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PHYSICAL EDUCATION LEARNING PACKET # 18
RACQUETBALL
INSTRUCTIONS
This l,earning Packethas two parts:(1) text to read and (2) questionsto answer.
The text describesa particular sport or physical activity, and relates its history, rules,
playing techniques,scoring,notesandnews.
The ResponseForms (questionsand puzzles)check your understandingand appreciation of the sport or physical activity.
INTRODUCTION
Racquetballis a relatively new gamewhich continuesto grow in popularity. It can be
played competitivelyor simply for fun and relaxation.
HISTORYOFTHE GAME
Racquetballis an offshootof the gameof tennis.It's
tempting to makecomparisonsbetweenthe two sports
but we have to be careful not to be misleading! According to many pros, excelling in one of the racquet
sportsdoesnot necessarilyguaranteetop performance
in another.
Racquetballis a young sport,having originatedin the
United Statesin the 1950s.Although it is strenuous
and physicallychallenging,it doesnot entail chasing
balls all over a court. But like tennis,it doesrequire
both superiorphysical dexterity as well as the ability
quickly and effectively.
to strateguze
Physical EducationLearning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The AdvantagePress,Inc.
HOW RACQUETBALL IS PLAYED
BASICRULES
Racquetballcan be playedalone, againstone opponentas a singlesgame,or with four
playersasa doublesgame.
In racquetball,the first team or player to score 21 points (or to score 11 points if the
opposingplayersremain scoreless)wins. A match is won by the first side to win two
games.
The serveror servingsidetries to win eachvolley by servingor returningthe ball sothat
the oppositionis not ableto keep the ball in play. Pointscanbe scoredonly by the side
that is servingwhen it makesan unreturnableserveor wins a volley. When the serving
sidelosesthe volley, it automaticallylosesthe serve(called"a handout").
THE COURT
:::::::::::::
Competitiveracquetballis played on a fourwalledroom with a ceiling.Thetypical court is
20 feetwide,40 feet long and 2Ofeethigh, with
six playing surfaces:the front wall, back wall,
two sidewalls, the ceiling and the floor.
Lines divide the court into sections:
The short line runs parallel to the
front wall and divides the court
into front and back courts.
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The service line runs five feet in front of the shortline and parallel to it.
The service zolneis the areabetweenthe shortline and the serviceline.
The service boxes are fonned by lines that run 18 inches away from and
parallelto the two side walls. During a doublesgame,the server'spartner
standsin one of the boxes during the serve.
PhysicalEducationLearning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The AdvantagePress,Inc.
PLAYING TECHNIQUES
STROKES
Racquetballis playedwith threebasicstrokes:backhand,forehandand overhand.
In the backhand stroke,the key point to rememberis that the face of the
racquetmust hit the ball perpendicularto the floor just past the right leg.
Your body is bent slightly facing the left wall (right wall for left-handed
players).The right ann is raisedso that the racquetheadis aboveyour left
ear.The weight is on your left leg until the racquetis swung;then the weight
shifts to your right leg as your arm swingsacrossthe front of your body.
As you swing the racquet,keep your
eyes on the ball. After you hit the ball,
let your arrn follow through the arc of
the swing until it straightensout again.
The forehand stroke is easierto perform than the backhandstroke.However, the body motions used in this
stroke are almost identical with those
used in the backhand stroke. The
racquet is held perpendicularto the
floor. The racquetcontactsthe ball just
pastthe left leg.
The key to the forehand stroke is to
bring theracquetarm backbehindyour
head as fast as possiblebefore starting
the downswing.Also, keep your wrist
cocked back so that it snapsas the
racquetmeetsthe ball.
The overhand strokeis the least-usedstrokein racquetball.It is often used
for ceilingshots.It's alsowidely usedby beginningplayerswho are not yet
sureof the othermoves.
In this stroke,move your racquetarn back andhold it at a 9O-degreeangle.
The overheadmotion is similar to tossing a ball in the air. Extend your
racquetarm forward as if you were trying to smashthe ball.
Physical Education Learning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The AdvantagePress,Inc.
THE SERVE
As with tennis,the serveis wherethe gameof racquetballbegins.Theplayerwho serves
is the only one who can earn points. As in tennis, the exchangeof the ball between
playersafterthe serveis calledthe "volley."
The properway to seryeis to bouncethe ball and hit it with the racquetagainstthe front
wall of the court.As mentionedabove,a handout(losing the serve)can occurif thereis
a foot fault or a bad serve.Threekinds of errorscan result in losins the serve:
A foot fault occurswhen the server's foot extendsover the foot boundaries.Two successive
foot faults result in a handout.
