Racquetball is a sport played with racquets and a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. It was invented by Joe Sobeck in 1949 incorporating rules from squash and handball.

Unlike most racquet sports (such as Tennis or Badminton), usage of the walls, floor, and ceiling of the court is considered legal in the context of the sport, rather than out-of-bounds.

Joe Sobek is credited with inventing racquetball, though not naming the sport. Sobek, a tennis professional and handball player, was looking for a fast-paced sport that was easy to learn and play. He designed the first strung paddle, devised a set of rules based on those from squash and handball and named his game, “paddle rackets”. In February 1952, Sobek founded the International Paddler’s Racquets Association, codified the rules, and had a booklet of said rules printed.

The new game experienced rapid growth & take-up through Sobek’s continual promotion of the game, but was also aided by the estimated 40,000 existing handball courts across the country in YMCAs and JCCs which could also be used for racquetball.

A standard racquetball court is rectangular and is 40 feet long, 20 feet wide and 20 feet high.

The court is marked by several red lines to define service and reception areas.

The player who won the last point makes the next service. The server must bounce the ball once on the ground, then hit the ball against the front wall, at which point the ball either must hit the floor behind the short line directly or hit one side walls and then hit the floor behind the short line; otherwise it is a fault.

Serve style varies drastically from player to player. Generally, they are divided into two types: offensive and defensive. Most players use an offensive serve for the first serve, and a defensive serve if they need to hit a second serve. Of the offensive serves, the most common is the drive.