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Racquetball

post #1 of 19
1/11/10 at 4:02pm
Thread Starter 
I'm not elderly, but I have started to play racquetball a little bit. Anyone else play and have some tips for a beginner? I like to play fast so I worry less about shot angles and more about hitting hard and positioning.
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post #2 of 19
1/11/10 at 4:35pm
I played a ton in college and afterwards, until I had to switch gyms. That said: take what I say with a grain of salt: I could reach most shots due to my footspeed and long arms, but a-level players generally smoked me. I was a getter, not so much a hitter.

Anyway, get used to crouching, because your best shots will be taken low to the ground. The racquet action that I used was like hitting with a flyswatter: leading with the elbow, snapping the wrist through the hitting zone. After that, it's anticipation and judgement of where the ball will wind up.
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post #3 of 19
1/11/10 at 9:37pm
Squash's poor cousin.
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post #4 of 19
1/12/10 at 12:44am
I just like smashing the ball as well. If you really want to get into it there is technique you can pick up but I haven't really bothered.
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post #5 of 19
1/12/10 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TGPlastic View Post
Squash's poor cousin.

Yes, I picked up Squash when I was in Edmonton Canada for a week. Definitely my favorite racquet sport... I'm looking for a Squash court here in Atlanta GA. In the mean time I bought a $30 Racquetball racquet to play in my gym with my fellow co-workers... it's not nearly as satisfying as squash.
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post #6 of 19
1/12/10 at 5:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by danilo View Post
Yes, I picked up Squash when I was in Edmonton Canada for a week. Definitely my favorite racquet sport... I'm looking for a Squash court here in Atlanta GA. In the mean time I bought a $30 Racquetball racquet to play in my gym with my fellow co-workers... it's not nearly as satisfying as squash.

Well, if we had squash courts around here, I'd definitely consider it. Too bad I've only seen one squash court...ever.
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post #7 of 19
1/12/10 at 6:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas View Post
Well, if we had squash courts around here, I'd definitely consider it. Too bad I've only seen one squash court...ever.

It's unfortunate, I find it to be much more intense than Racquet ball. It is really quite exhausting. Racquetball requires you to move as well but you have alot more bounce so you can sometimes use that to your advantage in terms of not moving, like when the ball bounces off the back wall etc. In Squash this doesn't seem to happen as often, plus it can be hard to hit off the back wall because the ball dies so quickly.
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post #8 of 19
1/12/10 at 9:22pm
Hi,
I do play squash and some of the tips may apply to racquetball as well:

1) try to stay/ play in the middle of the field, in front of your co-player, so that you keep the overview on the field
2) try to play the ball to the exact diagonal, where the rival stands (to basically exhaust him running back and forth)
3) try to vary the rate (tempo) of the game (play short, then long, then short again)
4) train your service, try to hit the rear wall with high loop to make the ball hardly playable
5) train your short-distance strikes

All these improved my game, but if none of them apply, just dump my advise
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post #9 of 19
1/12/10 at 10:52pm
In racquetball, your primary offensive shot is "down the line" - meaning as low as possible and parallel to the side walls. Your primary defensive shot is to the ceiling - try to aim for the angle between the front wall and the ceiling so that the second bounce occurs toward the back wall. This will back up your opponent and give you better position. As a newbie, opponents will target your backhand. Make sure you can hit a consistent down the line or cross-court shot with your backhand. Get a racquetball glove. It will greatly increase your control. I strongly recommend taking a class. Even one session to learn basic strategy will do wonders for your game.
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post #10 of 19
1/12/10 at 11:25pm
I played racquetball a lot in college too. Really, really fun. And it can be a pretty decent workout if you get some volleys going..
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post #11 of 19
1/13/10 at 3:24am
Thread Starter 
My gym used to have a squash court...until they converted it to a playroom. Keep the tips/advice coming, I'll try some of them tomorrow. Thanks!
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post #12 of 19
1/13/10 at 10:11am
I second the advice on the ceiling. Your best defensive move. Against intermediate and lower players, it can be played to their backhand - they hit weak shot and you go for the kill shot.

At the beginning/Intermediate level, the best thing you can do is learn to take shots off the the back wall. Most players are wacking the ball and it will bounce off the back wall. Learn to hit those shots and you will do well. At an expert level - anythiong that comes off the back wall should be buried. If you hit a ball that high, you can almost guarentee that the point will be over.

The other really good shot to learn is the "pinch shot". You hit the ball close to the front wall but you actually hot the side wall 1st, ball then hits front wall low and at a downward angle. This helps keep you opponent off guard, especially if they like to stay back.

Mix up your power shots, ceiling balls, pinch shots and be comfortable taking a ball off the back wall and you will quickly be playing at an intermediate level.
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post #13 of 19
1/13/10 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ama View Post
My gym used to have a squash court...until they converted it to a playroom. Keep the tips/advice coming, I'll try some of them tomorrow. Thanks!

Well in playing squash, I tried to stay in the T of the court and that allowed me to be in a good offensive position to decide where I wanted to place the ball, I usually tried to place it in the corners, and I'd have the other player moving constantly while I was more or less staying around the T.

Racquetball is a whole different game though... comparitively, I'm much better at squash than I am at racquetball. I think I play with a descent amount of power which seems to work better for me in squash than racquetball. I just don't like how much the ball bounces in racuqetball which means that a player can get a way with a save shot 'easier' than in squash. Sometimes the person can just put the racquet in front of them and let the ball come to it and still make a good shot, I find that frustrating.
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post #14 of 19
1/13/10 at 9:18pm
Ceiling ceiling ceiling ceiling ceiling, every time you're in a bad position. And get a glove.
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post #15 of 19
1/19/10 at 3:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dusty View Post
Ceiling ceiling ceiling ceiling ceiling, every time you're in a bad position.

And get a glove.

Been working on the ceiling shot and I got a glove. Love the glove.
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