JDM Racquetball

Racquetball: 

Racquetball Having fun while keeping fit A short history and rules to get started playing Racquetball.

History: 

History Joe Sobek invented racquetball in 1949 on a Connecticut handball court. Sobek designed the first short strung paddle, devised rules combining the basics of handball and squash, and named his modification "paddle rackets." The late 70's and early 80's saw racquetball become one of the fastest growing sports in America

History Continued : 

History Continued But the sport saturated the market and reached its peak in the mid 80's But by 1987 the decline leveled off and racquetball regained a steady, manageable growth rate

History Continued: 

History Continued Internationally, the sport has also attained great heights in its short history -- with World Championships held bi-annually since 1981, the addition of five International Olympic Committee approved events and its debut as a Pan American Games Sport in 1995.

Rules: 

Rules Serving Position: The server may stand anywhere in the serving zone, but must have both feet in the zone at the start of the service. During the delivery of the service the server can step onto the service line as long as he/she doesn’t step completely beyond the line. Then the server must stay in the zone until the ball passes the short line on its way back from the front wall.

Rules Continued: 

Rules Continued Good Service: It is a good service if the server bounces the ball once on the floor, inside the serving zone, and hits it on the rebound so it goes to the front wall without touching floor or side walls and then rebounds to touch the floor behind the short line. It is still a good service if it touches a side wall on the rebound, before bouncing on the floor.

Rules Continued: 

Rules Continued Defective Services: There are three types of defective service: Fault, Out (hand-outs), and Dead Ball service.

Defective Serves : 

Defective Serves If a player makes a fault service, the player must attempt the service again. Two faults in succession, the opponent becomes the server.

Defective Serves Continued: 

Defective Serves Continued If a player makes an out service, the opponent immediately becomes the server. If a dead ball service, attempt the service again. There is no penalty, but any fault in the preceding service still stands.

Rules: 

Rules Faults: It is a fault if: the server serves before the receiver is ready; foot faults (stepping completely beyond the service line); the ball comes back from the front wall to touch the floor on or in front of the short line [“short”];

Rules Continued: 

Rules Continued if it hits both side walls before touching the floor [“3-wall serve”]; the ball comes back from the front wall to touch the ceiling before bouncing on the floor [“ceiling serve”]; it hits the back wall before touching the floor [“long”]; commits “screen”.

Rules Continued: 

Rules Continued Out Services: It is an out service if: the server's body touches the ball while trying to serve; misses the ball; the ball hits the ceiling, floor, or side wall, before bouncing on the front wall;

Rules Continued: 

Rules Continued it touches one of these simultaneously with the front wall, by bouncing on the angle of the front wall with floor, side wall, or ceiling; it touches the server on the rebound from the front wall; the server bounces the ball outside the serving zone, once the server has gone into the zone to serve and the receiver is ready; if the server steps into the safety zone before the ball crosses over the short line.

Losing Service: 

Losing Service A server's turn of service ends if: makes an out service; makes two fault services in succession; fails at any time to keep the ball in play with a good return; makes an avoidable hinder; deliberately wets the ball.