a different purpose.
• Shoes: Shoes with excellent traction are crucial for changing directions quickly during racquetball play. Racquetball courts are made up of wood, so they tend to be slippery at times, so athletic shoes are a must to prevent injuries and maximize performance.
• Eyewear / Goggles: During a match, the ball used in racquetball travels at speeds of around 100mph, raising the risk of hitting people’s eyes. So you must wear goggles that snugly fit your head and protect your eyes from getting hurt.
• Gloves: Although gloves are not essential, they provide strong grip and also prevent blisters on the hands during game.
• Court: The court is rectangular and enclosed like a squash court. Its length is 40ft with the height and width of 20ft. Moreover, it has red lines to represent the service and reception area.
Objective
The ultimate goal is to win rallies by earning maximum points. Players aim to strike a ball against the front wall that must be returned with a single bounce only. A player can score points in two different ways.
• In the first scenario, your opponent does not have a chance to hit the ball before it bounces twice.
• In a second scoring scenario, the ball is hit by your opponent, but cannot reach the front wall before touching the ground.
Racquetball Scoring
Similarly to squash and volleyball, the only way you can score points in racquetball is by serving yourself. It is not an actual point won if you “win” a point by your opponent’s serve. Your point is lost if you encounter:
• Before the return is played, the ball strikes the ground several times.
• As you strike the ball, the ball skips or misses hitting the front wall or it bounces.
• When you strike the ball, it enters the audience gallery, beyond the lines or wall opening.
• Although it hits the opponent, it does not strike the front wall.
• During a point, you change racquet hands.
• Use your body or clothes to touch the ball.
• The racquet is used to carry the ball (double hit).
• A player serves illegally twice.
How to Win Racquetball
As defined by USA Racquetball rules, there are three sets in each match. The player who wins the most of these three is the winner. Both the first and second sets contains15 points to win, whereas the required points are 11 in the last one.
The winning procedure is the same in the UK but to win a racquetball match in Canada, you must beat your opponent by at least two points.
Racquetball Court Markings
Several areas are available on the racquetball court. They are:
• Service line
• Front wall
• Back wall
• Short line
• Receiving line
• Service zone
Rules of Racquetball
• A warm-up of 5 minutes is essential before starting the game.
• The first person to serve the game can be determined by spinning the racket or flipping a coin.
• For the second match, the honor passes to the other player.
• In the third game decider, the player who has accumulated the most points is chosen.
• Servers can choose between two service boxes for serving. During every round and for every hand, the server can choose which box to use. However, they alternate serving as servers if they are gaining points.
• Play begins when it crosses the receiving line or bounces over the short line, the receiver is bound to strike over the front wall.
• It is possible for the ball to strike walls and ceilings simultaneously.
• In some cases, players try to stop their opponents from hitting the ball properly or disrupting the flow of the game. This is known as hinder or penalty hinder. The rally is restarted when a hinder occurs and the opponent gets the point.
FAQ
How do you play the game racquetball?
To play the game perfectly, you must know the racquetball rules and the different types of shots to win the game.
How do you score in racquetball?
The point total in racquetball tournaments is 15. The player who makes 15 points before the opponent will be the winner. If you play recreationally, you might choose to score 21, 7 score for cutthroat, or any number with mutual understanding.