Racquetball for the Beginner – Racquetball Rules and Scoring

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Written By Dan Kaplan

Page Editor and Racquetball player

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What Equipment Do I Need to Play Racquetball?

Racquetball is a game played with very little equipment. The initial investment is small. This is what makes this a game anyone can start to play at any age and ability. What you need is access to a racquetball court, comfortable workout clothes, no-scuff sneakers (court shoes), eye protection, a racquetball, and a racquetball racquet.

If you’re already at the gym for a group class or for a workout with weights, you already have most of what you need to get started. Some clubs that have racquetball courts have racquets you can borrow to get started. Many sports stores like Dicks and even Walmart and Target sell relatively cheap racquets you can get started with.

Is Racquetball Good Exercise?

One game of singles racquetball usually lasts 15 to 20 minutes. A game of doubles racquetball takes a few minutes longer than a singles game. If you play racquetball games back to back with a short rest (2 to 5 min) in between, you can plan to burn between 600 and 1000 calories while you play these 3 games. These 3 games should take you about 1 hour. When I am playing locally at the clubs around me, I will stay for about 1.5 to 2.5 hours.  When you are playing well, you always want to stay a bit longer.

Racquetball is a really good activity to burn calories! During 1 game of racquetball, you can plan on steps equivalent to moving 2/3 –3/4 of a mile. That is equivalent to moving about 2 miles to 2.25 miles in one hour.

What Are The Rules of Racquetball?

Follow this Hyperlink to the official USAR Racquetball Rule Book.

The server:

The game starts with one person serving the ball from within the 2 solid lines (Service line and Short line). This person is the server.

The server bounces the ball and then plays it against the front wall. This starts the game or the rally.

The ball must go past the 2nd solid line; this line is called the “short line”. If the ball lands on the line or short of the line on the 1st serve, this is called a fault server and the server gets a second attempt at a successful serve. 

The ball must bounce on the floor before it hits the back wall. If the ball is served and hits the back wall of the court before bouncing on the floor, line on the 1st serve, this is also called a fault server and the server gets a second attempt at a successful serve. 

Another way to perform a fault server is for the ball to contact 3 walls before it bounces on the floor. The front wall, side wall, and another side wall or back wall for example.  

If any fault occurs on the second serve, the server loses his serve opportunity and the returner now has the opportunity to become the server. 

These fault serves are called “long serve” or “short serve”. The referee or the returner will call one of these terms out when it occurs, stopping play.

The Returner:

The returner (the other player) sets up behind the broken receiving line awaiting the served ball.

Once the served ball clears the dotted receiving line, the returner can hit the ball. This is called a return shot.

The returner’s objective is to hit the ball so it makes it to the front wall before it bounces on the floor.

The ball can hit any (or all) of the walls and ceiling but it cannot bounce on the floor before it makes contact with the front wall.

Now the ball is in play and each player takes turns hitting (returning) the ball. This is called a rally.

How are Points Scored in Racquetball?

There are only two (2) ways to score points when playing racquetball

First things first; you can only score points if you served the ball. You are the server.

Secondly; if you are the returner and win the rally, you now get to be the server.

A point is won when you serve the ball and:

The first way to win a point is when the  returner hits the ball and it bounces on the floor before contacting the front wall. Sometimes this is called “a skip” when hit hard and low towards the front wall.

The second way is when the returner lets the ball bounce more than once on the floor before hitting it.

Is Racquetball Hard to Learn to Play?

The game of Racquetball is pretty simple to learn and play when compared to other sports. If you follow these simple rules listed above to get started, you will find they are easy to follow making the game of racquetball fun and easy to learn. 

To become a better player, watch some videos, they are all over the internet,  sign up for lessons at your local club, and read some of the articles and posts (on this blog).

People can play following the above basic rules for any prolonged amount of time, for fun and for exercise. Usually, this is how the passion starts. You get out on the court, run around, laugh, learn the game and work up a sweat. Eventually, you win a couple of points and then a game and you are hooked.

The next thing you know, you are asking when the regulars play so you can get in a few games with them to test your newly found skills and athleticism. For those of us that went this route, this is also the time when you realize you are not nearly “as good as you thought you were” 😉  But we return to prove to ourselves that we can do this; that we can be a better racquetball player, learn the game and be competitive.

As you become a more advanced, and competitive player, there are other rules that come into play. These are discussed in other articles and the official rules of racquetball can be found on the Main Menu on the home page.

There are many different levels of play and just as many reasons to continue to return to the court for another game or two. At most of the clubs that have an active group of players, you will find people of any age, sex, or orientation playing together. There will be a group of weekend warriors as well as a group who like to play competitively and may be preparing for their next tournament.

What is great about this sport is that some older and wiser players can still beat up on some of these younger, faster, and harder-hitting players. Remember this! In the game of racquetball, you can NEVER judge the book by its cover.

Racquetball Racquet Repair – A First Hand Account

How to Return a Racquetball Serve

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