Australian Racquetball in Philadelphia
Local Racquetball Players give Australian Racquetball a try..... see video
I decided it was time to try Australian Racquetball; a hybrid of Racquetball and Squash or more simply, racquetball played on the squash court. The equipment and rules are racquetball except for keeping it above the tin and ceiling shots (something squash players are not familiar with). Also, the official Australian Racquetball ball is slower than an American racquetball.
A match is played to 21 points,best of three games, scoring only on the serve and in Australian Racquetball you get two serve attempts.
I figured I was ideally suited for Australian Racquetball having played both squash and racquetball for some time. I asked my racquetball friend Chris to play with me for the video. I had the early advantage having little trouble keeping the ball above the tin. However, once Chris figured out the height, I was quickly playing catch up. Serving was a little tricky. With the short court, well placed Z serves were deadly .
The rallies are much longer in Australian Racquetball due to the tin. Also, because of the tin, shots played off the back wall do not result in a kill shot attempt. The only down side was keeping the ball in the court but I am sure that can be overcome with practice.
I preferred the long rallies to the short two- three shot American racquetball rallies. I don't see a major movement from squash to Australian Racquetball. However, it is a great game for racquetball players looking to make use of a squash court. I predict the next evolution in American Racquetball will be a tin. It would extend the rallies and end some of the arguments over kill shots; something American Racquetball sorely needs.
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