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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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I noticed that a good method to teach or learn racquetball is to watch
the pros on video and select only one element of the game to study. This
really makes it easier to study, than watching all dimensions of a match
at once, especially for beginners. But beginners don't know what to watch
for!
Your first video should be one that has a commentator(s) on it, so you
can hear their analysis between rallies. These are videos of the US Open
which can be purchased from the USRA.
Some concepts lend themselves to this type of study, while others don't.
These were the easiest to me see; study them one at a time throughout
a whole match, then move to the next concept:
- How the receiver watches the swinger while he's hitting (he's not
staring at the front wall while his opponent is chasing the ball behind
him!)
- How receiver gets out of hitter's way
- Hitter gets square to the side wall when swinging
- How fast players get in the ready position after swinging
- How fast they get out of service box after serving
- During rally, how receiver stands on dotted safety line no matter
where the ball is or what shot the offensive player is hitting (court
position)
- Footwork - how fast they shuffle, cross step or hop to get to the
ball so that the ball is in their power zone. They don't reach for
the ball.
- Swing: I thought that the swing components were tough to see; especially
on video, e.g., how the hips whip the trunk/shoulders around. Everything
happens too fast. Here's a couple things that were lent themselves
to being more visually evident: bringing shoulders back early/early
racquet preparation, staying low after ball contact, bending knees.
If your VCR has a slow motion feature, this should be very useful.
- Shot selection: I thought this didn't work. Things happen too fast.
Maybe still diagrams, or having a commentator analyze during a match
work better.
It was also suggested that you watch the Women's Open in the Age 30's
to 40's divisions. These ladies typically don't try to overpower the ball,
but use good court coverage, good shot selection, smart percentages, etc.
- all the things a person in ANY skill level could learn from. Watching
the top Men's Open or Pros is likely to have someone new trying to learn
the back-hand chest high splat return in lieu of smart strategic play.
Alex Glaros
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