I know this subject has been beaten to death time and time again, but I'd like some additional feedback.
I'm looking for a new pair of shoes, but I'm a bit tired of the frail quality of rball shoes. I enjoy the selection tennis shoes have to offer.
How do tennis shoes track on the indoor courts in comparison to rball shoes with gum soles? Is it significant? Marginal?
Being that I am incredibly impatient, I would love to know the San Diego Open results for those of whom that attended.
For those that attended this tourney, please state the information you know regarding the results.
Winners by Division
Pro/Open -
Elites -
A -
B -
C -
I would definitely appreciate the help for some help on the final results. Thanks!
-Tm
I've noticed that everytime I pick up new racquetballs (sea level), and drive up to my house which is at 4,000 feet in elevation... my rballs become TOO LIVE! In fact, it would seem the pressure inside the rball increases which consequently causes the ball to lose it's near perfect spherical shape as well as bounce.
My home court is around 1,500 feet in elevation. Does anyone know a good way to ensure your balls maintain it's appropriate pressure so this does not happen? I've heard of racquetball pressurizers but I'm not to familiar with how they work.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
The Solano Open is this weekend, Oct 2nd-4th.
I'm looking for a solid A player to compete in the doubles this coming up weekend. I apologize in advance for the last minute post, but my partner had to bow out unfortunately.
-Tim
I have two, to many GB 250 quad racquets (Total of 5), and don't need to hang on to the additional two that I picked up. I'm looking to sell two GB 250 Quads at $130 a piece. Let me know if anyone is interested. One has a python rubber grip, the other a gearbox smooth wrap grip, both with brand new multi-fiber strings.
Message me if interested.
-Tim
I'm getting back into the tournament scene and I'm curious to hear different train of thoughts in getting physically prepared for a racquetball match the week prior. This involves everything from drilling, how many times to play the week prior to your first match, nutrition, etc. Also, if you have past sports injuries, how to ensure that your prone areas will be good to go come tournament time.
What I currently do:
Lift weights, 2-3 times the week prior and do light drills and shots you know you will consistently use. Play 1-2 days early in the week before the tournament starts. As for my nutrition, I try to get a lot of carbs/protein in a couple days prior, and especially the night before a tournament. I used to play quite a bit in the la fitness tournaments down in socal and faired quite well in them. During my college days, I didn't really so much have a regime to get ready except to get well rested, but I'm turning my focus to sanctioned events at this point and plan to play in two divisions.
Note. I have an old baseball injury and I've had 3 surgeries on it which at this point has completely heal but unfortunately is never really at 100%. Possibly take plenty of ibuprofen during the week and during your game days to keep down possible irritation?
All schools of thoughts would be appreciated.
Gearbox Baby!
Tim C.
Ok, does anyone else have this problem? I only call it the pro grip because it is the proper grip that you're supposed to use for your forehand and backhand which I was given the opportunity to learn by a top 50 player.
When I was an upper B level player, I just wasn't getting the consistency I needed to move onto the next level, and after my friend Mike Orr (top 50 player) showed me some basic fundamental things in regards to your grip and swing mechanics, my game increased significantly. Not only am I crushing the ball twice as hard, but I'm doing it with less strain on the body, and execute my shots in a more consistent fashion. The only problem I have is dealing with blisters.
I hold the racquet (just like a handshake), where your hand is holding the grip at an upward diagonal direction with my pinky completely off the handle, and my wring finger right at the bottom edge of the grip (probably half way on, half way off). Also, my top index finger is held much higher on the grip than the rest of my fingers.
I've been dealing with blisters, and maybe my hands need time to grow some nice hard racquetball spots on my hands to become immune to the friction caused, or maybe I just have sensitive woman hands.. I don't know.. my palms are pretty soft and have played baseball my whole life :).
I've also noticed that I've been getting a lot of slippage again, which may be due to the grip I'm using, grip strength, forearm strength, etc. To note, I recently lost 15 pounds because I was sick so maybe I just lost a lot of muscle mass (which I did) which consequently is causing the slippage. There are several factors, but if anyone else has noticed this with themselves, I'd like to get your 411 on the issue.
-Tim
Ok... hinders by far is probably one of the most controversial things that competitive racquetball players have to deal with every time they play. When I initially started playing, I was in the learning process and wasn't sure exactly when a valid hinder should be called, but obviously over time I learned the rules of the handbook, as well as the 'unwritten' ones of competitive and advanced players.
