Watching a racquetball game when you have never played the game before can be a foreboding experience. You may wonder how is it possible to play the game and live to reap the benefits of such a hard, fast game.
I have found when playing racquetball that you need to understand racquetball offensive shots. You can get ahead of the game and beat your opponent.
There are two categories of offensive shots, passing shots and kill shots. You should master both of offensive shots because this is how you win a game.
Pass Shots
Right now, I am going to explain how to do two pass shots. The pass shot forces the opponent toward the back area of the court where he skips the ball or makes a weak shot.
He may not be able to return the shot at all. The ball bounces twice before he can get to it and hit it.
The best passing shot as an offensive move is straight down along either side wall. The ball travels down the side of the court, all the way from the front wall to the back corner.
It’s very difficult to return because the ball hugs the side wall. Most racquetball players don’t feel comfortable hitting a ball when it’s so close to the side wall. For that reason, they miss their shot.
Side wall pass shots requires that you aim your hit 4 to 8 feet out from the front side wall – only not too high. If you hit the shot too high, the ball rebounds off the back wall, setting up your opponent an easy kill shot.
You also need to make sure you don’t hit the ball too close to the side wall where it pops out from the side wall and back corner as a great set up shot for your opponent.
Cross Court Pass Shot
Another great passing shot is the cross court pass shot. You aim the ball to hit the front wall at 1 to 2 feet above the floor and roughly 4 feet out from the sidewall.
With that pass shot, the ball returns exactly to the other side of the back corner. The bounces twice before arriving to the back corner. But you must hit the ball with accuracy.
Practice Your Shots
The main difficulty that most players experience with the cross court pass is not hitting the ball close enough to the center of the front wall.
If you do it incorrectly, you set up a nice shot for your opponent. Practice this shot at different points in the court until it just comes to you naturally.
I practice my racquetball shots for about 10 minutes before I play my partner. Practicing my shots is important to me because it keeps my accuracy and confidence up for the game.
The best you can do to master your shots is getting on the court and practice the shots over and over until you feel confident. Then, bring them into the racquetball game and win the game.