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Winning
Racquetball : Skills, Drills and Strategies
Millions of Americans play racquetball, yet
instructional material is scarce. This guide, written by a veteran
instructor (Turner) and a ranked professional (Clouse) provides
tips for both the seasoned recreational player and the novice. They
examine everything from equipment to match strategy in straightforward,
conversational language augmented by more than 140 photos and line
drawings. Readers will learn how to select a racquet and a facility;
how to condition themselves specifically for the sport; and how
to avoid the most common types of injuries. There are also excellent
tips for doubles play, mental conditioning, and gamesmanship. In
addition, the authors break the game down into offensive and defensive
skills, an approach often overlooked in racquet-sport instructionals.
A key feature is the inclusion of drills to develop the recommended
shots and strategies. Too often players just play, forgetting that
even a minimal amount of time devoted to skill development can pay
huge dividends. In areas where the sport is popular, this is the
instructional of choice.
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Here's some posts off the Internet news group describing how to grip
the racquet handle
Subject: Re: Getting a grip
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 18:56:33 GMT
From: "Paul Reynolds"
Hi Kathy,
I agree, it's easy to make the grip issue a complicated conversation.
Here's how I cover it; I first make very clear that a proper and
consistent grip are extremely important. Without a consistent grip the
student will never know where the racquet "is" and will have
serious control
issues. This can cause great frustration and increase the chances of the
student quitting the game. Also at this point make sure the student has
the
proper grip size on their racquet, a 1/4 inch or so of space between fingers
and palm. This is particularly important for women players who are often
sold racquets with too large of grips by uneducated or Tennis educated
store
staff.
The student should create a V with thumb and forefinger when griping
the
racquet not unlike a hand shake. Have the student reach out to shake your
hand with their empty racquet hand, then place their racquet in their
hand
and have them lightly grasp it. My main point to them is that they should
feel as though they are shaking hands with the racquet, not gripping the
racquet like a club or baseball bat. I then show the student the improper
grip using myself and show them how my "club" grip creates a
round hand
shape not a V. The V formed by the hand on the forehand grip is roughly
in
a 1 o'clock position, from the students prospective. The back hand V is
near
the 11 o'clock position, again from the students prospective.
I also cover the two very common mistakes at this time to head off
potential problems. One is placing their forefinger up the grip pointing
toward the racquet face on the forehand stroke, impeding proper wrist
snap.
On the backhand stroke look for and talk about placing the thumb on the
handle as though pushing a button, again impeding proper wrist snap and
causing a pushing stroke.
That is my basic presentation. I would highly suggest you contact Gary
Mazaroff at AmPRO and pick up a new manual, this is an
invaluable tool. Best of luck.
Paul Reynolds
AmPRO Professional Instructor
Wilson Elite Staff
U.S.R.S.A. Stringer
PRO Sports Club
Bellevue, WA
From Ed Arias
Just a quick description on the "o'clock" definitions I used.
Hold the
racquet normally as if you're shaking hands...now look at your thumb and
index finger...they form a "V". Now hopefully the racquet face
is somewhat
parallel to the sidewall...look at the butt of the handle and treat it
as a
clock. The top...more or less where the "V" is...is 12 o'clock.
Now on
your pretend clock...see where 10:30 should be and move the handle in
your
hand so that the "V" of your thumb and index finger now "point"
to 10:30.
This is a backhand grip...if you swing with a somewhat regular motion...this
grip should make it so the racquet face is again parallel with the sidewall
when you hit a backhand shot. If you don't change the grip from
froehand-to-backhand, the racquet face will be slightly tilted "backwards"
when you hit a backhand and you will either hit the ball with an "underspin"
(like tennis) or you will have to torque your wrist to hit the ball flat.
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