I’ve been playing racquetball for over 40 years and without a doubt the court shoes today are an amazing improvement from even 10 or 15 years ago. When I began playing as a teenager in the late 1960’s we all wore Converse Chuck Taylors. It might be cool to wear this retro shoe for some things, but definitely not for a tough racquetball match.

When you’ve played as many practice and tournament matches as I have, you look for a shoe that offers great shock absorption, support, grip and if they look great, that’s an added bonus. Working with Racquetball Warehouse I tried the top shoes from seven different companies. To say I’m picky is an understatement. I selected the Asics Gel-Sensei 3  and have been extremely pleased. For years I’ve used the flat 1/8” Spenco neoprene insole under the stock insole in my shoes to give me a little more cushioning. After over 25 hours on the court with the ASICS Forefoot and Rearfoot GEL Cushioning System I haven’t had to add the extra cushioning and my knees and legs feel great after a tough match. The ASICS system strategically adds a silicone based gel at high impact areas for shock absorption. It works.

I found my normal 11.5 shoe size was what fit with the Gel-Sensei 3. Wearing two pairs of socks I want the fit to be snug so that I’m not experiencing lateral movement within the shoe. This shoe offers outstanding fit with tremendous support. I don’t normally pay much attention to why a shoe fits so well, but ASICS takes this very seriously. PHR (Personal Heel Fit) is a memory foam lined heel collar that molds to your foot, creating a personal fit. Also, the Biomorphic Fit Upper provides superior fit and function. Add this to the Solytec Midsole Material which is lighter than ASICS standard material for improved cushioning and durability, and you now have the best racquetball shoe that I’ve ever worn. This shoe was actually designed for volleyball, so you can understand why it works so well on the racquetball court.

Another feature you might be interested in is the Impact Guidance System. This enhances the foot’s natural gait from heal strike to toe-off. Also, you players who are tough on your shoes, you’ll like the PGuard that enhances toe durability. As I noted earlier looking great is a bonus and, in my opinion, the Gel-Sensei 3 look great!

Racquetball Warehouse has a rating system on a 1-5 scale to compare shoes in a few different categories. Here’s my rating for the ASICS Gel-Sensei 3:

Comfort – 5

Arch Support – 4.5

Foot Support/Stability – 5

Traction – 5

Looks – 5

Overal Rating – 4.9

Bill Schultz
E-Force Wisconsin Team Leader
Member – Wisconsin Racquetball Hall-of-Fame

My feet have never felt so good, and I have never felt so confident.

When I started playing racquetball, I mean really started playing racquetball, my only concern was putting the racquet on the ball and getting the ball to the front wall (remember your first time on the court before you pass judgment here). As my game progressed, my next concern became eyewear, then racquets, then gloves and so on. My point? Shoes were not a top concern until much later.

I now realize this was backwards thinking as my feet and footwork are the foundation of my game, and you need a strong, stable foundation. Within the last year I have switched shoes several times, from Ektelon to Wilson to Adidas to Asics and finally, to Hi-Tec. While I wasn’t unhappy or disappointed with any of those shoes, my feet have never been happier than they are in Hi-Tec shoes.

Just when I thought I had the perfect shoe, Hi-Tec did it again with the H700.

With improved breathability, a heel locking system and the same incredible support of 4:SYS technology, my shoes have never felt so much like an extension of my body. Though I have suffered from a bit of separation anxiety since switching from my Lime Green 4:SYS shoes, I have found the perfect solution! Lime Green Superfeet Performance Insoles.

Having completed the Gait Analysis at our sister company Running Warehouse, I know that I over-pronate (I lean more heavily on the inside of my foot). I have never worn insoles before, but with the Superfeet insoles and 4:SYS shoes combined, I felt more stable than I knew was possible. My feet didn’t hurt and my legs weren’t as sore at the end.

My point to all this? If you are unhappy with your shoes, go Hi-Tec. If you are happy with your shoes but want support, take a look at some insoles, Superfeet are the right fit for me.

- Ben

So, in my opinion, we just received the best racquetball bags ever made into stock. Now, I can’t say for sure that there wasn’t a better bag made 20, or even 10 years ago, but I am going to continue under the assumption that materials, manufacturing processes and style in sports have all improved over time, and are currently at their best.

With that said, I would like to tell a brief story, purely for your entertainment. This story takes place around the time of the WOR Nationals in July of this year. Being a large retailer, we have the privilege of seeing a lot of the product early, and this was the case with Gearbox in early summer. Yes, this post is about Gearbox Bags. The Gearbox crew, a very fun and genuine group of guys,  came to do videos and clinics. When they left, they left their new bags with us for website imaging. Excited about a great product, and in need of a new bag, I decided to use their new Club Bag at the WOR Outdoor Nationals. I stuffed as much equipment as humanly possible into it (10 racquets on the sides and still a main compartment for shoes, apparel, balls etc) and freely threw it around as I traveled about the courts watching matches and warming up for my own. I soon found out, however, from none other than #3 IRT Tour player Alvaro Beltran, that I was using 1 of 3 bags in existence. Not even Alvaro had this bag yet but here I was, a C level player, rocking it proudly… Needless to say I didn’t hear the end of it all weekend.

As a result of my misplaced assumption, I have had plenty of time to beat on this impressive bag and test it to the fullest. Gearbox did not hold back with the features on this bag, there is a reason it is higher priced than all the others. The Gearbox Club Bag features extra thick nylon, reinforced zippers and pockets, an abundance of useable space and, in my opinion, is the best looking racquetball bag on the market. The Gearbox Back Pack is just as stylish, has lighter weight nylon (though still durable), lots of pockets and extra padding on the back for comfort. Their back pack could easily double as a school pack and still have enough space for your racquetball gear - I’m thinking 2 racquets, 2 books, 1 binder, gloves, eyewear, pens/pencils and so on - you get the picture.

