Out of Bounds

Do you know how to rule when a struck ball goes out of the court? Does it constitute a replay, or loss of rally to the hitter? In his “What’s the Call” column published in the Fall 2016 issue of Racquetball [pg.28], National Rules Commissioner Otto Dietrich addressed similar questions…

Continue reading

Referee Duties

Fall is traditionally the start of the racquetball season, and that means we get busy with tournaments after a little “quiet time” during summer (unless you competed in the Rocky Mountain State Games, or World Seniors). Anyway, the release of a new season calendar seemed like a good time to…

Continue reading

Serving in Doubles

In my last article, I covered a key aspect of the serve, which was the receiver signaling “not ready.” It’s a communication tool between receiver and server, and helps to promote safety during the serve. One aspect to the rule that I did not mention is how that rule applies…

Continue reading

Signal Not Ready

In order to have fair competition in any sport, a defined set of rules are known to the participants. Racquetball is no different. There are many rules that govern the game, not only during play, but also in standardizing court dimensions, equipment specifications for racquets, balls, and protective eyewear, and tournament…

Continue reading

Equipment Specifications

USA Racquetball recently published an article entitled Why Rules Matter, which was emailed to all members and positioned on the home page of USARacquetball.com. It discusses the marketing of racquets that do not meet the specifications as detailed in the Official Rules and I encourage everyone to read it. Adding…

Continue reading

Certification: Part II

If you’re up to the test … get certified! Highlands Ranch hosted the 2015 U.S. National Singles in May which turned out  to be a great event. This type of endeavor doesn’t happen without the concerted effort of many volunteers, and I hope you take a few minutes to salute all…

Continue reading

FAQ – Rules of Racquetball

Frequently Asked Questions … Question: Can a player’s foot extend over the line when serving? Answer: Rule 3.2 states, “Neither the ball nor any part of either foot may extend beyond either line of the service zone when initiating the service motion. Stepping on, but not beyond, the line is…

Continue reading

Penalty Hinders

Without exception, the penalty hinder is the most debated call in racquetball. Perhaps this is the reason why most players and officials avoid the call and simply choose to “do it over.” Players abide by other rules religiously, while dismissing the penalty hinder as a discretionary call that is only used…

Continue reading