Racquetball is a game that requires quickness, acceleration, hand-eye coordination and aggressiveness. To play successfully, you have to try to hit the ball to a spot that your opponent cannot get to. Players who try to blast the ball on every shot might not have the same kind of success as those who place it carefully and take some pace off of the ball.
Serving the Same Way
In racquetball, most players use the drive serve as their primary serve. This is similar to baseball pitcher using the fastball as his primary pitch. There's nothing wrong with it, but if you use the low, hard drive serve every time, your opponent will anticipate it, change his footwork and learn how to defeat it. You must mix up your serves. Use the lob serve, the backhand serve and the Z-serve in addition to the drive serve to keep your opponent off balance.
Running Around the Backhand
The backhand shot might scare some players. Perhaps you play tennis and struggle with the long backhand stroke, or maybe you hit a strong forehand and prefer that shot over the backhand. Many players will run around their backhand instead of hitting the forehand. This is a mistake. If you are going to be a complete player, you must develop a solid backhand shot so that you are in the correct position to hit your next shot. Running around the backhand can result in a strong forehand but it can be difficult to hit the next shot if your opponent places the ball in the opposite corner.
Being Out of Position
To be successful in racquetball, you want to be one or two steps closer to the front wall than your opponent. You can dictate the pace of the point and go on the attack when you are closer to the front wall. If you are behind your opponent, you always are reacting to what she does. If you are in front, you can set the pace and determine what will happen next in the point.
Ignoring the Back Wall
One of the keys to racquetball is understanding that it is unlike other traditional sports because of the back and side walls. Players tend to understand that they can use the sidewalls to set up difficult shots for their opponent, but the idea of driving the ball off of the back wall is somewhat foreign. A good racquetball player will use everything at his disposal. That includes hitting the ball off the back wall when it will help you stay in contention in a particular point. Don't ignore the back wall: Use it it to help your overall game.
Not Hitting Low
Most players realize that the lower you hit the ball the more difficult it will be for your opponent to return it, but once the game or rally starts, many players fall back on trying to overpower the ball, ending up hitting it much higher off the wall. That "fastball" might make an impressive sound coming off your racket and hitting the wall, but it will end up giving your opponent a potential kill shot. You are better off taking some velocity off the shot in order to hit it within 12 inches of the floor than trying to overpower the ball.
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