HealthPoint in Jackson offers Racquetball Court

Racquetball and Wallyball are available for members. Members may reserve a court beginning on Sunday for the following week. Goggles are encouraged and available at the front desk.

Use is free for members, and $10 per session for non-members.

What is Racquetball?

This popular indoor sport is played with wood rackets and a hollow rubber ball. While at first view racquetball seems to incorporate many of the rules of tennis and handball, the truth is that racquetball is a unique sport. Invented in 1951 by Joe Sobek, who was looking for a fast-paced alternative to tennis, it quickly caught on.

While a racquetball court is clearly defined by a series of red lines indicating service and reception areas, the standard rules of inbound and outbound don't apply in a racquetball court. For starters, there are no out-of-bounds areas in the court: the walls, floor, and ceiling are acceptable bouncing areas. The typical 40 x 20 foot room has a service box and a receiving line, which the players must respect during serve, but there are no other restrictions once the serve has been made.

The rules of racquetball are pretty straightforward. As long as the ball hits the front wall without bouncing on the floor, the serve is valid. The ball is allowed to bounce an unlimited number of times on any walls and on the ceiling before touching the front wall, as long as it never reaches the ground. A point can only be scored by the server, either because the ball is not returned by the opposite player or because the ball bounces on the floor before reaching the front wall. Points can also be scored if the ball hits a player, or if a player switches hands during a rally or touches the ball with his or her body.

What is Wallyball?

Wallyball is a fast-paced sport that was invented by Joe Garcia in 1979. The word "Wallyball" is a combination of "wall" and "volleyball". Indeed, Wallyball is very similar to volleyball. However, Wallyball is played indoors, and that is what makes it is most popular in the Midwest and Eastern United States, where the winter weather drives people indoors.

Ready to give one of these fast-paced games a try? Check with the Front Desk for court availability.