Racquetball players need speed, quickness and endurance. Their sport also requires excellent hand-eye coordination. Racquetball players often have to streak from the back of the court to the front of the court at full speed, stretch their shoulders to hit the ball and then sprint back to the rear of the court. This requires a strengthening and conditioning effort.
Dumbbell Swings
This exercise helps build strength and range of motion in the rotator cuff. The four small muscles of the rotator cuff support all movement made by the shoulder. Grasp a light weight -- 5 to 10 lbs. -- and perform pendulum swings. Let your arm hang down at your side and swing the arm about 18 inches forward and the same distance backward. Do 10 swings in each direction to build range of motion. Do the exercise with both arms to get equal development.
Medicine Ball Lifts
Building up your core muscles will help you hit the ball with more racket head speed, which will allow you to hit the ball harder. You can do this with medicine ball lifts. Sit on the ground with a 10 lb. medicine ball on your right side. Pick up the ball, twist and put it on your left side. Return it to the right side in the same manner. Do 10 complete back-and-forth twists and repeat the exercise.
Interval Sprints
The starting and stopping action of racquetball requires sprint training for racquetball players. U.S. junior racquetball assistant coach Kelley Beane recommends sprinting 20 yards followed by jogging 20 yards to build quickness and endurance. Sprinting around the track -- which is about 440 yards -- can help a racquetball player gain the conditioning needed to play an hour or more of this demanding sport.
Rope Ladders
Running through a rope ladder will improve your foot quickness, precision and endurance. Lay out a rope ladder with at least 10 steps. Sprint through the ladder, making sure to put one foot in each ladder square. Turn around and sprint back through it in the same manner. Then do two-foot jumps, making sure to land in the center of each square. When you complete the ladder, do the same exercise in the opposite direction.
References
- Racquetball Cental; Preventative Care of the Rotator Cuff; Michael Rutherford
- UPMC: Want to Play Hard? Try Racquetball
- "The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training For Racquetball and Squash"; Robert Price; 2003
