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Created 12/31/01

Racquet Preparation by Carl Moody

I think most racquetball players have been told to "get your racquet up early," or the "most important thing is early racquet preparation." I was told by one instructor that, as soon as the ball leaves the front wall, you know whether it is coming to your forehand or backhand, so at that point you should get your racquet in the ready position.

However, I think it is fairly obvious that it would be somewhat of a waste of energy to run around the court with your racquet up in the ready position (racquet back, racquet above the shoulder, wrist cocked, elbow at shoulder level, etc.). So what is the best practice?

Racquet preparation occurs in three distinct stages. In stage 1, you have hit your shot and you are watching the ball while your opponent is lining up his or her shot. At this stage you should be completely relaxed. Some players just let the racquet hang down, some hold it waist high, including some who support it with the non-hitting hand. At this stage just do what makes you most comfortable. (Although if you are surprised and jammed, it would be better if the racquet isn’t just dangling, so it would probably be better if you keep it at waist height.)

In stage 2, your opponent has hit his or her shot and you are tracking it off the front wall. In this stage you should move the racquet to a position across your body (so that your elbow is bent), at a level somewhere between your waist and chest. This is probably what most instructors consider early racquet preparation.

In stage 3 the ball is approaching your hitting zone, you should be squaring up to the side wall, and you should lift the racquet, cock your wrist, raise your elbow to shoulder height, etc., so as to get into the ready position to strike the ball. With respect to your hitting arm, moving from stage 2 to stage 3 is simply a matter of moving your arm a foot or so and takes less than a second.

Players who have poor racquet preparation are probably just skipping stage 2.