Racquetball in the context of "Mesoamerican ballgame"

⭐ In the context of the Mesoamerican ballgame, racquetball is considered…

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⭐ Core Definition: Racquetball

Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase velocity and control. Unlike most racquet sports, such as tennis and badminton, there is no net to hit the ball over, and, unlike squash, no tin (out of bounds area at the bottom of front wall) to hit the ball above. Also, the court's walls, floor, and ceiling are legal playing surfaces, with the exception of court-specific designated hinders being out-of-bounds. Racquetball is played between various players on a team who try to bounce the ball with the racquet onto the ground so it hits the wall, so that an opposing team's player cannot bounce it back to the wall.

The sport is similar to 40Ɨ20 American handball, which is played in many countries. It is also similar to the British sport Squash 57, which was called racketball before 2016.

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šŸ‘‰ Racquetball in the context of Mesoamerican ballgame

The Mesoamerican ballgame (Nahuatl languages: ōllamalÄ«ztli, Nahuatl pronunciation: [oːlːamaˈlist͔ɬi], Mayan languages: pitz) was a sport with ritual associations played since at least 1650 BCE the middle Mesoamerican Preclassic period of the Pre-Columbian era. The sport had different versions in different places during the millennia, and a modernized version of the game, ulama, is still played by the indigenous peoples of Mexico in some places.

The rules of the game are not known, but judging from its descendant, ulama, they were probably similar to racquetball, where the aim is to keep the ball in play. The stone ballcourt goals are a late addition to the game.

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Racquetball in the context of Racket (sports equipment)

A racket or racquet is an item of sporting equipment used to strike a ball or shuttlecock in a variety of sports. A racket consists of three major components: a widened distal end known as the head, an elongated handle known as the grip, and a reinforced connection between the head and handle known as the throat or heart. The head of the racket forms a flattened firm surface, known as the face, which is used to strike the ball or shuttlecock.

In the strictest sense, the word "racket" specifically refers to a striking implement with a mesh face made of interlaced, tightly stretched strings fixed on an ovoid frame known as the rim. This type of racket is used in sports such as tennis, badminton, and racquetball. Some rackets have a rigid one-piece head with a solid or fenestrated face instead of a meshwork of strings. Such rackets are called a paddle or bat, and are used in sports such as table tennis, pickleball and padel. Collectively, sporting games using rackets and paddles are all known as racket sports.

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Racquetball in the context of Joseph Sobek

Joseph Sobek (April 5, 1918 – March 27, 1998) was an American professional tennis and handball player, who invented racquetball in 1949; originally called "paddle rackets". Sobek founded the National Paddle Rackets Association in 1952 and was the first person to be inducted into the Racquetball Hall of Fame.

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Racquetball in the context of Four wall paddleball

Four wall paddleball, or paddleball, is a popular court sport in the Upper Midwest of the United States (particularly in Michigan and Wisconsin), on the West Coast of the U.S. (particularly in southern California) and in the Memphis, Tennessee area. It is played with a paddle and small rubber ball on a standard American handball or racquetball court, with similar rules to those sports.

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Racquetball in the context of Sports in North America

The North American continent is the birthplace of several organized sports, such as basketball, charrerĆ­a/rodeo, gridiron football, ice hockey, jaripeo/bull riding, lacrosse, ollamaliztl (ancient Mesoamerican sport), mixed martial arts (MMA), padel, pickleball, racquetball, ultimate ("ultimate frisbee"), and volleyball. The modern versions of baseball and softball, skateboarding, snowboarding, stock car racing, and surfing also developed in North America.

Sports leagues in North America use a mix of organizational structures. While common in other parts of the world, not all North American countries use the promotion-relegation (Pro-Rel) system for their association football/soccer leagues. Notably, Mexico's league has temporarily suspended its Pro-Rel system but is expected to being reinstated in the coming years. Leagues of other sports generally have a closed league using a franchise system.

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