From Which Other Sport Was Racquetball Derived?

It is quite common for different sports to be derived from other sports as well. In relation to that, the sport of racquetball is fairly a newcomer in the world of sports, especially when you compare it to the age of some of the other racket sports in the world. Of course, racquetball saw its inspiration from another sport as well. But from which other sport was racquetball derived?

Racquetball was not derived from one sport, but it was derived from three different sports namely squash, paddleball, and handball. In fact, it was originally named paddle rackets before it was eventually renamed racquetball. As such, racquetball is a combination of three different sports.

Unlike other sports that were actually derived from only one sport, racquetball comes from three sports. This is why you can see a lot of different rules that are similar to some other sports and not just one sport when you look at racquetball. However, the fact that racquetball comes from three different sports makes it a sport that is entirely unique on its own.

From which other sport was racquetball derived?

There are plenty of different sports around the world, and these sports are not always original in the sense that their rules were drawn out of nothing. As such, it is most likely the case that one sport grew as an offshoot of another sport especially when you consider the similarities between the two sports.

In particular, one sport that you would instantly think of as similar to plenty of other sports is racquetball, which is obviously a sport that was derived from other sports that make use of rackets and paddles. And when you think of different sports that make use of rackets or paddles, there are plenty of them all over the world.

But, as similar as racquetball may be to a lot of different racket and paddle sports, from which sport was racquetball actually derived?

The one thing you probably have noticed from other sports is that they are most likely derived from only one other sport. For example, table tennis or ping pong is obviously a miniature version of the classic tennis game.

However, what makes racquetball unique is that this is a sport that was not derived from only one sport. Instead, racquetball was derived from multiple sports. There are actually three sports on which racquetball is based.

The truth is that racquetball is a sport that was derived from squash, American handball, and paddleball. Racquetball was originally named paddle rackets by its inventor, Joe Sobek, who was a professional tennis player and handball player in America.

What happened was that Sobek wanted to create a sport that was similar to tennis but was more fast-paced and is as easy to learn as other wall-based sports are. That was when he derived paddle rackets, which have a set of rules that are similar to squash, American handball, and paddleball.

While most people look at racquetball or paddle rackets as a sport that is oddly similar to squash, the truth is that plenty of its different rules and gameplay come from American handball and paddleball as well.

So, in short, racquetball is not merely a sport that was copied from squash and was changed in terms of its rules. That’s because the truth is that it is actually a sport that takes its cue from squash but has rules that are derived from American handball and paddleball.

This is why, for those who truly know the rules of the sport, racquetball is a completely unique sport that is not merely a copy of one or two different sports but is actually a combination of three different racket and wall-based sports.

Is racquetball just the same as squash?

Again, a lot of people might think that racquetball is just a mere copy of squash and is just an American version of this sport. That’s because it’s easy to overlook the other nuances of the sport of racquetball, as most people would rather focus on the fact that both these sports use a wall.

So, with that said, is racquetball just the same as squash?

In that regard, racquetball is not just a mere copy of the game of squash because this is a sport that is entirely unique on its own in the sense that the rules are different.

As mentioned, racquetball is a combination of squash, American handball, and paddleball in terms of its rules and gameplay. That means that it does have roots that can be traced to squash but, at the same time, it also has rules that are similar to the other sports it was derived from.

Of course, the only way for you to understand what truly makes racquetball different from squash is by looking at their differences on a deeper level.

What are the differences between racquetball and squash?

Now, considering that racquetball and squash are not the same sport, let’s look at the differences between them.

1. The Gear

In terms of the gear that these sports use, racquetball makes use of rackets that should not be longer than 22 inches. In comparison, squash uses rackets that are similar to tennis rackets in length as they are supposed to be 27 inches or shorter.

You can clearly see the differences between the Wilson Striker Racquetball Racket and the HEAD Cyano2 115 Graphite Squash Racquet.

Meanwhile, the balls that racquetball uses are 2.25 inches in diameter. On the other hand, squash uses smaller balls that are at most 1.6 inches in diameter.

2. The Rules

The biggest difference in terms of the rules between racquetball and squash is that the ceiling is considered to be out of bounds in squash but not in racquetball.

Serving in racquetball also allows you to stand anywhere in the marked service zone and hit the ball against any part of the front wall, and bounce the ball from the floor before serving. On the other hand, squash requires that the players must stand in a specific box in the court and serve to the opposite corner.

3. The Courts

The courts may look similar in both of these sports, but they are actually quite different. Racquetball courts are 40 x 20 x 20 feet in terms of length, width, and height. However, squash courts are smaller in that they should be 32 x 21 x 18 in terms of length, width, and height.