Shhhh ... a couple of tips ...

A few of the shhhhhhhh….”Secrets”

1) Intimate knowledge of the court… Right now, think of your home court, how many lights are on the ceiling, six, eight? Are they rows or single squares? How high does the back wall go before there is a balcony, or rail? Is the front wall a different surface than the side walls? Are their stripes on the glass? What color is the carpet outside the court? Since I travel to many different courts to compete, I to try to be completely comfortable in every court. I do this by becoming very familiar with all walls, colors, surfaces and oddities of the court. For example, Often there’s a ‘storage box’ usually on the left side wall, (for players to put balls, keys, etc) unfortunately, it is placed right where a high z serve will hit. During my warm-up, I’ll purposely hit a toss a few into the door of the box, and then hit my shot off the box. So when the ball hits it during a match, I will not be surprised, or distracted by the different sound, or different bounce.

2) Wallpaper balls? You know the ones, they appear to roll on the wall, we call them ‘Glidden balls” like the paint? How in the world can I return that? Here’s how to practice? Face the side wall, in the rear corner. Hold the ball in your non hitting hand, place it touching the side wall at about your head height, let it roll down the wall, and bounce. As it is rising back up, practice scraping it off the wall aiming of course, for a ceiling ball, most likely cross court one, because the margin of error is less. (easier to hit cross court, than a perfect no-side wall ceiling ball, especially if you have to scrape it off the wall in the first place. And, it’s ok to hit the wall with your racquet. Don’t stop your swing… just swing thru as you would any other shot.

3) Set up triangle… Why do we start learning the strokes with drop and hit? Why do we practice drop and hit so often? Because it allows for repetition. First, you should be able to hit the ball from your hand, as if it dropped out of the sky. Then the goal of good court movement on a set-up is to position yourself so the ball will reach you, AS IF it’s dropping out of the sky. Imagine a triangle, like this one on the left. Now look at the one on the right. It is the top view of good footwork for a forehand. It’s called the set up triangle. Often, poor shots can be traced back to poor footwork, to a non-triangle the diagram below.

37 Secrets from the Pro Tour

"37 Secrets from the Pro Tour” is a clinic conducted all over the US by top-ranked LPRA pro Johanna Shattuck. It is a different, fast paced entertaining type of clinic, and the CRA is lucky enough to have a sample for you here. For more, find a “37 Secrets Clinic” at your club or visit www.racquetballacademy.com.

Even better? Join Jo Shattuck and IRT pro Derek Robinson for a luxury Racquetball Camp at an incredible mountain home in Breckenridge, Colorado. The house features a regulation racquetball court, with a full glass wall view of the Rockies, plus a full list of high-end vacation amenities. Find out more about the site, at www.alpinelink.com and by emailing joshattuck@hotmail.com for more details on how to sign up!

6.6.1

6.6.1 Group Coaching is designed for the competitor who wants a personal coach, without $100+ per hour cost.

6.6.1 Group Coaching offers individual attention in a group setting. It's not a camp, not a clinic. The lesson plans are designed around each student's particular and specific needs.

The sessions take place at your club (or mine) with up to six players who share the same goal ... to get better. 

Contact Jo Shattuck, by phone at 303-949-7785 for more information.

No. 24

Short Stroke in Front Court ... We’ve all been taught to get square to the side wall as we hit a shot, but what if you don’t have time? You don’t want to miss an offensive opportunity. When you are in the front court and a ball is coming at you, you wont have time to step, get square and follow through like you can on a setup shot. This is the time to use a short stroke or a ‘snap’ stroke.

Your feet will stay facing the front wall, racquet tip must not drop AT ALL, and keep the butt of the racquet pointed down to the floor. You will use only your hips and shoulders to ‘snap’ the racquet to the ball. It works great for a re-kill or pass from the front court. You won’t have much of a follow-through, and you will be ready for the next shot.

You can find more of the “37 Secrets” at www.racquetballacademy.com.