Racquetball requires speed, quickness, execution and strategy. Once a player gets involved on a highly competitive level and is playing against other accomplished players, the game is about gaining a small strategic edge. It's very unlikely that a player will consistently find himself as having a physical advantage over an opponent. Instead, it's the ability to move the ball around the court so the player can gain a small advantage and finish the point.
Backhand Shots
One of the top strategies that high-level racquetball players embrace is the use of the backhand shot. Many players gravitate toward the forehand shot and use the backhand as the shot of last resort. Good players know they can have great control of the backhand and they can use the shot to run their opponent all over the court. It will also surprise many racquetball players when they see their opponent choose to hit a backhander instead of the forehand. This can leave him off balance and vulnerable.
Versatile Serving
It's not about smoking your drive serve deep into the corners every time you serve. The best players will catch up with that serve because they can learn to time the ball. Great servers will mix up their serves and use the lob serve to take advantage of an anxious and impatient opponent who may not wait that extra split second and will hit the return poorly. A Z-serve will force your opponent out of his comfort zone and make him sprint toward one of the sidewalls just to put the ball in play. Finally, a backhand serve may be so unexpected that your opponent has no idea that you have that shot in your repertoire. Mix up all those serves and then go back to your backhand drive serve to get the advantage in the match.
Ceiling Balls
There will be times when your opponent has the momentum in a match. He simply may be just a tad better than you are. Instead of bemoaning your fate, you can slow the pace of the game down by hitting a series of ceiling shots. When you hit the ball to the front corner of the ceiling, it will take quite a bit longer to retrieve the ball deep in one of the corners. If you are constantly moving trying to chase down a shot, you have nothing to lose by changing the pace. The ceiling shot will allow you to buy time to recover. Your opponent must show patience, and that may be enough to give you an advantage when you were previously at a disadvantage.
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