I've gotten pretty good at tennis, not great, and no where near as good as some guys my age, but for how long I've been playing I'm apparently really good. The other day I made the mistake of doing a free introductory lesson for racquetball. Big, big mistake. It was super super fun, maybe as fun as tennis, obviously I still suck but I'm picking it up pretty fast. If I start playing racquetball about as much as I do tennis, will that make me worse at tennis? Some pro's have told me that it will ruin your tennis.
Im pretty good at tennis, but will racquetball ruin it?
- Thread starter b.termite
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dozu
Banned
this comes from a guy who has played table tennis and badminton extensively.
It depends on your priority. If everything is just for fun, then who cares
but if you try to be competitive in tennis, then the answer is depends.
The pluses - cross training will give you a fresh perspective on certain shots... I am sure you will be so good at the 'squash' shot - stretch fh slice.... also, I believe the bh slapping motion in racketball will help you understanding the tennis slice better (if you have problem with that shot).... I have actually used badminton rackets and shuttle to help people getting rid of the chopping motion in the tennis slice, because when they see the shuttle, they realize it's silly trying to chop it.
The minuses - it may get you wristy habbits which is no good for tennis... also because the racketball racket is much shorter, when you play tennis you will tend to hit low on the stringbed.... it usually takes 2-3 days for me to switch from table tennis to tennis.
but generally speaking, non of these bad habbits are permanent, but the pluses are... you understand that the tennis slice is a 'slap' or a push, not a chop.... and cross training certainly helps your footwork a lot, which is a permanent skill in tennis.
It depends on your priority. If everything is just for fun, then who cares
but if you try to be competitive in tennis, then the answer is depends.
The pluses - cross training will give you a fresh perspective on certain shots... I am sure you will be so good at the 'squash' shot - stretch fh slice.... also, I believe the bh slapping motion in racketball will help you understanding the tennis slice better (if you have problem with that shot).... I have actually used badminton rackets and shuttle to help people getting rid of the chopping motion in the tennis slice, because when they see the shuttle, they realize it's silly trying to chop it.
The minuses - it may get you wristy habbits which is no good for tennis... also because the racketball racket is much shorter, when you play tennis you will tend to hit low on the stringbed.... it usually takes 2-3 days for me to switch from table tennis to tennis.
but generally speaking, non of these bad habbits are permanent, but the pluses are... you understand that the tennis slice is a 'slap' or a push, not a chop.... and cross training certainly helps your footwork a lot, which is a permanent skill in tennis.
tennytive
Hall of Fame
I played hard core racquetball instead of tennis for a few years and it's intense.
It was great fun and kept me in top shape, but when I went back to tennis I hit everything over the fence or at the bottom of the net.
It took me so long to break those bad habits, I swore off racquetball from then on.
It was great fun and kept me in top shape, but when I went back to tennis I hit everything over the fence or at the bottom of the net.
It took me so long to break those bad habits, I swore off racquetball from then on.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
I used to play a lot of racquetball and the consensus seems to be that racquetball hurts your tennis, but not vice versa. Like the above poster said...if u just want to have fun and play both, go right ahead. But if your #1 goal is to improve at tennis, then playing racquetball will make that a tougher hill to climb.
maggmaster
Hall of Fame
I had an issue with raquetball when I went to recalibrate for the tennis season, everything was in the net. Took me one six week leauge and a whole bunch of practices to correct.
Sreeram
Professional
racquet ball improved my backhand slice. I learned to give forward movement in my slice. You can improve your timing, not sure about your footwork. But wrist is a problem. I played badminton at decent level, so i still use my wrist in tennis and can never get rid of it. I am now trying to use my weekness as positive, by trying to use the wrist montion for topspin.
If you play enough racketball / squash, you'll be able to pull off shots like this:
http://youtu.be/OC11vzJmeyE
or this one:
http://youtu.be/b7E36V0QA7w?hd=1
http://youtu.be/OC11vzJmeyE
or this one:
http://youtu.be/b7E36V0QA7w?hd=1
I play Squash, Tennis and Racquetball (American) in that order. Squash 3 days a week and Tennis 1 day. I started with Racquetball 2 years ago.
Squash 3.0-3.5 level and Tennis I dont know level but EVERY time I get on the Tennis court I improve and I attribute that to Squash.
I do a allot of solo court Squash work and I pay very close attention to the mechanics of racquet sports and I think that helps in all areas of each sport with the exception of the serve.
Racquetball will make the ball of ANY racquet sport seem slow.
Squash will make you understand what intense cardio REALLY is.
Tennis will humble you when you get on court with someone who knows how to work really work topspin.
It all works together and unless your trying to go pro, who cares, just have fun.
Squash 3.0-3.5 level and Tennis I dont know level but EVERY time I get on the Tennis court I improve and I attribute that to Squash.
I do a allot of solo court Squash work and I pay very close attention to the mechanics of racquet sports and I think that helps in all areas of each sport with the exception of the serve.
Racquetball will make the ball of ANY racquet sport seem slow.
Squash will make you understand what intense cardio REALLY is.
Tennis will humble you when you get on court with someone who knows how to work really work topspin.
It all works together and unless your trying to go pro, who cares, just have fun.
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
Are your tennis strokes fairly well grooved already? If they are shaky or inconsistent, you may have a bit of an issue. OTOH, if your tennis strokes are fairly solid, I don't see why most ppl cannot pick up a sport like racetball with developing bad habits. There may be a period of adjustment (weeks or months), but in the long run, many players have no problem switching back and forth.
It's a matter of developing muscle memory for both sports. If you start playing more racquetball, be sure to pick up you tennis racket regularly to practice proper tennis shadow swings. This should help you body to become accustom to the both the similarities and differences between the 2 sports.
After playing tennis for about 5-6 years, I decided to take up badminton. It took a few months for me to easily switch between the 2 sports. Once I made that adjustment, I found that badminton actually started to help my tennis game rather that hinder it.
A few years after that, I took up racquetball. It really had no detrimental effects on my tennis game to speak of. But then I did tend to use modified tennis and badminton strokes to play racquetball. Also tried squash a few times -- very tough sport -- more difficult to master than racquetball.
It's a matter of developing muscle memory for both sports. If you start playing more racquetball, be sure to pick up you tennis racket regularly to practice proper tennis shadow swings. This should help you body to become accustom to the both the similarities and differences between the 2 sports.
After playing tennis for about 5-6 years, I decided to take up badminton. It took a few months for me to easily switch between the 2 sports. Once I made that adjustment, I found that badminton actually started to help my tennis game rather that hinder it.
A few years after that, I took up racquetball. It really had no detrimental effects on my tennis game to speak of. But then I did tend to use modified tennis and badminton strokes to play racquetball. Also tried squash a few times -- very tough sport -- more difficult to master than racquetball.
fruitytennis1
Professional
An odd thing i realized about the club I play at because of this thread.
The better your are at ping-pong the better you are at tennis. Theres literally like 2 examples that contradict that.
Now if theres a correlation..hmm
The better your are at ping-pong the better you are at tennis. Theres literally like 2 examples that contradict that.
Now if theres a correlation..hmm
