“Championship Racquetball” Sports Racquetball Triangle…. Tips from the Coach!
by Fran Davis
The country/world is divided whether the gyms/courts are open or closed, but you need to be creative to be ready for 2021. Of course nothing beats on court/in gym training, but you can’t imagine the great results you can achieve with the following techniques I will share with you…look at Rocky Carson coming to Atlanta, GA to the Suivant Consulting Pro-Am Presented by Zurek Construction this weekend and Paola Longoria winning the 3Wallball World Championships in Las Vegas, NV in September and the TeamRoot.com Super Max Slam in Kansas City, KS in December. The worst thing you can do is nothing as that will take you 2-3 times longer to get back your game, if you do.
Let’s take a look at what YOU CAN DO to BE READY for 2021!!!
RACQUETBALL SKILLS:
1 If Clubs are Open
-Drill 1-2x per week and progressively increase all aspects of the game… strokes, serves, return of serves, all shots of the game, footwork, etc.
-As you improve your consistency, timing and accuracy then start adding playing games along with drilling.
2-If Clubs are Closed
-Drill/play exactly like above, but in YOUR MIND for the SAME AMOUNT of TIME as it’s a fact your body goes through a 1/3 of a neuro-muscular contraction every time you think of a thought/action and it gets imprinted in your brain/muscles. It is as if you are actually on the court practicing/playing….VISUALIZATION at its best.
-If there are OUTDOOR 1-Wall or 3-Wall RACQUETBALL COURTS around that’s ideal to hit on, but not all areas of the country have this as an option.
-Research and FIND a BUILDING with a CEMENT WALL, then put lines on the floor to depict the various measurements on the court…perimeter, short line, service line, dotted line, etc. and use that to practice as much of the above as possible.
-Find a tennis court that also has a HITTING WALL for WARM UP –The wall is about 4-5 feet high and tennis players use it to warm up for their matches and you can use that as well.
**These RACQUETBALL SKILLS/DRILLS can be found in my book, “Championship Racquetball”, Chapters 1-4 and 10.
CONDITIONING:
1-If Clubs are Open
-Do your conditioning/footwork drills 1-2x per week and progressively increase as your fitness level increases.
2-If Clubs are Closed
-If they have classes outside…join them.
-You definitely can do allot of conditioning/footwork drills outside, in your basement/house if big enough, at a buddies place, at a park, etc.
-You can bike, hike, do hill work, you can do lunges, you can jump rump, you can run stairs, do star-drills, step-ups, etc.
*REMEMBER limited to what the doctor prescribes based on your health.
**These CONDITIONING tools can be found in my book, “Championship Racquetball”, Chapter 11.
MENTAL TOUGHNESS:
This should be done whether Clubs are Open or Closed.
-VISUALIZE you playing FULL GAMES/MATCHES with opponents you have played or could play in the future.
-Develop AFFIRMATIONS, which are positive personal statements that you will add to your images of what you want to create on the court. For example, I feel great today! I am a quick, talented, and a fearless player! These sentences imprint the positive images even deeper. These affirmations bring the future into the now. Your mind will believe whatever you put in it as long as your belief system agrees. Therefore, put what you want in your mind, and remove what you don’t want.
-BE in the NOW.
-Have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE.
**These MENTAL TOUGHNESS tools can be found in my book, “Championship Racquetball”, Chapter 9.
WATCH VIDEO:
Watch yourself playing an opponent or a pro playing an opponent.
This should be done whether Clubs are Open or Closed.
You can FOCUS on the following:
-Stroke mechanics, court positioning, shot selection, footwork, serves, return of serves, relocating out of the service zone, how the play/point developed etc.
-Watch rally by rally and analyze.
-Do slow-mo frame by frame.
As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Remember the camera doesn’t lie and you can see SO SO MUCH.
Watch Rocky Carson on the International Racquetball Tour Facebook Page or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC67kzHthKegmrRXaWzx6pQ (all events archived too so you can watch at anytime)
Watch Paola Longoria in the LPRT events on https://www.youtube.com/ladiesprofessionalracquetballtour and in international competition on http://www.internationalracquetball.com (all events archived too so you can watch at any time)
Rocky and Paola better than anyone knows the importance of these 4 tools as they use them now more than ever due to COVID-19, have used them and will continue to use them as they PRODUCE RESULTS. They know as their, Coach Fran Davis, checks in with them 1-2x per week.
GOOD LUCK Rocky in Atlanta and please cheer Rocky Carson on to VICTORY…I’ll be there courtside as well.
For details on more personalized instruction/video lesson/coaching, a weekend camp, instructional DVD’s and our book, Championship Racquetball, ALL which covers all aspects of the Sports Racquetball Triangle and more, please visit www.FranDavisRacquetball.com. Fran coaches #2 IRT Pro Player / 1X US Open Champion / 5X World Champion, 2X Pan American Champion, Rocky Carson; Coaches #1 Women’s LPRT Pro Player for 9 seasons / 10X and present US Open Champion & 5X World Champion, 3X and present Pan American Champion, Paola Longoria; Coaches Jr. World & National Champions, Briana Jacquet and Graci Wargo; Master Professional Instructor/Coach USAR-IP. Fran Davis is a 2004 racquetball Hall of Fame inductee; Racquetball Woman of the Year 2009.
