Racquetball
5 Professional Racquetball Courts Available
 Our AmPro certified instructors will personally analyze the physical and mental aspects of your game and discuss a plan of how to improve it. We will cover every aspect of your game, from stroke fundamentals to the mental part of the game. We will also help you with your court conditioning.
Individual or group lessons are available by appointment. Contact Hector Del Castillo at 301-523-9478 or at hmdelcastillo@gmail.com.
Individual: $30 per session
Lessons Package: $25.00 per session, minimum of 4 sessions
Group Package: $20.00 per person, minimum of 2 people per session
Check-In
All members and their guests must check-in at the Reception Desk prior to going on the court.
Guest Policy
All guests are required to pay a $10.70 guest fee at the Reception Desk prior to class. Guests are permitted to visit the Club only one (1) time per month. A member may bring two (3) guests when a court has been reserved for doubles. Guests under eighteen (18) years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Court Costs
Racquetball courts are free of charge. Reservations are recommended and can be made at the Reception Desk.
- Five courts are available for unlimited play unless utilized for other racquetball club programs.
- Court #2 is the only court that may be utilized for tennis warm-up.
Court Reservations
Courts can be reserved up to, and no more than, five (5) days in advance, including the day you are calling.
- Reservations can be made any time.
- Full names of players must be given for all reservations.
- Only one (1) reservation per day, per member. However, members can walk on courts if courts are available throughout the day. Proper check-in at the Reception Desk is required in order to obtain a walk-on court.
- Reservations are taken on the half-hour for the hour.
- Court numbers are not provided until check-in.
- The Club reserves the right to change court assignments at any time.
Conduct
Only racquetball players are permitted on the court during play. Other guests and family members must remain in the observation areas. Proper etiquette and conduct are expected of all members and their guests. Any player may be asked to leave the Club if, in the opinion of a Club employee, his/her conduct is inappropriate. Improper conduct includes, but is not limited to, abusive language, throwing racquets, and physical abuse of facility and/or persons.
Dress Code
Players are required to be fully clothed at all times. Shoes that leave marks are not permitted on the courts. Eyewear must be worn at all times when playing.
Only water is allowed on the racquetball courts
Top 20 Tips to Improve Your Game
What is a screen serve?
Changing Old Habits
Top 20 Tips to Improve Your Game
By: Hector Del Castillo
1. Consistent ball drop and good stroke mechanics are the keys to a great serve. Make sure to use your hips and shoulder rotation along with wrist snap to generate more power in your serve.
2. To return serve, your racquet should be centered in front of your body in a backhand grip, as most serves are to the backhand side. When hitting the ball, your body should be facing a side wall, not the front wall.
3. For the forehand, your elbow should be aligned with the top of the shoulder with your forearm being parallel to the floor. Your elbow joint should be at a 90 degree angle.
4. Lead with your elbow, away from your body. There should be at least eight to 12 inches between your elbow and your body. Extend outward and contact the ball at the furthermost extension point. At contact, the ball should be just past the inner front thigh, the racquet face square to the front wall and the bottom of the racquet frame parallel to the floor. The step into the ball should be with the lead foot and straight, at the same time as the stroke.
5. The wrist should snap at contact and continue to follow through towards the front wall. The racquet should stay level and continue to circle around the body. It is important to follow through so that by the end of your stroke, your hips should be facing the front wall and your racquet head should have turned over and be facing the floor. The primary power force comes from elbow preparation with the hip and leg drive becomes the secondary power source.
6. For the backhand, your arm should reach towards the backwall (not behind the head) leaving the arm slightly bent, in the shape of a bow. The elbow should be away from the body and pointed towards the side wall. Make sure you release the racquet with your free hand. Your weight should be shifted to your back foot.
7. Your shoulders and hips should be facing the side wall, the elbow should lead transferring your weight from your back foot to your front foot. Step forward setting your lead foot at a 45 degree angle, allowing your hips to open up more naturally. Point of contact should be off the front big toe, just as the weight has transferred forward. The racquet head should once again be extended outward, with the face square to the front wall and the frame parallel to the floor.
8. At contact, your wrist should naturally snap. The stroke should continue towards the front wall, staying on a level plane. Make sure your elbow stays level, lower than the shoulder.
