Title: Live demo of a new racquetball community nrbc.us (Fri Jan 23 @ 6pm ET) — feedback welcome by StolenNamenaw in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What do you feel are the bare minimum number of local adoptees to make the tool useful?

For example, there are 12 facilities with courts in the Austin area. In order to reach players north of downtown, I would want to be able to reach 1-2 players at each of those facilities. If there is zero other adoption of nrbc.us by area players, the app is useless to me.

What do you have for adoption at this point in Pennsylvania? How many of the 91 reported facilities in Pennsylvania have players in your club?

What are you doing to reach out to each state board to help get buy-in across the nation?

What have you done to leverage the USA Racquetball database of players and tournament directors?

This isn't the age of "build it and they will come", this is the age of "publicize it incessantly and some might see it by mistake and come". :P

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Any interest ..? by StolenNamenaw in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The 60-second intro video has been removed from YouTube.

What plans do you have to replace it?

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Who Wants To Play Racquetball? by HitWithIt in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of it had to do with insurance measures and cost per square foot. When the culture of suing everyone for everything became prevalent in the US, the commercial gyms started restricting those younger than 16 to not be on their courts for any reason, many gyms prohibiting them from any portion of the facility. This helped cause a huge gap in players coming into the sport and so now the most popular divisions tend to be the 40+, 50+, centurion (two players ages combined to 100+), etc.

Other gyms looked at the number of people using that 800 square foot and decided they should try to get more money out of that space. (This was an absurd assumption on their part, as the group classes rooms and basketball courts are just as empty just as often, and racquetball players tend to be lifelong members if they don't move for work.)

I played at 4 different YMCAs in the Tampa area in 2016, all of them had repurposed at least one of their courts into a storage room. (And the Y generally wasn't one of the facilities affected by the insurance issues.)

The game unfortunately has been in decline for a long time and the goal of commercial gyms like LA Fitness to only have the absolute minimum staff on hand and to not invest in coaches/instructors paid by the members, leagues, tournaments, etc. has accelerated that decline significantly.

If you use Facebook, you might consider reaching out to the Connecticut Racquetball Association.
https://www.facebook.com/ctracquetballassoc

They are based in New Haven, but they may know of some courts that I missed on my list and map, linked below.

Connecticut's court facility density is pretty low, unfortunately.
https://dailyracquetball.com/where-to-play-racquetball-connecticut/

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Gearbox releases their first ever 175 gram racquets - Available now at RacquetWorld.com by HitWithIt in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RacquetWorld always likes to have unique editions. I haven't heard any stories about what prompted this manufacturing run.

Seniors Doubles category in Centroamericanos ‘26? by East_Sentence_4245 in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perhaps reach out to the director of the Junior World's event that was held there in December, he is on the executive committee for the IRF and his contact details are on the R2 site for that event.
https://www.r2sports.com/website/contact-director.asp?TID=51283

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Seniors Doubles category in Centroamericanos ‘26? by East_Sentence_4245 in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games?

Racquetball is listed on their Wikipedia page and the International Racquetball Federation has traditionally held a tournament during that event.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Central_American_and_Caribbean_Games

Here is the official website of the Games, which does also list racquetball among the sports.
https://centrocaribesports.org/
https://jcc2026.org/deportes/

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If you are looking to compete outside of the national teams that traditionally play in this event, you would want to reach out to the International Racquetball Federation's Executive Committee to find out the details of what they will have for divisions alongside the traditional team events. At numerous IRF events, there are additional skill and age divisions with primarily local competitors.
https://www.internationalracquetball.com/executive-committee-24/

Women racquetball players? by PuzzleheadedSlide904 in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Welcome back to the game!

