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Referees can also access technicals for players who are abusive or unsportsmanlike. I would offer a warning first. A technical results in the subtraction of 1 point from the offending player’s score. If there are three technicals in the same match the player forfeits. Rights of the Players If you have problems with a referee both players must agree and then one can approach the tournament director to find a replacement. If only one player wants a new referee and the other player doesn’t the referee should not be replaced. I would suggest linesmen in this case. You only need 3 of the 4 players on the doubles court to agree to get a new referee. Opening Lines to Live By After a simple introduction to the combatants, I have the following little verse: Help me out on the close calls, if I don’t see something I can’t call it. If I don’t see 2 bounces it’s a good ball. If the receiver wants a screen serve he should hold up his hand and continue to play the point. I will stop play if it’s a screen. On hinders if you take the shot you live with it. If you want a hinder, hold up your hand and continue to play the point. Again if I agree, I will stop play. Calling the Score Many referees try and dictate the pace of the game or try and help one player by alerting them that the receiver’s racquet is raised by not calling out the score. This shouldn’t happen. A ref should call the score as ther server picks up the ball and makes his way back to the service zone. After that time, the players are on their own to check each other and get the ball in play within the allotted 10 seconds. Receiver Signals Not Ready The only acceptable ways for the receiver to signal he is not ready to receive a serve is to turn his back and face the back wall or he raises his racquet. In doubles, it only takes one receiver to have his backed turned or racquet up to halt the serve. Screen Serves A screen serve results if either of the following events happen: The ball passes within a racquet length of a person and hinders the view of the receiver or the server breaks the screen serve line. Just because a person doesn’t break the screen serve line doesn’t mean it’s not a screen. Hinders (Everyday Hinders, Safety Hinders and Point Hinders) I’m going to define Safety Hinder and Point Hinders. If the “hinder” doesn’t fit in these two categories it’s your simple Everyday Hinder. Please note that for all hinder cases, if the ball was such a good shot that it was unreturnable, no hinder can be called. You must first decide if the hindered player had a legitimate shot to return the ball. After that decision, you can then either call the ball down or move on to which type of hinder it was. Point (Avoidable) Hinders By definition, a player is entitled to two shots. The first is down the line. This refers to the closest side the player is on. He is also entitled to a cross court shot. We define cross court as the angle necessary to have the ball hit the front wall and go to the back corner on the opposite side the player is standing on. If either of these two shot is impeded, whether his opponent made an attempt or not to get out the way, it results in a Point Hinder. A Point Hinder results in a point or side out for the team taking the shot. Safety Hinder A safety hinder is my own creation to simplify everything. A safety hinder results when a player could have retrieved the ball without question but holds up because he feels his opponent could have been injured if he took his shot. However, his opponent may not have been in the way at the time of the hold up. For instance…the ball is coming off the back wall down the line. The last time the player saw his opponent he was right against that wall…he watches the ball and holds up. In the mean time his opponent came away from the wall and the shot was clear. (If the opponent stayed the result would have been a Point Hinder) In this case no one is at fault and the point is replayed. Everyday Hinder This is the most common hinder. Before making this call, you must first ask yourself if the player asking for the hinder could have retrieved the ball if nobody was in his way. Just because somebody was in your way doesn’t mean it is necessarily a hinder. A hinder is a retrievable ball you were blocked from hitting. In this case the point is replayed. You can forward any rules questions to me at Pat@Racquetworld.com
Copyright 2005 RacquetWorld. All rights reserved.

Racquetball Ref Tips

By Pat Bernardo

Overall Ref Responsibilities

The referee is there to be a glorified scorekeeper, to make sure the rules of racquetball are being followed and lastly to settle disputed calls. Scorekeeping is the easy part (for most of us at least). The outline below will help you with the rules. If you follow the rules, the disputed calls are easily dealt with.

Rights of the Referee

In close matches, I suggest getting linesmen. Linesmen add two more sets of eyes and there is an avenue for the players to get a second opinion. Everything except technicals can now be appealed.

Referees can also access technicals for players who are abusive or unsportsmanlike. I would offer a warning first. A technical results in the subtraction of 1 point from the offending player’s score. If there are three technicals in the same match the player forfeits.

Rights of the Players

If you have problems with a referee both players must agree and then one can approach the tournament director to find a replacement. If only one player wants a new referee and the other player doesn’t the referee should not be replaced. I would suggest linesmen in this case. You only need 3 of the 4 players on the doubles court to agree to get a new referee.

Opening Lines to Live By

After a simple introduction to the combatants, I have the following little verse:

Help me out on the close calls, if I don’t see something I can’t call it. If I don’t see 2 bounces it’s a good ball. If the receiver wants a screen serve he should hold up his hand and continue to play the point. I will stop play if it’s a screen. On hinders if you take the shot you live with it. If you want a hinder, hold up your hand and continue to play the point. Again if I agree, I will stop play.

Calling the Score

Many referees try and dictate the pace of the game or try and help one player by alerting them that the receiver’s racquet is raised by not calling out the score. This shouldn’t happen. A ref should call the score as ther server picks up the ball and makes his way back to the service zone. After that time, the players are on their own to check each other and get the ball in play within the allotted 10 seconds.

Receiver Signals Not Ready

The only acceptable ways for the receiver to signal he is not ready to receive a serve is to turn his back and face the back wall or he raises his racquet. In doubles, it only takes one receiver to have his backed turned or racquet up to halt the serve.

Screen Serves

A screen serve results if either of the following events happen:

The ball passes within a racquet length of a person and hinders the view of the receiver or the server breaks the screen serve line. Just because a person doesn’t break the screen serve line doesn’t mean it’s not a screen.

Hinders (Everyday Hinders, Safety Hinders and Point Hinders)

I’m going to define Safety Hinder and Point Hinders. If the “hinder” doesn’t fit in these two categories it’s your simple Everyday Hinder. Please note that for all hinder cases, if the ball was such a good shot that it was unreturnable, no hinder can be called. You must first decide if the hindered player had a legitimate shot to return the ball. After that decision, you can then either call the ball down or move on to which type of hinder it was.

Point (Avoidable) Hinders

By definition, a player is entitled to two shots. The first is down the line. This refers to the closest side the player is on. He is also entitled to a cross court shot. We define cross court as the angle necessary to have the ball hit the front wall and go to the back corner on the opposite side the player is standing on.

If either of these two shot is impeded, whether his opponent made an attempt or not to get out the way, it results in a Point Hinder. A Point Hinder results in a point or side out for the team taking the shot.

Safety Hinder

A safety hinder is my own creation to simplify everything. A safety hinder results when a player could have retrieved the ball without question but holds up because he feels his opponent could have been injured if he took his shot. However, his opponent may not have been in the way at the time of the hold up. For instance…the ball is coming off the back wall down the line. The last time the player saw his opponent he was right against that wall…he watches the ball and holds up. In the mean time his opponent came away from the wall and the shot was clear.

(If the opponent stayed the result would have been a Point Hinder)

In this case no one is at fault and the point is replayed.

Everyday Hinder

This is the most common hinder. Before making this call, you must first ask yourself if the player asking for the hinder could have retrieved the ball if nobody was in his way. Just because somebody was in your way doesn’t mean it is necessarily a hinder. A hinder is a retrievable ball you were blocked from hitting.

In this case the point is replayed.

You can forward any rules questions to me at Pat@Racquetworld.com