It is no secret that San Diego has long been the hotbed of racquetball. For the past 15 years, and especially during the initial years of pro racquetball (1973-78), the overall level of play in San Diego has been better than anywhere else. And while the reasons for this may be many, one important reason grew out of the abundance of top players.
Originally, top players relocated to San Diego to have the opportunity to com- pete with other top players on a daily basis. When Steve Keeley moved from Michigan; Steve Serot and Marty Hogan from St. Louis; Richard Wagner from New Jersey; and many others from all points east (including the author), they were all in search of each other .
San Diego boasted Charlie Brumfield, four time national champ, and his men- tor Dr. Bud Muehleisen, along with a host of other, talented players . The more the top players congregated along the beaches, the more wanted to make the trip to “mecca.”
It didn’t hurt that racquetball’s leading racquet manufacturers were both head- quartered in San Diego during this time period, and were better to make a name for yourself (and maybe pick up a sponsor) than in the manufacturer’s own backyard?
As a result, an eager player could walk into one of a half-dozen clubs, sit down in the gallery of the glass court, and probably catch two touring pros battling it out. As often as not, the match in progress would be repeated a few weeks hence in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and even finals of a professional tour stop.
What an opportunity for the eager learner! Yet, I wonder how many rising racquetball stars actual ly missed the boat by not knowing how to take full advantage of all this talent right under their noses. Unfortunately tor too many of them, they didn’t know how to properly watch a top racquetball match.
There are really two ways to watch a match, like any sporting event. You can watch to see who wins (or is winning) , or you can watch to see how one player or team is winning. Those who got hung up on who won, lost. Those who concentrated on how somebody won, won.
I doubt that there will ever be such a time again as there was in San Diego when literally 12 of the top 16 players lived and competed there. But the lessons of properly watching a top match can still help you improve your game, whether watching matches on ESPN, pro tournaments, exhibitions, or just the best players your town or club has to offer .
The Right Spot
The most important factor is sitting in the proper place. Generally, there is but one proper place and that is behind the back wall. Only from that pos ition can you get a true picture and feeling for what is going on inside the court. The most elaborate three and four-walled glass courts still have only one good viewing position-behind the backwall.
From here you can mentally put yourself on the court because your perspective is the same as the players. You can see the shots, the strokes, the court positioning and the strategy. Personally, I like to sit off to one side of the back wall or the other depending on what I’m particularly interested in.
For example, if I want to note a player’s forehand set up and stroke, I’ll sit toward his forehand side. Likewise, the backhand. Never sit exactly in the middle, because the receiver will block out your view of most serves.
Amazingly, the longer you sit behind the back wall, the more “into” the match your mind and body seem to get. Eventually, you find yourself squirming and twitching as if you’re lunging to make the frantic “get,” or you’re trying to rip that drive serve.
Charting Shots
Charting shots has two purposes. For tournaments, it gives you an extremely vivid picture of what shots a part icular player hits from various positions on the court. On the assumption that you’re watching a future opponent, this information could prove invaluable. For everyday play, charting allows you to learn where good or excellent players take their important, rallying ending shots.
A pad of paper and pencil is all the equipment you need, along with an outline of a court. It’s easy to set up your own symbols, making sure to denote kills, passes, skips, serves and errors, backhand, forehand or overhead. As you chart more and more top players, you’ll notice patterns develop.
And while each player has his or her unique style, there will be more than enough solid, fundamental patterns to give you a ton of information on proper shot selection and strategy.
Your challenge, of course, is getting down on the court and translating what you’ve got on paper into points on the board. And the only way to do that is through practice.
Notice Serves
As they say, the only time a player is given center court position with his opponent mandatorily stuck in deep court, is during the serve. Therefore, it is im- portant for any viewer of top racquet- ball matches to pay close attention to the serves.
Top players play to their strengths and to their opponent’s weaknesses. Some players find a serve that works and pound away at it; others file a good one, hoping to bring it back later in the match at a critical point. Yet all players do certain things with their serves that you should be looking for.
The first serve, for example, is it a drive? Z? How often do top players change speeds? How many times during the game does a top player serve his opponent’s forehand? What second serve is most often used?
You’ll find the answers to these questions in almost every match. Charting serves, or just mentally noting them, will help you understand how the best players interpret the importance of serving. Obviously, if you’re watching your next round opponent in the state championship, you should get a fairly accurate picture of his favorite and not- so favorite serves, information that should be useful to you.
Footwork, Attitude, Errors
Once you get used to seriously watching a match, you’ll be able to detect nuances in other phases of the game that have a great bearing on the outcome.
Footwork, certainly, is one of these areas. At first, the pros seem to be devoid of any footwork. As the ball blasts from corner to corner, it appears that all they can do is (maybe) track the ball down and somehow rip it back. However, the longe r you watch, the more you’ll notice their footwork.
Not only are top players always on their toes, always moving, but they have developed the uncanny ability to almost always get their body into proper position to hit the shot they want. This often takes some physical compromising, but you’ll notice a rela- tionship between feet, hips, arm and head that consistently lines up.
The important factor is not to notice that it happens, but how it happens. The majority of today’s players use hustle, anticipation, experience and desire.
You’ll notice that the better the player, the better the concentration. Oh, you’ll occasionally get a screamer, but more often than not, the screamer is trying to get himself out of a lethargic mental frame, rather than trying to rattle his opponent. Generally speaking, you can see intensity in the eyes. Look for it and then duplicate it when you play.
Errors come in two types, forced and unforced. Forget about the forced errors because they happen to everyone. Dwell on the unforced errors for it is here that matches are won and lost.
It’s easy to say that most top players don’t make very many unforced errors and that’s why they win. But when you get two top players together, there undoubtedly will be some unforced errors. The difference between the winner and the loser will often be determined by a players’ reaction to unforced errors.
The player who loses his cool when he skips is likely to mis-hit a shot in the next rally. A player who keeps his cool, doesn’t dwell on the error, will more than likely have a good subsequent rally.
I once knew a player who was actually better than me, but he was a real hot-head. When he missed that set-up, he’d go into a rage, yelling at himself, swearing and generally getting all worked up. When that would happen, I’d serve my next serve a soft, garbage (half-lob) to his forehand, about shoulder high. Invariably, he would skip it in and I’d get two points instead of one.
So learn by watching. You’re sure to improve!