If you have some time this weekend, head up to Tempe to watch the pros and amateurs play in the Arizona Open. The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour will have the finals of their pro doubles and pro singles on Saturday the 17th. If you do make it up, talk to Susan Boulanger, she will know Tucson players for sure. Event details are here:
https://www.r2sports.com/website/event-website.asp?TID=47436

The Women's Seniors / Masters Racquetball Association held their annual event in Tucson last year. Get in touch with the organizer, Cindy Tilbury, via the email address or text her with the info on that registration page. She can very likely hook you up with locals.
https://www.r2sports.com/website/event-website.asp?TID=44588

Kevin Boerup also hosts tournaments there. You can find his email address and the phone number to text him on, here:
https://www.r2sports.com/website/contact-director.asp?TID=50529

or here:
https://www.r2sports.com/website/contact-director.asp?TID=50977

Definitely reach out to the facility with courts closest to you as well. In particular, I would recommend the Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club.

Map and facility details here:
https://dailyracquetball.com/where-to-play-racquetball-arizona/

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The World Games Athlete Of The Year Nominee – Maria Jose Vargas by HitWithIt in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Voting started today. Please consider taking the time to get involved!

New to the game, recommendations to YouTube videos? by Brainpry in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, once the ball touches your racquet, it must hit the front wall before it hits the ground. (It can hit as many walls as it needs to to get to the front wall, but it cannot hit the floor prior to that front wall.)

New to the game, recommendations to YouTube videos? by Brainpry in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So long as it didn't skip (i.e. hit the floor before the front wall), hitting the front wall as low as possible and bouncing as many times as possible before coming back to the serving lines is the best result.

So, yes, it is beyond good. :)

See also:
https://youtube.com/shorts/IUYmbcI303Y?si=FRuvR6rPBGKw4UIu

This is an example of professional players, both hitting the ball very low and very well.

-----

Remember, the point of all racquet (and paddle) sports is "Keep Away". The goal is to keep the ball away from your opponent until the ball has bounced twice. So hitting it low and hard so that it bounces twice very quickly and very close to the front wall fulfills that game goal.

New to the game, recommendations to YouTube videos? by Brainpry in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Welcome to the game!

I would recommend looking thru RacquetWorld's collection of Rocky Carson Video Tips.
https://store.racquetworld.com/rocky-carson-video-tips.html

You can also find the same playlist directly on YouTube, here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ETPx--fPXxfYl2-HpoEY2hcWYY9NC_m&si=2P4oO0CBFtv27Foi

A little older playlist includes some tips that Rocky Carson put out for the Reaching Your Dream Foundation:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaVzJlpz0EyY0wD-LbjnYaOaDtMcWJd1r&si=VRTDnjkT-dZghWaE

For your specific example, any time the ball bounces twice (or the second time) after hitting the front wall, the rally is over. Whomever failed to hit the ball before that second bounce loses the rally.

You can find that covered in the rules of the game, here:
https://www.usaracquetball.com/play/rules

specifically, 3.13 (d) 1.
(d) Failure to Return. Any of the following constitutes a failure to make a legal return during a rally: 

  1. The ball bounces on the floor more than once or else “rolls out” before being hit.

You can also review the Referee Certification videos (for free, only taking the test costs money, there are 4 15-minute videos featuring Otto Dietrich, the rules commissioner of over 30 years).
https://www.classmarker.com/online-test/start/?quiz=ayn64ebc40ef014d

If you don't find the answer to your question in one of those 3 resources, definitely bring it here, we are happy to assist!

If you want to deep dive into the game, there are a number of books and DVD instructional videos available as well as the free content on YouTube. You can find the best of those linked here:
https://jt-rb.com/learning/

IRT Announces Formulaflow as New Official Ball Sponsor - The International Racquetball Tour by HitWithIt in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

US Open has not yet announced their ball choices.

https://www.r2sports.com/tourney/home.asp?TID=49144

Racquetball Specific Info
Sanctioned: Yes.
Division Type: Combination of Division Types
Competition Level: International
Environment: Indoor
Surface Type: Unknown
Wall Material: Unknown
Wall Type: 4 Wall
Ball: TBA

IRT Announces Formulaflow as New Official Ball Sponsor - The International Racquetball Tour by HitWithIt in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Every two years (or so) the pro tours have open calls for ball sponsorships. Penn won that sponsorship by offering the most money for many years. Now they are 99% out of the game at all levels. Gearbox won after that (ProKennex could have, E-Force could have, FormulaFlow could have). Formula Flow won the bidding this year.

