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Will you believe if I tell you that the paddleball sport is the early form of racquetball and both of them share the same ancestral history? Yes, all the paddle sports and racquet sports have their origin from tennis and can be regarded as twins in one view. Still, each is different and shows variations in the gameplay, scoring system, rules, court dimensions, and setup up, etc. Let us compare and contrast these two sports by writing paddleball vs racquetball review here and try to ascertain what they share in common and how they differ from each other.
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All about Paddleball
Paddleball, as the name suggests, is played with a solid paddle, with a textured surface. The paddle has to spin an unpressurized black ball that has a small hole, against the wall to score points.
The game is played for 21 points and the game is considered a little slower than the racquetball sport. The game makes use of more space in the court and the contact between the players occurs often. Playing the game demands an excellent presence of mind and a higher level of endurance and fitness. The size of the court where paddle ball is played is by 12.2 by 6.1 meters in dimensions.
Paddleball can be played with either two, three or four players. When two players are involved it is called the singles match, three players – cut-throat and four players – doubles match.
Related Reading:- Pickleball vs. Paddleball
All about Racquetball
Racquetball is played with the help of a small and a stringed racquet against a hollow rubber ball. The racquetball racquet is rectangular and this game is a combination of several other games such as handball, paddleball, tennis, squash, etc. It has acquired its traits from all of these games and is yet different from all of them.
One important trait of this game is that there is no net to hit the ball over and the game is played in a court surrounded by three walls. But there are red lines in the court to differentiate serves and serve reception zones.
Racquetball is a high-intensity game that helps players to burn a lot of calories in a short period. The game can be played both indoors and outdoors and the ideal span of a game is about 20 minutes. The game is played by bouncing the ball on the floor and hitting it directly on the front wall. The ball is allowed to touch the wall only once.
Similarities between Paddleball and Racquetball
- Both these games are played in courts of similar size – 40 by 20-foot court
- The rules of both these games are more or less similar
- Both these games have its roots from tennis with minor differences in the gameplay and scoring
- Racquetball is the offspring of four wall paddleball and is at times denoted as paddle rackets.
- No net is involved in both these sports. The players have to serve the ball against the wall and bounce it back on the wall.
Differences between Paddleball and Racquetball
| Attributes | Paddleball | Racquetball |
|---|---|---|
| Racquet | Paddleball is played with the help of a solid paddle that has a textured surface. | Racquetball is played with the help of a strung racquet. |
| Ball | The game makes use of an unpressurized black ball with a small hole on it. | The game makes use of a hollow rubber ball to bounce against the wall efficiently. |
| Number of players | Paddleball is played with two, three or even four players. | The game is played by either two or four players. |
| Scoring system | The game is played for 21 points. | The game is played for 15 or 11 points. |
| Nature of the game | Paddleball games are slower and longer. The game makes the maximum use of the court. | The game gets over in 20 minutes and is regarded as a high-intensity game by players. |
| Governing body | The game is regulated by the National paddleball Association (NPA). | USAR or the USA Racquetball is the national governing body for this sport. |
Final Words
Though both these games have their roots in tennis, both of them are unique in their way. Nevertheless, both of them are high-intensity games that demand excellent endurance and stamina along with a keen focus on details from the players.
