Racquetball cheat sheet
Racquetball
USA Racquetball singles rules, abbreviated. When in doubt, see the official rules.
Only the server can score. Win a rally while receiving and you get the serve, not a point. Games are to 15; a tiebreaker is to 11.
Every serve and every return must reach the front wall — a serve directly, a return by any path — before the ball touches the floor.
After one fault serve you get a second. Two fault serves in a row is a side-out. An 'out serve' (e.g. missing the front wall) ends it immediately.
Things people get wrong:
- Only the server scores — win a rally on the other player’s serve and you just take the serve back.
- You get a second serve after one fault; two faults in a row is a side-out.
- Missing the front wall first is an out serve — instant loss, no second chance.
- The ceiling is in play during rallies — it’s only a fault on the serve.
- Protective eyewear is mandatory in sanctioned play.
- The receiver can’t cross the dashed receiving line until the serve passes the short line.
Setup
The court
40 × 20 × 20 ft, all six surfaces in play. Serve from the 5-ft service zone; the receiver waits behind the dashed receiving line.
Serve
Serve outcomes
Front wall first, then the rebound’s first bounce must land past the short line — not short, and not off the back wall or ceiling on the fly.
01
Scoring & match
- Side-out scoring: only the server scores. Lose a rally on your serve and it just passes to your opponent (a side-out).
- Games: first two to 15, win by 1. If it’s 1–1, a tiebreaker to 11.
- Clock: 10 seconds to serve (and to be ready to receive) once the referee calls the score.
02
The serve
- Motion: stand in the service zone, bounce the ball once on the floor there, and strike it before it bounces again.
- Path: the ball must hit the front wall first, then rebound so its first floor bounce lands past the short line — with or without touching one side wall.
- Not too deep: on the rebound it must not reach the back wall or the ceiling on the fly.
- Two serves: one fault → serve again; two faults in a row → side-out.
03
Fault serve vs. out serve
- Fault (one more serve): short, three-wall, ceiling, or long serve; foot fault; serving without the bounce; a screen; serving before the receiver is ready.
- Out serve (instant loss): the ball doesn’t hit the front wall first; a total miss or hitting yourself; a serve you touch on the rebound; a double-hit or carry; a fake serve.
- Screen: the serve rebounds so close to the server that the receiver can’t see it — replay.
04
Return & rallies
- Receiving: stay behind the receiving line — don’t break its plane with body or racquet until the ball passes the short line or bounces in front of it.
- Returning: hit the ball on the fly or after one bounce, and get it to the front wall before it hits the floor — any combination of ceiling, side, and back walls is fine along the way.
- One touch: a carry or double-hit loses the rally.
- Ball hits a player: the ball is dead — usually a replay hinder, but if it clearly wasn’t going to reach the front wall, the striker loses the rally.
05
Hinders
- Replay hinder: you’re fairly blocked from the ball or from a clear path to the front wall — replay the rally, same server, first serve.
- Penalty hinder: you did something you didn’t have to (or failed to move when you could have) and it cost a sure shot — you lose the rally.
- Safety: stop and take the replay hinder rather than risk hitting your opponent — but hold your swing only when there’s a real chance of contact.
06
Court, kit & timeouts
- Eyewear: lensed protective eyewear made for racquetball is required — losing it during a rally loses the rally.
- Wrist cord: the racquet’s safety cord must stay on your wrist from the serve to the end of the rally.
- Timeouts: two 1-minute timeouts per game, including the tiebreaker — none may be called once the service motion has begun.
- Between games: a 2-minute rest between games 1 and 2.
- Broken ball: play out the rally, then replace it and replay the point.
- Conduct: stalling, coaching violations, and equipment abuse draw technical warnings, then point deductions.