Back on February 26th, a Reddit user asked:

What do you do when you can’t play, but can’t stop thinking about it?

https://www.reddit.com/r/racquetball/comments/f9upr7/what_do_you_do_when_you_cant_play_but_cant_stop/

This predated the COVID-19 closure of courts, gyms, and outdoor courts.

On March 17th, a Facebook user asked:

What will you do when you can’t access the courts or a gym to stay ready to play?

https://www.reddit.com/r/racquetball/comments/fk9exg/what_will_you_do_when_you_cant_access_the_courts/

I answered both questions on Reddit and Facebook. Here’s a recap of those two answers.

What do you do when you can’t play, but can’t stop thinking about it?

Give back.

1) Some people volunteer time with state board associations, other with USA Racquetball committees.

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Racquetball/Leadership/Volunteer-Committees

2) Some will document all they can about the professional game, i.e. who has played whom how many times and when and where and the results.

https://www.proracquetballstats.com/

3) Others will document international and professional events verbally.

http://theracquetballblog.blogspot.com/

4) Others will give back with insightful articles comparing racquetball with paddleball and squash and handball, and provide amazing photos and videos to go with them.

https://www.restrungmagazine.com/

5) Some tackle giving back from more of an instructional angle.

http://racquetball-lessons.com/
https://www.penciltree.com/racquetball

6) Some tackle the problems and concerns of players or tournament organizers and how those problems might be addressed.

https://jt-rb.com/

6a) Some organize video playlists of all of the pro and international broadcast matches they can find. (Playlists by event and playlists by player – 154 playlists as of today.)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9mGLQudRkrYqFtjrXhkNhg/playlists

6b) Some will create a website for their city and the immediate surrounds, with the goal of making everything they know about the area, the facilities, the players, the stringers, the instructors, and the tournaments public.

https://atxrball.com

6c) Others will take on that same idea about public knowledge for an entire state.

http://georgiaracquetball.info/
http://alabamaracquetball.com/

6d) Others will document everything they can about where to play, period.

http://dailyracquetball.com/where-to-play-racquetball/

7) Others will put out videos for off-court training.

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Another way the average (or even exceptional) player can give back, is to write up an article discussing their racquetball club, or a recent league, or a tournament. Consciously considering the best that the sport has to offer on a local personal level and sharing that with a state racquetball association or regional/national discussion group can be a positive use for that racquetball mindset and you are missing.

Or you can join in on the Keep It Going racquetball challenge by Sudsy Monchik & Veronica Sotomayor.

#WeAreRacquetball
#SomosRacquetball

I can’t recommend that you take on any one of them specifically, to scratch your itch, but definitely consider finding a way to give back.

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What will you do when you can’t access the courts or a gym to stay ready to play?

Squats, lunges, side-to-side ski jumps, Cable pulls if you have them available, Woodchop, Reverse Woodchop – see also:

http://racquetballchallenge.com/index.php/racquetball-fitness-drills/

Agility ladder routines:

https://jt-rb.com/agility-ladder-drills-for-racquetball/

suicide sprints (back and forth, no farther than 40 feet on the longest sprint),

burpees

Pullups

As many different kettlebell exercises as you have time for.

Or, if you have a porch or driveway with decent concrete, a racquetball rebounder will let you work on your form, so that you can keep practicing your swings and staying low.

https://www.racquetballwarehouse.com/descpage.html?pcode=XKREBOUND

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What would you add as your response to either question?

Contact me and let me know!