To my understanding (and I'm going to keep it simple stupid, please correct me if I'm wrong), players must be given the opportunity to not only setup for their swing and execute a full swing with a full follow through, but also must be given the opportunity to shoot a dtl (or right in front of them) and also a cross-court shot. Sure, this seems pretty obvious right? But there still is a ridiculous amount of controversy on exactly what a hinder is at certain levels of skill. I feel that the racquetball handbook needs to be more specific on hinders, even between different skill levels.
Obviously, if you're a novice player, you need to not only get out of the way of your opponent, but you need to keep a good distance between the two of you to avoid any kind of contact because at this skill, your court awareness is waaaay below par and should try to prevent injuries at all costs.
Now I'm going to skip the c's and the b's interpretation of what a hinder is, and jump into the A's (which I now compete in) and explain my NEW understanding of what a hinder is. Ideally, I'm very humble and forgiving when people get in my way and rarely call hinders unless he/she is DIRECTLY in my way to perform my shot (yes this seems obvious). However, what I've noticed is that at this level, it is acceptable to jump over shots, and crowd your opponent to the point where you can anticipate not only his/her shot, but his follow through as well... basically saying that you can crowd more due to your experience and understanding of your opponent's tendencies and swing mechanics.
I've developed a great deal of frustration playing at this level because more advanced players have different ideas of what a hinder truly is. Lately, when I play B players, I will sometimes get hinders called on me when I feel I was not in their way, and if I were playing an A or Elite player, they would not consider it a hinder because they do the same things as well. There's also this controversial idea of when you take a shot, even though your opponent is in your way, and the shot ends up rolling for a point, then of course a hinder would not be called. However, if you decide to take a shot and miss, then usually a hinder will be called which I find to be ABSOLUTELY ridiculous! Especially if you don't have a ref, which is about 99.999% of the time (other than the spectators who may or may not be at the same level as you).
I've gotten to the point where I can comfortably jump over shots without hindering my opponents selection or the integrity of the shot, but also have a much better sense of my opponents tendencies, swing mechanics, and know exactly how much space I need to give them when executing a shot. Being that at one club, I play with fairly advanced players, A's, Elites, and sometimes Opens, I've adapted to a more advanced understanding of what a hinder is. Now, when I play at one of my other clubs (Generally b's and sometimes a's), I have to completely change my game to avoid having a hinder called on me. I hope this makes sense, and I am referring to the unwritten rules of racquetball.
I believe if you take the shot, then your opportunity to call a hinder has passed.. Too many times have I played someone who takes a shot when it was obviously a hinder and it rolled for a point, and also when they take a shot when it was a hinder and skipped it, and then consequently called a hinder. See the dillema here?
I've always been forgiving when it comes to hinders and don't like to stop rallies if I don't feel I 'ABSOLUTELY' have too. Now, I've become more aggrivated on the court when hinders are called when I play opponents which takes a little bit of the fun out of the game... because first and foremost, racquetball is a game, and it should be fun :).
Any thoughts?
-Tim
About 2-3 weeks ago, I was crushed in my lower back on the right side in the rib cage playing singles by a player who kept managing to get in my way. He hit the ball right back at himself and charged as hard as he could right towards me to get out of the way. As I was trying to get to it (assuming at the A/Elite level, he has a good understanding of court positioning on both his and his opponents side) I had an easy cross court put away. As I bolted back, he crushed my ribcage like a linebacker with a dropped shoulder and tore several tendons and ligaments in between the ribs.
Its been about 2 1/2 weeks since my injury, and it still hurts like hell. The doctors keep telling me that this kind of injury is worse than a fracture (I might also have a small fracture, but they couldn't tell at the time because of the inflammation) because it affects your breathing immensely. Every time I breath deeply, I get an excruciating pain that feels like a dagger going from my bottom abdominals to my upper chest. I'm currently on Oxycodone (An opiate for the pain) and relafen for the inflammation.
Has anyone gone through such an injury? If so, do you have any tips in speeding up the healing process? Obviously, I need to rest, get my sleep, and let the drugs do their thing, but if anyone has gone through this I would definitely appreciate your input.
One more thing... I also have to do hourly daily breathing exercises with this archaic looking device to help out with my breathing... lots of fun!
-Tim
Ok everyone, I've consistently been hearing from every player who initially tried the GB 250 just could not hit well with it. The first main complain was that they were wiffing at the ball because they felt the racquet was too short. Another complaint is that they can't hit the sweet spot do to the 'length' of the racquet.
For those of you who tried the GB 125 after, or before the GB 250, you probably instantly fell in love with it because you were able to adapt immediately to it. There is a reason for this discrepency and I feel like I need to explain the reasons behind this (in my experience) so that the many misconceptions about the GB 250 can finally be resolved.
