How to Play Raquetball

With its quick action and intense competition, racquetball is an excellent sport for improving both your cardiovascular health and your overall coordination. Though there are a number of subtleties to the rules of racquetball, its basic rules are relatively easy to master. Once you review the rules in print, the best way to grasp them is to head out to a racquetball court with a willing and patient partner.

Things You'll Need

  • Racquet
  • Goggles
  • Racquetball gloves (optional)
  • Racquetballs
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Instructions

    • 1

      Learn the names of the court markings before you begin playing racquetball. Parallel to the front and back walls, the short line divides the court in half. Parallel to and 5 feet in front of that line is the service line. The receiving line is a dashed line parallel to and 5 feet from the short line. The service zone is the area between the service and short lines.

    • 2

      Determine who will serve first. Traditionally, this is decided by a coin toss, but you can use any method that all players believe is fair. Generally, whoever serves during the first game also serves during the third game.

    • 3

      Stand in the service zone when you are serving. To serve, bounce the ball once on the floor within the service zone and then hit it with the racquet so that it strikes the front wall without first touching the ground. On the rebound, it must hit the floor in back on the short line.

    • 4

      Hit the ball before it strikes the ground a second time if you are receiving the serve. To be a legal return, known as a rally, the ball can hit any surface but the floor before it strikes the front wall. If it bounces on the floor before striking the front wall, play is over for that serve.

    • 5

      Continue play by returning the rally that your opponent makes. If the server is unable to make a legal rally to an opponent's rally, the opponent then becomes the server. If the opponent is unable to make a legal rally, the server scores a point and serves again.

    • 6

      Win the game when you win 15 points. A racquetball match is three games, with the winner of two of the three games being the winner of the match. If the same person or team wins the first two games, the third game is not played.