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Joining Racquetball Gyms

One of the many advantages of racquetball is the availability of playing courts. There seems to be one in every high school gym or some park.

Unfortunately, outside weather is sometimes not on your side. Or sometimes, your usual public courts might just be too hot for your playing comforts.

What are your alternatives? A private gym is one great idea if you want to join for the sole purpose of having a convenient, year-round access to racquetball courts. However, there are some considerations to check out before you join in one.

First, let us look at the disadvantages.

Fees

One of the big complaints about private members-only gyms is the price. Some would allow you to sign up for a racquetball-only membership.

The sad part is you will still have to fork out a pricey initiation fee that can run up to hundreds of dollars. This is on top of your monthly due which is around $10 to $40 depending on the area where you live.

Availabilities

This can get tricky. Your gym might only have a limited number of courts. During peak business hours, you may have to wait for a vacant court even if you had scheduled your play time in advance.

The busiest times are early morning, early evening and lunch time. The best times on weekdays are between 8 and 10 a.m., 1 and 4 p.m. and after 7 p.m. Avoid morning hours on weekends. Afternoons or evenings are good.

If your gym has seasonal racquetball leagues and you are not participating, you will have a tough time getting a court for the whole season.

Here are the advantages of joining a gym.

Conveniences

If your gym does not offer racquetball-only memberships, you will have to buy a full membership. Happily, this grants you access to an array of fitness classes, weights and cardio machines.

They may even have you use their basketball courts, the sauna and the swimming pool. Using these additional facilities will help you get in better shape to play racquetball. Some gyms also offer free child care allowing you and your partner to enjoy your game.

Friends

Many gyms have racquetball leagues. If you are new in town, joining the league affords you to meet fellow players and new friends.

These guys are just as die-hard as you are in the game and they are more than willing to share their insights and pointers.

Facilities

One good thing about exclusive gyms is the quality of the courts – clean, and regularly well-maintained. They are often located indoors to make sure members can play all year round. Since you are paying good money, damages on the floor are quickly repaired.

Choices

Before committing to anything, you can look around for free, public racquetball courts in your area as well as the popularity of the sports. Check online any facilities that offer discount play and other perks.

As always, identify your pros and your cons in choosing gyms to play racquetball. If you sign in, make sure you understand your gym contract so you get the most for your money while enjoying your favorite sports.

Racquetball Defense Strategies

Like other sports games, there are two main things that matter in racquetball: offense and defense. Offense is a series of moves initiated by one combatant to help him win the fight.

Defense on the other hand is the series of moves in reaction to the opponent’s offensive moves. The following are some tips on defense strategies.

Center court

In racquetball, the center court is the strongest position. In the center court, you are in control. If your opponent is occupying it, you are in a defensive position. You must strive to take it away.

Getting your opponent out of the center court can be done by hitting a ceiling shot or a pass shot. Stay out of the side walls at all times. Your opponent dominates the court if you are on the side walls.

Kill shot

The kill shot is hitting the ball low enough to the front wall without hitting the side walls. Done perfectly, this can make the ball bounce twice on the floor making it impossible to be returned.

The best way to do a kill shot is hitting the ball a couple of inches off the floor straight to the front wall.

Pass shot

In racquetball, the pass shot is one very good defensive shot. The reason is simple: Anyone can execute it, whether you are a pro or a beginner.

Hit the ball toward the front wall making it come as far away from your opponent as possible. Choose hitting it “down the line” or “cross court”.

“Down the line” means hitting the ball parallel to the side wall and making it come straight back between the side wall and you.

A “cross court” hit means hitting the ball against the side wall farthest from where you are. The ball will fly between your opponent and the side wall.

To be considered a good defensive shot, slam the ball fast enough as you can muster. Make it go with such speed that your opponent’s slow reaction time will cause the ball to bounce twice before hitting the back wall.

The Z-ball shot

This is the shot that hits the front wall first, then one side wall and finally the other side wall and returns parallel with the back wall. The ball gathers enough spin as it hits the three walls.

Done correctly, the ball rolls alongside the back wall which makes it difficult for your opponent to return.

Around the world

Another defensive shot can be executed in times when you are out of position. This should be done with enough force.

Hit the ball hard enough into a side wall with enough momentum to rebound on the front wall and still have enough energy to hit the other side wall as high as possible. The ball will bounce to the floor nearly behind the center court heading to the other back corner.

From there, it will make a second bounce after hitting the back corner wall.

Other defenses

There are other defensive moves done usually by the pros of the game. Some are combinations of these popular ones and some are variations.

Racquetball is like any other sport where the fun resides in the struggle between players. Of course, as everyone knows, the best defense is offense.

The Cocolo Festival-Dominican Republic Holidays

As the entire Dominican Republic celebrate the opening of the New Year on January 1st, some Dominicans hold events that give importance to one of the dying yet very prominent traditions in the land in a feast called the Cocolo Festival.

When the wave of African immigrants moved into Hispaniola during and after the Spaniards have settled in the land, they have brought many traditions with them that now compose the fibers of the Dominicans’ culture. Among the groups of ethnic immigrants was the Cocolo tribe which originated from the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles. They are largely known as the English-speaking Caribbean people who brought with them a culture that has the elements of both the European and African cultures. It is, as many people have said before, the culmination of the merging of the cultures of the African slaves and the European colonizers. Although they still have retained their political and social economic authority.

Years after they have settled in Hispaniola, the Cocolo dancing drama tradition have developed. It was, among their own educational system and religion, the most distinct expressions of their culture. It was its peak during the mid-nineteenth century. In recent times, the assimilation of the Cocolo descendants with the majority of the Dominicans have caused the disintegration of the Cocolo’s culture. Although, as is apparent in some areas in the Dominican Republic, the Cocolo dancing drama tradition is still very much alive.

In its original form, the dancing drama is performed on Christmas and on Carnavals. Nowadays, it is performed only in January in San Pedro de Macoris, a province in the Dominican Republic where the Cocolos originally settled.

The Cocolo Festival features the music, dances and songs that are patterned in the tunes of the original Cocolo music. These have African and European influences which make them very unique in the Dominican Republic, if not distinct from every other music in the world.

The music, for example, is patterned after the African pace and the dances have the steps and movements particular to the African court. Although when these are dramatized, they become an entirely different art form. They become almost exclusively European because of the themes and stories adopted. Among the most typical stories performed in the Cocolo Festival is the Mumme’s Play, thus the Festival has become associated with street dancers and performers called the ‘Mummers’. This tells of the story about St. George and his enemy. In summary, this reflects the main theme of the Cocolo dance drama – the battle between good and evil.

Other dance dramas and games usually performed at the Cocolo Festival are the ‘Guloyas’ and the ‘Baile del Buey’. The ‘Guloyas’ consist of several groups of dancers who perform a variety of dances. Among the many they showcase is the ‘Dance of Stilts’ which requires dancers to dance on high stilts while wearing pompous jackets. The ‘Baile del Buey’, meanwhile, is performed by a festival character whose main features are identified with the bull.

The Cocolo Festival, although less popular than other Dominican Republic holidays, is indeed among the nation’s more important heritage. It is no wonder that UNESCO has chosen it as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity.