1. Win Single, Double or Trio Games
Racquetball games include two people on the court for singles, four people for doubles and three people, non-tournament, is cutthroat. You score points when serving the ball. When you lose a serve, it's called sideout. While playing doubles, each player gets a chance to serve before sideout occurs. The first side to win two games to 15 points wins the match. If both sides have one win, then a tiebreaker occurs to 11 points.
2. Court and Racquet Required
Racquetball courts consist of four walls: two are 40 feet in length and two are 20 feet in width, with a ceiling height of 20 feet. Lines mark the receiving line, drive serve lines, service line and short line. These lines show the serving area, serving boxes and receiving area. Racquets include grommets (bumper guards) and handles with a nylon rope to secure the wrist to the racquet. All players must wear eye protective gear, not prescription glasses, but eyewear designed for racquetball.
3. Start a Match or an Ordinary Game
At the beginning of each racquetball game, there's a coin toss. The winner chooses to either serve or receive the first game of the match. At the start of the second game, the player who served first is the receiver. The player or team that scores the most points in the first two games chooses to serve or receive at the start of the tiebreaker. A coin toss solves the problem if each player or team scores equal points in the first and second game. For everyday games, players lag (whoever hits the rebounding ball from the front wall closes to the serve line before it bounces) or offer the other player or team to go first as polite gesture.
4. Serve the Ball
The racquetball server needs to stay in the service area when serving. The server may step on a line but not pass the line. The server can pass the short line after the serve passes that line. A continuous motion needs to occur throughout the serve while the receiver allows just one bounce, and then hits the ball before the second bounce. When playing doubles, only one player serves the first serve. After that, each player serves during every team serve. During each team's serve, the non-serving player stands erect with her back against the side wall and both feet on the floor. She cannot move until the ball breaks the short line plane.
5. It's All About the Rally
A rally continues until a player carries the ball, the ball hits out of the court, the ball doesn't make it to the front wall or the ball bounces twice before the receiver hits it. Hinders are common with new players and less common for advance players. If a hinder such as a screen (opponent blocks view of ball), holdup (hold your swing for safety) or court hinder (court deflects the ball) occurs during a rally, then play the serve over. A hinder mainly occurs for safety reasons.
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