Racquetball Strategy

Racquetball is an indoor sport that is played with racquets and a hollow rubber ball. The purpose of the game is for the ball to hit the front wall without touching the ground, yet it may bounce an unlimited number of times on any of the other walls, or ceiling. Points can only be scored by the person serving, and only if the ball is not returned by the opponent or the ball bounces on the ground before touching the front wall. Another way to score is if the ball hits a player, the player switches hands during a rally, or touches the ball with his body.

Racquetball is most often played by two players, although there are variations of the game which can include up to four. There are two types of shots: offensive and defensive. They are characterized by the height and speed at which the ball hits the wall. The aim of offensive shots is to make it difficult for the opponent to reach the ball before it touches the floor, which is generally achieved by targeting lower corners. Defensive shots are based on the idea that the ball must bounce deep into the court and travel over the player, which is usually done by aiming for the ceiling.

Who invented racquetball?

An American professional tennis player and handball player named Joe Sobek is credited with inventing racquetball in 1950. His main goal was to find a fast-paced sport that was relatively easy to play and earn. The rule system he devised for his game, which he called paddle rackets at the time, was based on a combination of handball, tennis, Jai Alai – a Spanish sport – and squash rules. He is also the creator of the first strung paddle.

There are some who believe that the beginnings of racquetball can be traced back to the 1800s in prisons, where prisoners were allowed to hit balls against the walls, yet this has no factual basis and cannot be determined.

The Rapid Rise of Racquetball

In February 1952 Sobek founded the International Paddler’s Racquets Associatioin (IPRA) was founded, and systemized the rules, printing them as a booklet. Racquetball spread like wildfire and its popularity was mainly attributed to Sobek’s promotion of it. The sport was played on handball courts which helped it gain so much popularity because there were approximately 40,000 courts all over the country.

The name of racquetball was coined by Bob McInerney, another professional tennis player and was used in 1969 in the title of the newly formed International Racquetball Association (IRA). Although other racquetball organizations have been created, the IRA is the dominant organization and the only one recognized by the United States Olympic Committee, being considered the American national governing body for this sport.

The first professional tournament took place in 1974 and was organized by the IRA. The latter is one of the founding members of the International Racquetball Federation (IRF). After a series of name changes, in 2003 the IRA renamed itself to USA Racquetball (USAR), after names such as the American Amateur Racquetball Association, to align themselves to other Olympic sports associations.