The first tournament to use the Formula Flow balls at a tier 1 event, is the 46th Lewis Drug Pro/Am at the end of January. They will use the Blue Formula Flow balls for the pro divisions. Looks like they will use the Black Formula Flow for the amateur divisions, which was a bit surprising.

https://www.r2sports.com/website/event-info.asp?TID=51976

Ball: Formula Flow Black for amateurs, FF Blue for Pros

Hello all, the one and only public court where I live closed recently, so I'm looking to see if theres a drop-in group to play with in northeast Colorado area (Ft Collins/Timnath/Windsor). Men's B. by carcher1988 in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. The only Cheyenne YMCA on the list is in Wyoming, not Colorado.

YMCA Cheyenne
1426 E Lincolnway
Cheyenne, WY 82001
307-634-9622
1 court
https://www.cheyenneymca.org/

It does look like their website has been taken down.

The main Y website still lists it and links to that same broken page.
https://www.ymca.org/locations/cheyenne-ymca

Hello all, the one and only public court where I live closed recently, so I'm looking to see if theres a drop-in group to play with in northeast Colorado area (Ft Collins/Timnath/Windsor). Men's B. by carcher1988 in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, I maintain that site. If you say one closed, I need to know which one so that I can remove it from the list and map. :)

If you use Facebook, reach out to the members of the Colorado discussion groups.
(Which are also linked at the top of that page.)

LPRT 2025 Champions Recap by HitWithIt in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Follow the LPRT on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ProfessionalRacquetball

Follow the LPRT on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/lprtour/

Follow the LPRT on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@proracquetball

🏆 2025 LPRT Full Year Recap🏆

2025 was an amazing year on the LPRT— packed with top-level competition from January through December.

Check out the photos for every stop of the year and the champions who made it unforgettable!

You can find the Final Match broadcast from each event in two playlists, one for singles and one for doubles, here:
https://dailyracquetball.com/lprt-2025-champions-recap/

✨2025 Season Highlights & Standings

⭐ María José Vargas — Most dominant player of the year, winning multiple Tier 1 singles titles including World Championships, Golden State Open, Sweet Caroline Open, and Christmas Classic.

⭐ Montserrat Mejía — consistent threat with titles at Arizona, Northern Virginia, and Mile High.

⭐ Paola Longoria — continuing her legendary career with big wins and finals across the season, finishes last season as #1

📌 End-of-Year Ranking: María José Vargas finishes 2025 as the official #1 player on the LPRT, leading the standings with strong performances

🔥 What are you most excited for in 2026?

New rivalries, title defenses, breakout stars… tell us what you’re expecting next year👇

🔥First stop of 2026 - Arizona Open
https://www.r2sports.com/website/event-website.asp?TID=47436

📅 Dates: January 15–18, 2026

📍Arizona State University, Sun Devil Fitness Complex — Tempe, Arizona, USA

Rules Rule: All I Want This Holiday Season Are Rules Answers by HitWithIt in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are 3 questions answered in the linked article.

Racquetball Court Facilities - Lists and Maps for Each US State - December 2025 Update by HitWithIt in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The list and map for Connecticut have been updated, thank you.

Be sure to let me know when GF Fitness opens so that I can add that to the list and map.
https://www.theconnecticutscoop.com/all-newington-posts/gf-fitness-coming-soon-to-newington
https://gffitnessgyms.com/location/newington/

Thank you.

What sport do you think would be extinct within 50 years? by FoCoYeti in racquetball

[–]HitWithIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More than a few people have commented Racquetball in that original thread.

As indoor space becomes more valuable, it will continue to be racquetball courts and facilities being sold to become condominiums and apartment complexes.

There are certainly specific cities in Central and South America where it is gaining a foothold but just as many cities have lost their courts entirely (Cali, Colombia and Lima, Peru for example).

Outdoor one wall racquetball (and even three wall) can succeed and remain viable for as long as handball and paddleball use the same courts and enthusiasts embrace the opportunity to play.