Racquetball

1
Racquetball

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

2
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

3
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

4
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.

5
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 doesnt 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.

6
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.

7
Rules Continued

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

8
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.

9
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.

10
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

11
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.

12
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

13
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.

14
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.