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Once again the fabulous ASU Student Recreation Center will play host to another National Event for our sport. When the rest of country is still knee deep in snow, College students will converge on the warm desert air of Arizona to vie for a National Championship. CSU-Pueblo looks like an odds on favorite to repeat as the Men's National Champion, but Oregon State and Alabama may have something to say about that. On the WOmen's side, BYU won it all last year, and looks to send another strong team to ASU to compete. But dont count out the hometown support and home court advantage that last year's runner up team will have on their side this time. It will be an exciting event for everyone who will be there.

2008 USA Racquetball National Intercollegiate Racquetball Championships presented by Penn Racquet concluded Saturday at the Athletic Club of Overland Park in Overland Park, Kansas. The tournament featured nearly 300 of the country’s best college racquetball players representing 46 colleges and universities from across the country. Tony Carson (Colorado State University- Scottsdale, Ariz.) def. Anthony Herrera (University of Colorado - Grand Junction, Colo) in the Men's Singles No.1 Gold finals, 12-15, 15-14, 11-6. In the Women's Singles No.1 Gold finals, Kara Mazur (University of Alabama - Avon, Conn.) def. Sarah Hettesheimer (Baldwin Wallace College - Cincinnati, Ohio) 12-15, 15-5, 11-5. Carson and Mazur both earned one-year appointments to the U.S. National Racquetball Team by winning the men’s and women’s No.1 singles divisions. Oregon State University was the winner of the overall Team Title with combined points from the men and women. Also winning team awards was the Women's Team from Brigham Young University and for the men, the team from Colorado State University won the Men's Team title.

Racquetball swing technique, strategy and more.

  Swing mechanics should be kept as simple as possible. The basic function of good mechanics is to execute a swing which is complimentary to your body. The swing starts in your feet and moves through your entire body, out your hand and into the shot. Leg drive and hip turn are important. Shoulder turn and wrist snap are critical. Timing is the most important thing to focus upon; and I’ll cover why in the coming sections.

Strive to develop only one swing for every single forehand you hit (ceiling balls and lob serves are excluded) and also only one backhand swing. Your goal should be to always adjust with your footwork and not your stroke. Your stroke should be the same mechanically regardless of your shot choice. The benefits of this are twofold:

One:
  In the interest of mechanical simplicity, learning one grip and one swing for every forehand and a separate one for the backhand is much easier than several variations of a stroke to get a desired shot. For example, if you open your stance to go cross court, that is one variation of the swing mechanics. To execute a down the line shot, you have to do something a little different mechanically. Altering your swing will increase your chance of making an error. If you always use the same swing mechanics and just alter your timing of that swing, you will increase the chances of hitting a good shot. Even if you mis-time the swing a little, you should still execute a good shot. It may not be the shot you wanted, but you are still in the rally.
Two:
  By using the same mechanics to hit all your shots, you are giving your opponent very little information to read and anticipate your shot. This will freeze them in place and force them to react to your shot, rather than allowing them to read your shots and leaning the correct direction. By freezing your opponent in position, you will always have opportunities with which to win a rally, if you execute them properly. Very few players will cover the court effectively, so there are ample opportunities to win rallies. Court coverage and shot selection will be covered later.

  When you learn to use good mechanics to hit the ball, you will experience less wear and tear on your body, hit the ball harder and stay more consistent over the course of a match.

  The most comprehensive training and instruction book for Racquetball players. Voted by Racquetball Magazine as the best book for competitive players to own.

Sudsy absolutly loves this shot (the splat). If you've ever seen him play you would know why he is called the "The Splat King". The main charachteristic of an offensive shot is to end he rally/or score a point ... and the splat shot does just that. Your goal is to go offensive whenever possible because that will put points on the board for you. Think offensive, not defensive, unless you are off balance, out of position or the ball is too high and out of your hitting zone.