Racquetball Tips for Beginners

Simple Techniques

• Snap your wrist on contact on a forehand return. This will provide maximum power on your returns. Think of your arm as a whip and your wrist as the tip of the whip. There is disagreement on whether you should snap your wrist on a backhand or just keep it straight. Try practicing it both ways and see what works best for you.

  Stand parallel to the side wall when setting up for a forehand return. On a backhand, stand at a 45-degree angle to the side wall. Your belly button should be facing the corner of the back wall and side wall. Set up as quickly as possible for the return. Don't wait until the last second to get your racquet up in the proper position. Step forward into the swing to maximize the power and hit the ball accurately.

  Standing too close to the ball when hitting it will cause it to slice away from you. Also, don't hit the ball when it is behind you. Hit it when it is even with your front foot.

Pain Is Not Gain

• Elbow pain is usually caused by extending your elbow too soon. This puts extra strain on the joint. Make sure you lead with your elbow to avoid extending it too soon.

  Bending your knees for each shot also will help relieve knee strain, as will making sure you are at a 45-degree angle to the side wall on a backhand return.

  When a player falls down on the court, make sure any sweat on the floor is wiped up to avoid slipping. Also, make sure you remain balanced after the shot to avoid falling. Having good form on a return and not reaching for the ball will help you maintain your balance.

Strategy For Beginners

• Keep it simple. Trying to keep the ball low to the floor all the time will result too often in missing the shot completely. Try using different angles by hitting balls on the side wall first. If the ball is near the floor by the back wall, try hitting it hard and high off the back wall first to return it to the front wall to the keep the rally alive.

  On your serves, start with a deep lob serve. This is the easiest to learn and use and will keep your opponent deep in the courts. You can lob the serve on either side to keep your opponent from predicting where your serve will be.

  Try to position yourself in center court as much as possible. Center court is the area in the middle between the side walls and about five feet behind the short line. This area allows you the most options on winning shots.

  If you are unsure what shot to use, a passing shot down the line is the safest way to go. It will force your opponent into a more defensive position.