A bad serve occurswhen the ball hits the ceiling, floor or any of the other
walls of the court before it hits the front wall.
A handout occurswhen two successivefaults are committed.This can
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TYPESOF SERVES
The threemostimportantservesin racquetballare the Power Serve,the Lob and theZee.
The power serve (or "Power Drive") is the most commonserveusedby
skilled players.When done correctly, this serveis difficult for the player's
opponentto return. A serve which is impossibleto returnis called an "Ace." On
.
a low bounce,the ball is hit with full
strengthto a point on the front wall
sothatthe ball reboundsonly a few
incheshigh off either side wall.
The lob is a much softer
serve than the Power
Serve.The ball is hit to
the top of the front wall
so that it reboundsto
eithersidewall andhits
PhysicalEducationLearning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The AdvantagePress,Inc.
the floor near the rear wall. The closerthe ball to the rear wall. the more
difficult it is for the receiverto return it.
The zeeis a speciahzedserve.In this serve,the ball follows a twisted path
"2." Ideally, the ball will strike the front wall 8 to
that resemblesthe letter
16 feet abovethefloor. It reboundsontothe sidewall andtravelsacrossthe
court, bounceson the floor, andhits the oppositesidewall. The ball cannot
hit the first sidewall before it hits the front wall.
The Zee is a complicatedandtricky serve.Considerablepracticeis required
before a player canuse it effectively.
SERVE RETURNS
Two rules of thumb when returningballs are:
1.
If a ball is below the knee,the player shouldrun toward it and return it.
2.
If the ball is abovethe knee,the player shouldwait for the ball to rebound
off a wall and thenreturn it.
Five other basic rules also shouldbe kept in mind during a game:
1.
When the ball is being served,standat leastfive feet behindthe shortline.
2.
A ball cannotbe returneduntil it haspassedthe short line.
3.
The ball must be returnedbeforeit hits the floor twice. The ball can also be
returned on the fly or before it touchesthe floor.
Physical Education Learning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The AdvantagePress,Inc.
4.
A ball shouldhit the front wall first. However, it can hit the ceiling or side
walls before it reachesthe front wall. It must not touch the floor before it
touchesthe front wall.
5.
If you swingat the serveandmiss,you can recoverandmakea legalreturn.
EQUIPMENTAND CLOTHING
Any type of loose,non-bindinggannentscan be worn to play racquetball.Many playerswearshortsor lightweight sweatpantsand
a T-shirt.
Beginningplayersmight alsoconsiderwearingprotective
eye gear.Occasionally,seriouseye injuries occur in racquetballbecauseof the enornous force of the ball. Canada
requiresprotectiveeye gearof all racquetballplayers, but
the United Stateshasyet to passsucha law.
RACQUETBALLNOTESAND NEWS
Americahastwo nationalracquetballorgaruzations:the American AmateurRacquetball
Association(AARA) and the United StatesProfessionalRacquetballAssociation
(USPRA).The AARA publishesthe official racquetball tournamentrules and sanctions
racquetballevents.The USPRA existsprimarily to promote the sport of racquetballand
the racquetballteachingprofession.
Someof the top racquetballmagazinesareKillshot, P.O. Box 8036, Paducah,KY 420028036; Racquetball,publishedby the AARA; and RacquetballToday,publishedby the
WestPublishingCompany.
In addition to print media sources,the Internet has many sources.If your schoolhas a
computerdepartmentwith Internetlinks, you might look at The United StatesRacquetball Association'swebsiteat: http:llwww.usra.org
At this site you can seethe very latestinformation about the sport at both the amatuer
andthe professionallevel.For example,the site lists High School Boy's SinglesChampions (1998 - JoshTircker,Joplin High School, MO) and High School Girl's Singles
Champions(1998- BrookeCrawford,HenleyHigh School,OR).You canalsoseeCollegeMen'sChampions(1999- Luis Bustillos,SouthernColorado)andWomen'sChampions (1999- ChristieVan Hees,SimonFraserUniversity).
PhysicalEducationLearning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The AdvantasePress.Inc.
