Mastering the serve may be the biggest factor when it comes to playing racquetball at a competitive level. All points in racquetball are scored by the player who is serving. When the receiver wins the point, he gets to serve the next point, but he does not get a point for his efforts. Mixing up your serves gives you the best chance to play a winning game.
Power Serve
The power serve---or drive serve---is the top serve in the sport of racquetball. It is similar to a baseball pitcher's fastball. It is the No. 1 serve used, and other serves are made more effective when the drive serve is being delivered with power and control to the rear corners of the court. To hit the drive serve, the player stands in the middle of the serving box and delivers the ball off the front wall so that it rebounds low and with speed to the opponent's forehand or backhand side. While most servers like to hit the ball to their opponent's backhand, mixing up the drive serve and taking it to the forehand forces the opponent to prepare for either option.
High Bounding Serve
While the drive serve is all about power, the high bounding or lob serve is designed to slow the pace of the game and get your opponent off balance. If your opponent is preparing to return a drive serve, she will be on her toes and ready to move in either direction in an instant so she can get to the ball and hit an effective return. However, when she has to hit a lob serve, she needs patience. It's hard to ask a player to wait on the ball when all of her prior shots have been about displaying quickness and aggressiveness. Many players have a hard time waiting to hit the return shot and mishit the lob serve when it comes their way, especially when their opponent places it in the rear backhand corner.
Z-Serve
The Z-serve is another effective serve that can catch an unsuspecting opponent flatfooted when he is thinking that he will see a drive serve. On the Z-serve, the server drives the ball off the corner of the front wall and then has it round into the sidewall. The ball rebounds to the opposite side of the court, hits the floor past the service line and then hits the sidewall. The well-struck Z-serve then falls to the ground a second time, giving the point to the server. To return a Z-serve, you must sprint to the sidewall and scrape it with your racket to keep the ball in play. Players who take an extra second to recognize what is going on will not get to the ball quickly enough and will lose the point.
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