Center Court Readiness

Listen up Racquetballers. If you’ve been playing RB longer than a couple of months then you should know that ideal center court positioning is about a step behind the encroachment line. However, center court positioning is about more than just where to be on the court but how to be there. What I mean is, it’s great to be in the correct center court position while your opponent is hitting the ball but are you ready?? So often I see players get to center court only to not really be ready to retrieve the shot coming. Too much standing straight up, racquet by your side and eyes wondering around. That’s not going to work!!! Here are some key points to implement into your court positioning.

1) After you hit your shot, be it offensive or defensive, hustle to center court. Don’t walk there watching your shot in admiration. If you’ve been playing RB for awhile then you should be confident in the direction of your shot, so why do you have to slowly move to center court like you want to make sure you see where the ball is going? Get to the dotted lines choppity!! Expect your opponent to return your shot with a good shot of their own.

2) Defensive racquet preparation is key. Get that racquet up waist high and right in front of you. Don’t let it hang by your side. Good defensive racquet prep will allow you to get ready for the next shot whether it’s a forehand or backhand much easier. Also, what grip are you in while at center court? Do you even know? Most players from the D-A level aren’t too sure. My advice is to be in your backhand grip when it’s not your turn to hit. It should be more natural to go from the backhand grip to your forehand grip, not to mention the backhand side is going to be where your opponent hits their shots more often unless you have a Walter John Klugewitz (Who?) backhand.

3) Get low with it!! Once you’re in center court, bend those legs and get ready to move fast if needed. Stop with the standing straight up. This game is played close to the ground so get your body down there. Of course all this bending will get you fatigued a little quicker. That’s a good thing!! And please, bend at the knees not at the waist or you’ll be checking into the therapy office real soon.

4) Watch your opponent hit their shot. Don’t just turn and face the front wall when you get to center court. There is no chance of anticipating where their shot is going if you don’t see them set up. Rotate your body towards your opponent about 45 degrees so you can see both the front wall and your opponent.

5) Use your eyes!! By watching your opponent set up to hit you’ll be able to get a beat on where they are going with their shots by how they position their body. Look for their tendencies from both sides. Do they open their lead leg towards the middle when going crosscourt? Maybe they point that lead leg towards the sidewall with every pinch. If you can begin to anticipate shots then obviously you’ll get more balls. If you want the best example of this, order a Jason Mannino video from ProRacquetball.net and study. He’s not that fast; he just knows where you’re going to hit the ball by watching and learning.

6) One last tip directed to the intermediate and advanced players. If you can get into center court position quickly that will allow you to then retract closer to your opponent while they are setting up. As they go to shoot their shot then you can time your movements back into center court without getting hit by the racquet and ready to retrieve. Your readiness and closeness to your opponent without being in the way will send a message to them that you are going to get their shot. However, if your timing is off it could result in a racquet to your body or head and a potential avoidable hinder. Quickness and timing are the key.

I hope these pointers help you with your center court readiness. Don’t be lazy!! I always tell my students to over exaggerate their positioning and it will look right to me. Ask more of yourself and I promise you will be ready to move much quicker. I will focus on moving from center court in my next article. Until then, Keep em rollin!!!

John Ellis is one of the best to play the game. Enjoy his instructional articles in Rcaquetball Magazine and here on the IRT site and put them to good use. For more information about John you can go to his website at http://www.ellistyle.com/