You can also get racquetballinformationfrom the ESPN, the televisioncable sports
channel'sWorld Wide Web pageat:
http zI lespnet.sportzone.com./
Finally, one of the most intriguing Internetsourcesof racquetballinformation is Omri's
Racquetball Homepage, which is maintainedby a bright lO-year-oldHouston,Texas
racquetballenthusiastwhose first nameis "Omri." Omri will tell you aboutthe Texas
tournamentshe has played, will showyou his scrapbookif you havethe time, and link
you to other racquetballsources.His addressis:
http z| | www. geocities.com/paris/1983/
USRA IntercollegiateTeam Championshipshas seenBrighamYoung University win
threeof the last four years(1996,97, and98) while SouthernColoradotook the honors
in 1999.The USRA also lists High SchoolTeamChampions.BeavertonHigh School
(Beaverton,OR), national winners in both 1996and 1997,finally gaveup the thrown to
SpragueHigh School (Sprague,OR) in 1998.
The USAJuniorTeam consistof 16 members.The teamis selectedthrougha National
camp held yearly at the United StatesOlympic Training Center(USOTC). The participantsgo through a seriesof gruelingtestswhich help the coachespick their 16 members.These members participatein the World Championshipsin Los Angeles,California. The USA has held the World Championshiptitle ever sincethe tournamentstarted,
7 yearsago. The current membersof the team include:
Men: Willie Tilton, Erin Brannig&tr'Mark Bloom, ShaneVanderson,JamesFord, Rocky
Carson,Tyler Siggins,Willie Tilton , RyanStaten,ShaneVanderson
Women:SadieGross,Maggie DeBord,JamesFord,
SaraBorland, Kori Grasha,Sadie Gross,Rhonda
Rajsich, Liana Kerwood, Kori Grasha,Brooke
Crawford
Racquetballis an exciting sport to play or watch.
Try the Internet for more up-to-date information
aboutthis fast-pacedgame.
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PhysicalEducation Learning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The AdvantagePress,Inc.
STUDENTRESPONSEPACKET
RACQUETBALL
NAME
DATE
WHATTO DO
The following questionswill help you to have a greaterappreciationand understanding
of racquetball.Write your answersin the spacesbelow the questions.If there is not
enoughroom, write on the backsof thesesheets.Be neat, spell correctly,and write in
completesentences.
1.
From which othersportwas racquetballderived?
2.
What are someof the physicalbenefitsto be gainedfrom playing racquetball?
3.
Who wins a gamein racquetballandhow? Who wins a match and how?
4.
Describethe typical racquetballcourt.
5.
What are"servicezones?""serviceboxes?"
PhysicalEducationLearning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The Advantage Press,Inc.
6.
Describethree basic types of strokesin racquetball.
7.
It's often said that "the serveis wherethe gameof racquetballbegins."Why is
this true?
8.
What three kinds of errors can result in losing a serve?
9.
What are the three basic types of servesin racquetball?
10.
If a ball is below the knee, what shouldthe playerdo?What shouldhe/shedo for
a ball abovethe knee?
PhysicalEducationLearning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The AdvantagePress,Inc.
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1. Strokeoften used for ceiling shots
2. Pointscan only be earnedby this
2. The line that runs five feet in front of
player
the shortline
4. The lob is a _serve
thanthe
3. One important type of serve
power serve
6. Another important type of serve
5. The court often hasfour of them
7. A speciahzedserve
10. Strokewith the palm of the hand
8. Strokewith the top of the hand facing
facing the ball
the ball
11. A servewhich is impossibleto return
12. Error when two successivefaults are 9. The primary tool of the racquetball
player
committed
13. This fault is a serving error
13. Decadeof the 20thcenturywhen
14. The line that runs parallel to the front
racquetballoriginated
wall
15. Typeof bouncewhereball is hit with
16. Serviceareasformed by lines 18"
full strengh
awayfrom side walls
17. A ball shouldhit this wall first
17. Length of the court in feet
PhysicalEducationLearning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The Advantage Press,Inc.
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The line that runs five feet in front of the short line
Decadeof the z0th century when racquetballoriginated
Strokewith the palm of the hand facing the ball
Strokeoften usedfor ceiling shots
A ball shouldhit this wall first
Strokewith the top of the hand facing the ball
The line that runs parallel to the front wall
This fault is a serving error
One of threeimportant serve types
A servewhich is impossibleto return
The court often has four of them
The primary tool of the racquetball player
The lob is a _
servethan the power serve
Length of the court in feet
A specializedserve
Type of bouncewhere ball is hit with full strengh
Error when two successivefaults are committed
One of threeimportant serve types
Serviceareasformed by lines 18" away from sidewalls
Points can only be earnedby this player
PhysicalEducationLearning Packets
#18 Racquetball
Text @ 1999 The AdvantagePress,Inc.