Racquetball is a fast-paced, highly aerobic sport played in an enclosed court 20 feet wide by 40 feet long, with a ceiling 20 feet off the ground. Racquetball is played with a short-handled stringed racket no more than 22 inches long and a hollow rubber ball 2.25 inches in diameter. Because of the tight quarters and fast moving ball, many players use eye guards, which are mandatory for competition play.
History
In 1950, Joe Sobek created the idea of racquetball. According to USA Racquetball, the official US Racquetball Association website, during the Korean War Sobek had 25 rackets made by NJ Magnum Co. and a ball made from Seamless Rubber Co. In 1952, Sobek founded the National Paddle Rackets Association, or IRA, and put the rules into booklet form. In 1969, Robert W. Kendler helped found the International Racquetball Association. In 1969, the IRA inherited the national championship from the National Paddle Rackets Association. In 1973 two other organizations were founded, but the United States Olympic Committee recognizes the IRA as the American national governing body of racquetball.
In 1981, the International Racquetball Federation held the first World Racquetball Championships, which have since been held biyearly starting in 1984. Racquetball has been included in the World Games in 1981, 1989, 1993 and 2009. It was included in the Pan American Games in 1995, 1999 and 2003.
Basic Rules
Play starts with a serve. You must bounce the ball on the floor once before hitting it. The served ball must contact the front wall first; after that it may hit one side wall, but not two, before making contact with the ground again. The ball may not hit the back wall or the ceiling on a serve before hitting the floor. You must wait for the ball to past the short line before stepping out of the service box. Violation of any of these service rules is a fault. Games are played with either a one or two fault rule; in tournament play one fault rules are always used, meaning that if you make one fault you lose the serve.
After a legally served ball bounces behind the short line it is "in play." Players take turns hitting the ball against the front wall. A ball in play may bounce off the walls and the ceiling repeatedly as long as it hits the front wall before it hits the ground. After the ball hits the front wall, it may bounce once on the floor before being hit.
Hinders
Because racquetball is played in an enclosed area, there are times where a player may impede his opponent. This is known as a hinder. If you are unable to avoid hindering your opponent during a rally it is played over with no penalty. However, if you stand in the way of your opponent intentionally, or fail to move out the way when it's possible to do so, you have committed a penalty hinder and lose the rally. A court hinder occurs when some part of the court's terrain causes the ball to bounce in an unnatural way; the result of a court hinder is a replay of the rally.
Scoring
Only the person or team that is serving may score points, by either hitting a serve that is not returned or winning a rally. If the side receiving serve wins a rally, it gains the serve, but not a point.
A rally is lost by when a side that fails to hit the ball before it bounces twice on the floor, fails to hit the ball so that it reaches the front wall before touching the floor, or hits a ball that strikes a player where it is clear that the ball would not have reached the front wall before touching the floor. Other actions that lose rallies include committing a penalty hinder, switching racquet hands during a rally, failing to use the wrist safety cord, touching the ball with body or uniform when hitting it; and carrying or slinging the ball with the racquet.
USA racquetball plays best of three games with the first two games to 15 points and the third game to 11 points. International Racquetball Federation pro tour games are best of five games to 11 points with a 2 point victory margin required in each game. Thus, under USA rules 11 to 10 is a winning score in the third game, but in international play at least one more point must be scored.
Game Variations
Singles and doubles matches are most common in racquetball. However, there are variations for three players, the most common of which is called "Cut Throat." These games are played with each player taking a turn at service and playing against the remaining two for each rally.
"California" is a three player round robin game where each player takes a turn sitting out for a rally in a rotation. "Sevens" is another 3 player game where one player plays against the remaining two to a point limit of 7. If the single person team reaches 7 first, the score is extended to 14. If the single player then reaches 14 first, the point objective is then raised to 21. Any team that reaches 21 first wins and if the two person team reaches the current point objective at any time, the game is over.
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