The good old days! I love it when people talk about the old days in racquetball. Folks my age will say something like, “Back in our day we got on the court at 8am and went from singles to doubles to singles to doubles over and over until 7 or 8pm at night. We weren’t crying for time between matches.”
Well here is a little more to add to their story.
1. The racquets were small and lobs and z’s did not get cut off. The ceiling game took a lot of wear and tear off the body.
2. The game was slower. At the top level maybe not so much because the athletes of yesteryear on the tour would match up with today’s players but they would have to adapt fast.
3. Court positioning was primitive. Most players were up too far and got jammed a lot!
4. Instruction regarding mechanics was very sparse. Most racquetball swings resembled fast pitch softball pitchers.
5. Hinders, gamesmanship, pushing, shoving, poor sportsmanship were all part of the game and sometimes it resembled football more than racquetball.
6. Since most players began playing in their 20s (like me) the skill level was not as high. I remember watching one of my former junior national champions win the USA Nationals. At that time he had as much experience as i did in years but he was in his mid 20s and I was in my mid-40s. Plus his instruction was at a higher level than my instruction for all those years. I was in my 30s before I got any advanced instruction.
Want more proof? Every once in awhile the video surfaces on an old 80s match or 70s match. Watch closely. Video does not lie! Nostalgic people (like me) not so much!