Racquetball Might be Your New Sport

Maintaining a healthy and fit body could be a ton of work, but it is crucial for us if we want to improve how we look that could actually affect our lifestyles. But getting fit should not be as much work as you perceive it to be because there are many sports out there that is fun and could actually strengthen your bonding with friends. They say human beings are social beings and that making memories could actually improve your overall health.

There are the typical sports such as badminton, basketball, swimming, kickboxing, and many others that you already have played, but it might be extra challenging to try other sports as well that could actually interest and thrill you. Though it might not be easy to try something new, you should not worry about getting it right the first time, and you don’t actually need to be good with it the first time you’ve tried it. Keep practicing, and don’t forget that you’re playing for fun with a friend. And it’s a good way to sweat a lot, so no pressure. Just keep on having fun.

History of the racquet ball

The inventor of racquetball is Joe Sobek. He originally called it as paddleball and then paddle racket around 1950. He wanted a sport that could be played easier among all the ball games existing that time. He likes a sport that was fast paced. He thought that the balls in that time were too fast.

He thought of a way when he purchased a rubber ball that seemed ordinary. He bought many of them so that he could keep a stock that will actually be enough to build a company already. The modern racquetball, as what Sobek revealed, has its roots going back since 1910. In 1910, the sport was played outdoors, and it was a one-wall game. Sobek developed it by adding a feature. It was a stringed racquet to paddleball. He added these features because he wanted to increase control and velocity. Sobek was actually a professional tennis and handball player who just wanted a sport that is fast-paced, and he could learn easily.

With this desire, he was able to design the first strung paddle. He also developed the rules. He named it paddle rackets at first when the sport was born. The inventor concluded that the sport could actually immerse the player right away that will keep him wanting to go back and play it. You should consult people, especially on how to choose a racquetball racquet.

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The nature of the game

Racquetball was born out of the desire to be fast-paced. This game is played in an enclosed court. You will need a partner to play it. You will use a relatively small ball. This ball will contribute to the speed of the game.

This small ball will actually present a challenge even in the middle of the game because the small ball provides the challenge of speed and size. So even if you already getting comfortable with how the game works, you will always be challenged with its repetitive speed and size.

What are racquetballs made of?

The racquetballs is not as complex as it seems. It is made up of rubber, half spheres actually. The two half spheres are actually sealed together. The two spheres of rubber is actually pressurized gently. The only thing to remember is the racquetballs are made up of rubber. This is what racquetballs are made up of. The racquetballs are actually sold in many colors that you can choose from, but the best thing about it is that it doesn’t change its defining features which are size and speed.

Racquetballs are actually racquet-based. You can only play it in an enclosed room. The racquets you will use are smaller compared to tennis racquets. The ball is also smaller in this sport too. You can play racquetball by using a racquet with a hollow rubber ball. You can play it in an indoor or outdoor court.

The size actually matters

The standard racquetball size has already been designed by the USA Racquetball. They ruled that racquetballs should be approximately 1.4 ounces and 2.25 inches by diameter. The hardness was specified by the rules too. The durometer is about 55 to 60 inches. Stated by the rules, the ball must “bounce 68-72 inches from a 100-inch drop at a temperature of 70-74 degrees Fahrenheit.”

It wasn’t in the rules though how the ball must be made up of. The size of the racquetball will tend to appear tiny when you hit it with your racquet, but actually the ball is larger than how it looks like and how you think about it. According to the USA Racquetball rules, it must have a diameter of about 2.25 inches. Remember that it is smaller than tennis balls because tennis balls measure about 2.6 in diameter. The size is not really noticeable from afar, but the difference could actually be distinguishable when you hold it.

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How do you play racquetball

The mechanics is just like any sport with slight differences in courts and equipment. In tennis and badminton, you don’t need a net. You don’t need a net because you will not be using one to hit the ball over. Unlike squash, there is no tin that would require you to hit the ball above you.

You could hit the court’s floor, ceiling, and walls because they are all legal surfaces. Though there are some exemptions such as the hitting the ball outside the regular playing area. Racquetball is actually similar to the sport called the 40×20 handball. Handball is a popular sport played in many countries.

You can actually choose between an indoor and outdoor court. The importance is that it has a front wall and is fully enclosed. A racquetballs courts actually is rectangular. It is 40 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 20 feet high. There are red lines that define the areas to where you will hit, serve, and receive.

This game is fairly easy to play, and you can actually be absorbed with the game once you started it. You just need a racquetball, the racquetball racquet, the court to where you will play it, and a friend. The racquetball is different from the typical racquet games especially when it becomes competitive. The racquetball players actually wear gloves on their hand, so that they can grip the racquet better. This is best compared with golfers using a glove. But if you are just playing racquetball for fun then you didn’t need to wear gloves unless you will plan to take it to competition.

There are many strategies to play racquetball. Commanding the center of the court is the primary strategy that experienced players are using.  Other strategies include commanding the just or behind the dashed receiving line. This strategy would allow you to move as fast as possible in all the areas of the court. It will also limit the open court areas. The open court areas are actually not easy to defend. When you are done with your shot, you can actually return to the center court.

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The opposite of this is to be against a wall because this will limit your movement, and that will give an opportunity for the opponent to have an open court. You should always keep your attention locked to the opponent. Keep glancing sideways, so that you can always predict his or her return shot. This will also enable you to move properly around the court. You should know how to move properly in the court, and how the opponent returns the shot. Remember that she or he should not be able to detect your shots. The best way to do this is to do your best not to be predictable. With these strategies in mind, you sure will be able to earn an advantage over your opponent.

There are many strategies that you might want to learn. One of these strategies is to learn how to keep the returned ball as low on the front wall as much as possible. You can keep the ball moving as fast as possible that will limit the reaction time of your opponent. He will be given a little time to actually think on what he will do. You can keep the ball to move fast by using lobs, cross court shots, and dinks.

You can actually play racquetball with as much friends as you like. You can play in doubles and single matches (these are the most common combination). When there’s only the two of you then it’s called singles. If there are four of you then it’s called doubles with two players against two players in the entire game. When you go to more serious tournaments, there will be many divisions.

There is a special scoring in this game. The scoring points can only be scored by the serving player or the team in a double game. Winning a rally that began with a successful serve is scored.

According to the USA Racquetball rules, the entire racquetball should have three games when you are scoring it. The first two games are scored with 15 points each, and the third game is 11 points.