9. On your drive serves, it is better to be short on your first attempt, as this can be adjusted by ball drop or aim point on the front wall. Keep your drive serves from hitting the side wall. You want to angle your serve to the corners to force your opponent to a deeper position in the back of the court.
10. Try to keep the service motion the same on all your serves. This will create deception and keep your opponent guessing. When serving, the ideal first bounce range is approximately six inches in front of the short line to two feet past the short line. This range will help keep your serves from coming off the back wall and being easy setups for your opponent.
11. When selecting your shots, if the ball is chest height or higher, go to your ceiling shot. If the ball is chest to thigh height, use a passing shot. If the ball is below your thigh, go for your kill shot.
12. If you opponent is behind you, pinch (hit the front wall, then sidewall) to the same side as your opponent. If your opponent is even with you, use a passing shot. If your opponent is in front of you, use a passing or ceiling shot.
13. When in doubt, go with a down the line shot as close to the side wall as possible. This should force a weak or defensive return.
14. Good angles are more important than hitting the ball low. By using angles and hitting higher on the front wall, you eliminate skip balls or other unforced errors.
15. Kill shots are not the only offensive returns. A good passing shot that bounces twice before hitting the back wall will win a rally and is less likely to skip.
16. Do not force your kill shots. Use your passing shots to get yourself in better position to hit kill shots.
17. When hitting a passing shot do not try to hit the ball low on the front wall. Instead, use a hitting range of six inches to 24 inches off the floor. Then, if your shot is low, it will still be effective.
18. To get into the proper court position for an offensive return, watch the ball at all times, then move as your opponent swings. Remember, you want to control center court and keep your
opponent behind you in a defensive position. The term "center court" is somewhat of a misnomer because it does not really mean the exact center of the court. Instead, the "playing" center is about five feet behind the short line and equal distance from the side walls.
19. Dominating center court will allow you to capitalize on every mistake your opponent makes. At center court, you have maximum scoring options from effective shots and you can easily cover your opponent's best shots. However, there are times when you must relinquish center court. The rules state that you must always give up your position to give your opponent a fair chance to hit the ball.
20. Two of the best shots for enabling you to take control of center court are the ceiling ball and the pass or down the line shot. Both these defensive shots will require your opponent to move to back court to return the ball, thus allowing you to move to center court.
For instructions regarding how to implement these tips, you can set up a lesson appointment with our club pro, Hector Del Castillo, at 301-523-9478 or at hmdelcastillo@gmail.com.
Changing Old Habits
By: Sandy Kubany
I know that it is difficult to change swing mechanics and strategy after you have played the game for a while. It’s best to take the view of starting a new habit verses changing the old one. As discussed in the book “The Inner Game of Tennis”, the author Tim Gallwey proposes that this is a much better alternative because by changing an old habit, you are consciously starting the wrong way and fixing it. If you begin a new habit, it is correct from the start-once you get the hang of it. Trust me, the latter is much easier.
In the area of footwork, it will take several stumbles and many incorrect steps before you get it right. You must dedicate yourself and stick with your new techniques. You must be persistent, working on your own/and or with a practice partner or a professional to switch to the new technique. You must be willing to look and feel foolish, trip over your own feet for a while, and lose to players that you usually beat. This transition period will not be easy, but nothing worth while ever is. Half way through this transition is where most people give up and fall back into their old ways. This is why most people only improve by getting better at what they already do versus learning to play better racquetball. Don’t give up; be willing to lose a few battles to win the war!
One magical day it will happen: the breakthrough. This is the day that you’ve been waiting for. It may happen all at once, something will “click” and moving forward you will be a better player. Progress may come bit by bit, but once you truly understand, a leap forward will take place. It’s what makes all the work worth while. Players who in the past will now be struggling to keep up. People who do not understand how far you’ve progressed from the work that you have put in will rarely beat you. A breakthrough is a moment of an epiphany, a passage to a higher plane of existence on the court.
Next month we will discuss racquetball drills and our January Club Tournament! For suggestions on swing mechanics and footwork drills, please feel free to contact me at scsk@aol.com or (301) 580-0128. I’d love to work with you. |
