Racquetball

The Belmont Athletic Club has a very active racquetball program. Players from novice to advanced enjoy the leagues, tournaments, and open play. The club features 1 glass back wall court and one solid back wall court. Reservations for courts can be made up to two days in advance. Members need to have the court use option in their membership in order to reserve courts and participate in racquetball events.

League Information:

The Belmont offers its racquetball members many different league divisions (including both singles and doubles leagues) that range in skill and ability from the beginner to the open level player.  With four leagues per year (loosely mirroring the winter, spring, summer and fall seasons), members have the opportunity to play competitively on a weekly basis in order to qualify for the playoffs. 

Why We Are Different:

While our Racquetball Members love to battle it out on the courts, the social aspect of our Club does not end there.  In fact, many of our racquetball members will stop by the Club simply to watch friends compete and socialize with other members.

After those long hard matches have been played, many of our racquetball members will walk upstairs to Murphy’s Pub for a sandwich, soda, glass of wine or pint of beer.  It’s a nice way for our members to recap the evening and socialize.  

Do You Also Have Tournaments?

Of Course!  In addition to offering leagues, the Racquetball Program offers three to four tournaments a year (depending on scheduling).  The most notable tournament occurs every summer in conjunction with the club anniversary.  Members have a chance to play for such prizes as a free month of membership or a gift certificate to Murphy’s.  Other tournaments feature prizes from local restaurants and shops.

Official Racquetball Rules

You can play singles racquetball with two players, doubles racquetball with four players or cutthroat racquetball with three players. Whichever type of racquetball you play, you have to follow certain basic rules. The United States Racquetball Association outlines detailed official rules for the sport on its website. Failure to follow the sport’s rules results in lost points.

Basic Concept

In racquetball, you win rallies against your opponent by hitting a serve or shot that your opponent cannot reach before the ball bounces twice. If your opponent commits an error or fault, you also win the rally. You can win points only on your serve. If you win a rally on your opponent’s serve, you gain the serve rather than a point.

Standard Court

The standard racquetball court measures 40 feet long, 20 feet wide and 20 feet high. The back wall must reach at least 12 feet high. You can hit the ball to all surfaces of the court, including the ceiling. The short line runs parallel to the front wall and divides the court into two equal halves. The service line also runs parallel to the front wall and five feet in front of the short line. The receiving line runs parallel to the front wall and five feet behind the short line.

Equipment

Your racquet must not exceed 22 inches. You must wear non-marking shoes and protective eye goggles or glasses at all times on the court. You must also wear a safety cord around your wrist that connects to the racquet. This cord prevents the racquet from flying out of your hand accidentally.

Start

Complete a coin toss to decide who serves first. If you win the coin toss, you can choose to serve or receive first. If you choose to serve first, your opponent serves first in the second game.

Scoring

You can score points only on your serve. You must win 15 points to win the first or second game, and you must win two games to win a match. In a third game, referred to as the “tiebreaker,” you need only win 11 points.

Serving

You must serve from within the service zone between the short line and the service line. Your serve must hit the front wall and then bounce behind the short line on the floor. Your serve can hit one side wall before it hits the floor, but it cannot hit both side walls, the ceiling or the back wall before hitting the floor. You can serve underhanded or overhanded, but you must bounce the ball to the ground before hitting the serve. When you receive a serve, you must stand behind the receiving line.

Hinders

If a “hinder” occurs during a rally or serve, you can replay that rally or serve. Hinders include a shot that hits a vent, light or doorknob and bounces irregularly, a shot that hits a player, a player blocking her opponent from reaching the ball with her body or racquet, or a ball or foreign object entering the court from outside the court.

For more information you can visit the USA Racquetball Associations Website http://www.usaracquetball.com/Home.aspx