Racquetball was developed in 1949 by Joe Sobek as a fast-paced combination of handball and squash. Sobek had 25 racquets and a special rubber ball made when he first started his game, and the sport has become a worldwide phenomenon since, being played in over 90 countries. Roughly 5.6 million Americans play the sport regularly and a World Championship has been held bi-annually since 1981. Racquetball is a sport that offers increased coordination and a strenuous aerobic exercise to anyone who plays it.
Step 1
Determine which player or team will serve first with a coin toss. If you are to serve, take your position within the court’s service area. Allow the referee to call the game score and then toss the ball straight up in the air with your free hand. After the ball bounces once within the service area, strike the ball with your racquet so it hits the front wall and lands back on the court beyond the short line. If you are receiving the ball, wait for it in the receiving zone without crossing the receiving line until the ball lands beyond the short line.
Step 2
Hit the ball back to the front wall on the fly or after the first bounce if you are the receiver. The receiver cannot cross the short line unless the ball is struck after hitting the back wall. A returned ball may strike either sidewall but must contact the front wall before touching the floor to be a legal return. The ball cannot bounce more than once. If the ball is not returned legally, the server is awarded a point. Only the server can score in racquetball.
Step 3
Change servers if the server has two consecutive faults upon service. A service fault is recorded in racquetball if the server crosses the serving line before the ball is in play, the ball falls in front of the short line, hits three walls before touching the floor, touches the ceiling before hitting the floor or touches both the front and back wall before hitting the floor. Players also change service immediately if the server misses the ball entirely, touches the ball with his body after it hits the front wall, fails to hit the front wall first on service or fails to return a ball in play.
Step 4
Call a timeout if you need a rest. Each player receives three 30-second time outs in games to 15 points and two 30-second timeouts in games to 11.
Step 5
Score one point to the server each time the receiver fails to legally return the ball. Racquet ball matches are played to the best of three games, with the first two games being played to 15 points and the third tie-breaking game being played to 11 points.
Tips and Warnings
- There are many variations of racquetball played, including doubles, multi-bounce and wheelchair versions.
- Always wear eye protection when playing racquetball.
Things You'll Need
- Racquet
- Racquet ball
- Racquetball court
- Eye protection
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