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Racquet Technologies &_Ratings
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RacquetWorld's Newsletter Racquetball Tip of the Month
Spice up your Defense “The 3 wall shot” Defensive Racquetball is almost an oxymoron in today’s game. With the new age racquets, all the up and coming younger players have a common mantra…Offensive Power from Everywhere. They let “the other guy” worry about defense. Well, sometimes I am “the other guy” like many of you. How do we tame a totally offensive powerhouse and win? In theory, it’s a simple game of percentages. A power player will shoot virtually everything. All you have to do is give him lower percentage shots and he should eventually self-destruct via his own unforced errors. Just what are these lower percentage shots? They are most likely the ones you have trouble returning too. Balls that line the side walls…Deep ceiling balls…and the rarely used 3 wall shot that skims along the back wall are a few. It’s this last shot that I want to “remind” everyone of today. There must be a reason (besides the official racquetball rules) that you can’t hit a serve that contacts 3 walls. The reason is the ball will come straight off the sidewall and skim along the back wall. If a player was pretty good, that serve could be almost impossible to return. Many players forget or don’t realize that after the serve, the 3 wall shot is a legal shot in racquetball. Ceiling balls get boring after a while. Ceiling balls also don’t throw in funny angles and many times they come straight off the back wall for an easy setup. This week I’d like everyone reading this to take a chance and try one 3 wall defensive shot. I want you to notice that when correctly hit it accomplishes many things. First, it sails OVER the middle of center court and does not yield an offensive opportunity. Second, the ball off the last sidewall does not travel in a direction an opponent can hit. This forces the player off-balance as they must completely change the angle of the ball’s movement usually while they move in a different direction. Third, in doubles this ball tracks through both sides of the court and creates confusion for the other doubles team (especially if they play side to side). Fourth, this shot gives you enough time, like a ceiling ball, to take up center court position. Fifth, if you hit this shot very well (not even perfect) it may simply be a winner…point over. I know a perfect ceiling ball also works…but the difference here is “very well” versus “perfect”…I can do “very well” much more often. Hitting this shot can be accomplished from almost anywhere. However, I wouldn’t attempt it if you’re within 5 feet of the back wall…the angle needed may be too difficult for all but the most elite players. I use this shot sometimes when I short-hop lob serves…especially in doubles. I also use this shot when I just get to a ball farther upfront and I know my opponent is covering my upfront shot choices. You want to see a guy scramble…flick this around when he expects you to punch a pinch. (say that 3 times fast) The picture shows the shot. It can be performed forehand or backhand…the key thing is keeping the ball high enough so your opponent can’t pluck it out of mid air as it travel above center court. The other essential is to get the angle right. The correct angle changes with your court position so a little experimentation is needed for you to see the paths for yourself. The gray area is the optimal area where you can hit this shot from. You are not limited to this area, but outside this area the angles involved are much harder to hit. In addition, I tried to show the height of the ball during its flight path. So pretend your looking down from the ceiling and the larger the ball the higher it is. I’ll expect some of you to tell me the story of how you surprised your unsuspecting opponents with this one…especially those of you who have never used this shot before. Have fun! Post Your Comments on this Tip
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