So, I’ve been playing Squash for 2-3 years, and over a decade of Badminton before that. Now, one of my friends has convinced me to try racquetball, and I’m anxious to do it! However, it’s tonight, and trouble is, I don’t really know how to play…
I’ve found a few websites explaining the rules, but they read like they were written by the 9th circuit apellate court. My club here in Canada is so super small, I’ve never actually run into another racquetball member, so I figured I’d pick the brain of the Yanks on here, since it is, afterall, your game. Would anyone care to give me the fast and messy version of the rules? Just enough so I can go point to point, I don’t need to know about all the fouls/lets for the first game, I reckon.
Well, it’s been a while since I played, but here’s what I remember.
On serve, you hit from anywhere between the two lines, side of the court has no meaning. The ball has to hit the front wall first, then can do anything as long as it hits the floor between the back line and the back wall before hitting the back wall. Like you can smash it crazy off the front wall, roof, side wall, then floor between line and back wall, side wall again then back wall.
Return, and all subsequent, shots, has to hit the front before the floor. It can hit any other wall, roof, even the back wall, but has to hit the front wall before hitting the floor.
Scoring, we played like volleyball; you can only score on your serve, if you lose the rally you served, you lose the serve, no point. Games to 15 or 21. We played a “skunking” of 7-0 is an automatic win.
Courtesy and self preservation tended to take care of keeping out of each other’s way. You don’t want to get hit with a racquetball right off of someone’s racquet.
Wear goggles. My Dad almost lost his eye back in the seventies playing with no goggles.