Initially, I started off with the GB 125 and swore by it.. most likely because it was simlar to the E-Force Bedlam Knife that I was using in terms of weight/swing weight/balance. The first game I played with it, my power slightly improved, as well as accuracy. I then tried to demo the GB 250 and noticed I could not hit worth a damn with it and was initially dissapointed with it. This was all due to the fact that I wasn't happy that I spent 2 straight days hitting with it and couldn't adjust.
I was then persuaded to try out the GB 250 for at least a week and give it a fair chance so that I could adjust to its unique design and balance. It took me literally 2 weeks of he!! to adjust, but on the second week, it clicked. I was crushing the ball harder, while decreasing my swing speed, and my precision increased due to its superior high grade graphite design and flex and spring technology.
All I am stating is that the GB 250 is a unique racquet and not too similar to any other racquet on the market. So naturally, you may instantly become skeptical when you first use it. It took me 2 weeks to adjust to it, but when I did, I was immediately hooked. The balance points are different, as well as the racquet design in general. Don't disregard the GB 250 for the 125 so quickly if you can't adjust immediately... it takes time, but worth the time spent in adjusting to a great racquet. My .02c.
-Tim
For all of you Gearbox players out there, sponsored or not, do you continue to use the manufacture grip? Or possibly a Python? I used to love the Python but switched to the wrap grips because it tore my gloves to shreds much faster using the Python. Plus, the Python tends to cause more slippage when your glove wears down and gets sweaty. Obviously this means I should change my glove, which I do in conjunction with changing my underglove... but would appreciate some feedback on the grip you use with the GB 250.
-Tim
I love this site and how it's constantly being updated with new rball matches, but recently, the option to choose matches under the different tabs is now unavailable and you can only watch an rball match at random. Anyone else experience this or have a reason to why they changed their format?
-Tim
I love this site and how it's constantly being updated with new rball matches, but recently, the option to choose matches under the different tabs is now unavailable and you can only watch an rball match at random. Anyone else experience this or have a reason to why they changed their format?
-Tim
Hahhahahahaha... let's see, it's 10:21am, I can't sleep, although I wanted to sleep in on a sat and I see this American Express commercial and a lot of it is talking about credit card security. At the end of the commercial, the woman (The card owner) was called by American Express and asked, "Hello, we have a suspicious charge on your card. Did you purchase $14,000 worth of racquetballs?" "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh no." AE: "Ok, we'll take it off your account."
I don't know if it's because I'm a little loopy right now, but that thing was hilarious.
-Tim
Alright guys,
I'm a huge advocate of finger, wrist, and forearm strength in regards to racquetball and I came across this product that looks very promising. Has anyone tried the Sidewinder grip strengthening tool? Or has anyone heard anything about it? Check out this website for yourself and I'd appreciate your thoughts on it.
http://www.sportgrips.com/productlineup.htm-Tim
E-Force Lethal 160g 15/16 Grip <----- Virtually brand new. Have only played 2 games with it, and there is a small scrape on the top. Other than that the racquet is flawless.
E-Force Lethal 160g 15/16 Grip Strung 2 days ago with E-Force's high end Oxygen 17g strings at 30 pounds. Strings go for about $17.95. I am looking $150 for this racquet being that it is slightly more used with more scratches, but still in perfect condition.
E-Force Bedlam Knife 170g SS grip $159 retail. Great condition, black python grip, and Gamma's high end 17g strings at 34 pounds. I'm looking for $100 for this racquet.
As for the E-Force 160 racquets, I will not be selling them for about 2 weeks with the exception of the Knife 170g, but if you're interested, please notify me with any questions and I'll get back to you asap!
Open for bids, top bid gets the racquet. I am willing to sell the E-Force Lethals as a package as well. If you have any questions, go ahead and post your questions, or you can pm me. Good luck!
-Tim
I'm looking to demo the Head Extreme 170g racquet and would like to know if you guys have it in stock, and if so, approximately how long will it take to ship? I live in San Diego, so I'd like to know if I would get it this week if I ordered tonight or tommorow. Thanks.
-Tim
I have a used 03 Red Ektelon Racquet with slightly worn tecnfibre 17g strings and a red python grip. I'm looking for $70, OBO (Have decided not to Ebay this particular racquet). Some cracks in the paint, but no structural damage regarding the integrity of the racquet. Frame in perfect condition.
Specs: 170g, 3 5/8 grip, Red Python Grip, Tecnfibre 17g strings
If interested, please pm me with any questions regarding the racquet. Pics also available upon request.
Note. Please do not waste my time with any low ball offers that are significantly lower than my desired price. Thanks!
-Tim
