Frequently on Reddit (and a few other forums or discussion groups) a new player will post stating their newfound love of the game and asking advice for how to improve and what to buy, etc. I tend to answer these questions in more depth than many that reply with a flippant answer about “Go To YouTube” or “Buy the racquet from my company because I’m a sponsored player”. Here’s one of the most recent of these questions posted by a couple from Iowa, and my answer. Let me know how you would modify or improve on that answer.
Reddit link:
my_wife_and_i_beginning_journey_would_love_some
This has truly, quickly become a sport that we love.
So how do we love it even more? We want our own racquets, not the borrowed ones from the gym. We want good court shoes, and honestly are open to just any recommendations you more seasoned players might have. Who to watch, rules to know that beginners might overlook, etc.
Any guidance is appreciated, thank you!!
Here was my response:
If you want demonstrations of amazingly good form, in the heat of battle, then there is no better resource than the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour.
https://www.youtube.com/@proracquetball
or
https://dailyracquetball.com/category/pros/lprt/ has each of their events broken out and has an embedded playlist for each one.
Unfortunately, many of the best racquetball training videos have disappeared from YouTube within the last 3 years. Channels have changed their focus, brands have been sold and channels deleted, etc. There are still good books and DVDs that are worth your time. The ones I recommend are here:
https://jt-rb.com/learning/
For racquets, think long and hard about what your end-goals are. If you are going to share the racquets, then a 165g racquet would be a good choice. If you have significantly more muscle mass (or just mass in general) then getting one at 165 and another at a heavier weight, like 170g/175g/185g would be a better option. In either case, you should listen to the various ways that racquets differ, and how to test them in your own hands. Cliff Swain (6x year-end #1 pro) did a quick video about choosing a new racquet, and just learning all of the terminology will help you cut thru most of the advertising hype you’ll see on the internet.
That video and links to the demo programs, are here:
https://jt-rb.com/should-i-buy-a-new-racquet/
For shoes, I would strongly recommend any brand that produces a gum rubber sole. This will keep you gripped to the floor when you swing. These can be marketed as basketball, indoor soccer, squash, racquetball, or even volleyball shoes. Personally, I’ve been using the Asics Gel Rocket models for 10+ years, with ventures into other brands and high tops, but I have always come back to the AGR. You will find that a lot of the women on the LPRT use Asics as well. The male pros tend to use basketball shoes at 4-5 times the price.
Women’s Gel Rocket
Men’s Gel Rocket
As far as rules go, I would recommend taking about 2 hours (broken down into 4 videos that you can watch on different days if you need to) to review the Referee certification course. You can do everything except take the test for free. (The test is only $20, so is worthwhile if you will be attending a tournament or helping others learn the game.)
https://www.usaracquetball.com/referee-certification
You should also reach out to Iowa Racquetball via Facebook, if you use it. They can help you with local resources, including instructors that may be able to travel to you for a quick session or six to help you get to the next level of play.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/IowaRacquetball/?sorting_setting=CHRONOLOGICAL
You can find future sanctioned Iowa racquetball events, here:
https://www.usaracquetballevents.com/iowa/racquetball-events.asp
In fact, they are having a tournament in Des Moines, this weekend.
https://www.r2sports.com/tourney/home.asp?TID=46043
Then I ended the post with the map of courts for Iowa, hosted here:
https://dailyracquetball.com/where-to-play-racquetball-iowa/
