Racquetball

Imagine you're in a box 40 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 20 feet high.  In this box there is a little blue ball flying at over 100 miles per hour, and your opponent, who is trying to wipe the floor with you.  This is racquetball, the fast-paced game that I have heard many people refer to as "speed tennis" or "tennis on crack."  Some of the best serves in tennis are around 100mph.  If you are playing with someone that is fairly experienced then the ball is traveling well over 100mph the entire time!!  Talk about intense.  This sport will have you sweating, running, diving, jumping, and doing whatever else it takes to smack that little blue ball half an inch of the front wall so your opponent can't retrieve it. 

The only real problem with racquetball and perhaps the reason why is not as popular as tennis is because you can actually watch tennis on t.v. you can see the tennis ball and sit in a giant stadium.  Not in racquetball, you can barely see the ball if your 20 feet away let alone sitting atop a stadium.  However, once you play you will become addicted.  I have been playing for a few years now and find this sport to be the hardest most demanding sport there is.  I have played soccer, ultimate, hockey, football, basketball, tennis, etc.  None of those other sports come close.

I find this to be the best sport to keep me in shape.  I play several times a week and just love it.  One hour of competitive play can burn anywhere from 600-1000 calories.  I usually end up playing for around 2-3 hours.  If you want to learn how to play you should check out the wikipedia site for racquetball or better yet the USA racquetball rulebook.  This site has everything you need to learn.  However, if you want to learn the real way, then grab a pair of shoes, some eye guards, a racquet, a ball, and an opponent.  Just go in the court and get a feel for the game.  If you are brand new then I would definitely recommend taking a few classes, you wont regret it.  If you are a college student and there are courts on campus then most likely you can sign up for free classes. 

Racquetball is much more than hitting a ball against a wall, as any experience player will tell you.  There are a lot of strategies and tactics that go into winning.  You need to consider all sorts of variables when hitting a shot such as angle, height, speed, foot positioning, etc.  This gave is a mixture of chess and tennis, but faster, much much faster.  Below I have included some recommendations of books and equipment that I either use or have used in the past.  I also have a site for racquetball here!  I am working on creating a site with more products, a racquetball superstore if you will, but in the meantime check out my recommendations below and at my site!

Racquetball is played by people ranging from around 8 years old to over 70!  In fact most of the older players are actually the best!  This is not because they hit harder or run faster, its because they are smarter, they know how to anticipate and how to move their opponent around the court.  Many of the older guys also do it to keep in shape.  You would be surprised how good racquetball can be for you.  You are working virtually every muscle in your body and you get a great cardio workout.  You can always locate a racquetball court by just searching in yahoo! or google for courts in your area.  Outdoor racquetball is also popular, however this is only played with 3 walls.  Outdoor is more intesne than indoor because now you have more ground to cover.  The good thing about racquetball (in addition to all the others I have mentioned) is that you can play with 1,2,3 or 4 people.  You can invite the whole family!

Countless news articles discuss the obesity epidemic in America, well here is a great way to get in shape.  I know a lot of people who hate to run and hate to exercise, but once they get in the courts these people are amazing athletes and its because you are having so much fun playing that you forget you are working out! 

Check out my recommended sites for rules and equipment and I'll see you on the courts!! 

I added a collection of some of the best Racquetball videos, below. I will be sure to update these so check back frequently. Please feel free to comment and let me know how your racquetball practice/training is going so far. Need any tips or links to resources? Let me know I'll help you out!