Basically, if you want the best bag out there, and you’re willing to spend a little more - Go Gearbox! I hope this was helpful as well as entertaining, as always, feel free to call us at Racquetball Warehouse anytime with questions or comments.

- Ben , 800 824 1101

Let me start this post with an interesting background story I heard recently.  Have you ever wondered who the moron is that came up with the super-small (SS) & extra-small (XS) grip sizes for racquetball racquets?  I was told that when racquetball began, racquets were available with large and medium grips which were originally modeled after tennis grips.  After a while, racquetball manufacturers ditched the large grip because it was too big and far less popular.  The medium grip size stayed and a small grip size was added.  Well as you can imagine, the medium grip size was soon too big for players and the Extra Small (XS) was added along with the small grip.  Finally, the small grip was too big and less popular so the Super Small (SS) grip size was added. This is how we have come to the current SS and XS grip sizes today.

And when you finally figure out which grip size is best for you, you then realize that sizing between manufacturers differs.  Some manufacturers have the SS grip as 3 5/8″ and others have it as 3 11/16″.  Ektelon & ProKennex grips are rectangular while Gearbox, Head, Wilson & E-Force all have smaller, rounder grips.  So what are you to make of all this nonsense?  First off, let me start off by giving you a general rule of thumb to decide which grip size is best for you and the logic behind it.  If you fall in the size small-large glove category, you generally will use a SS racquet grip size. If you wear a large-extra large glove, you should consider using the XS racquet grip size.  If you’re wondering why I mention the large glove size twice, it’s because large glove users are kind of on the bubble and should use what feels most comfortable.  I found a great article from Bell Racquet Sports that explains grip sizing perfectly:

Racquetball racquets are typically available in two grip sizes:

Size:               Sometimes Called:

3-5/8                Super Small*
3-7/8                Extra Small or 3-15/16″

*For the 2010 season, Ektelon has added a Super Small Rounded (SSR) grip size. It
is still the smaller grip size, but with a more rounded feel in the hand.

When you hold a racquetball racquet, you want your fingertips to wrap around the grip and be touching your palm.
Remember: The SMALLEST grip size you can comfortably hold will facilitate the best racquetball wrist snap!

Wrist snap is absolutely necessary to achieve optimum power in your swing and will help you tremendously in your matches.  Another tip to get the best wrist snap is to hold your pinky finger off the end of the handle.  You’ll see baseball players do this when batting sometimes to give their wrists a little extra range as well.  Doing this in combination with a small grip, will generate maximum power.  Of course technique is obviously the main factor but these grip tips will definitely help your game.

-Kyle

I started hitting with the new Wilson RX racquets yesterday. I started with the RX 175, which comes in a Royal Purple, and features their new A-Symmetrical throat design as well as the updated Power Channels, allowing the string to go all the way down the handle which maximizes the sweet spot and power. I was having some issues with control, especially on ceiling balls, but this can probably be attributed to my lack of court time recently. My first thought is that I would like this racquet better at a higher tension. With the long strings and wide head shape, it felt a little loose and unwieldy. Hit the sweet spot and the power is definitely there.

Today I hit with the RX 170 which does not have the Power Channels, giving it a more traditional and flat string pattern. There was a world of difference between the two racquets. Their weights and balances are very close but the feel you get from each racquet is much different. The RX 170 had less feel than the 175 but I felt more controlled in my shots. With identical headshapes, these two frames differ mainly in the string pattern and it was clear to me in my time on the court.

Don’t take my word for it though! I suppose right now you don’t have a choice but in August we will have these racquets available for demo and you can try them yourself. Until then we will continue to post as we have more time on the court.

Check out the racquets here: http://bit.ly/Adzh

- Ben

We just received some shoe shipments that you may be interested in. First, take a look at the new offerings from Adidas:

http://www.racquetballwarehouse.com/appspage.html?ccode=ARBS&cat=shoes

The Stabil S is going to provide oustanding performance and stability while coming in a full ounce lighter than last year’s Stabil 7. The adiCORE will give superior breathability and comfort  without sacrificing support and is one of the lightest shoes available.

We also restocked on Asics shoes:

http://www.racquetballwarehouse.com/appspage.html?ccode=ARBS&cat=shoes

The Gel Domain is a favorite of mine for fit and comfort. It fits like a glove, breathes great and has fantastic grip on the court. Also, for you ladies out there, we now have 3 women’s shoes available in Asics.

Last, a shoutout to the Lime Green Hi-Tec 4:SYS.

http://www.racquetballwarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=HT4SLIM

If you want to stand out on the court then your search is over. Not only that but the 4:SYS is an amazing shoe and since switching to it I don’t think I will be able to go back to anything else. Check out the video on the shoe page; you will not be disappointed with these shoes!

Thats all for now, check back soon!

- Ben

We updated our specs on the new Head racquets today (Problem Child, Meanstreak, Dirty Deed). Our initial specs were from the playtest samples we received. Now that we got the racquets into stock we took the specs as an average from a 3 racquet sample.

They did not change much. They all came out a little bit less head heavy but overall they were consistent between racquets which is always nice - thank you Head. We made sure to bring in extra demos because we knew these would be a hit so try yours today!!

http://www.racquetballwarehouse.com/racspage.html?ccode=HeadRBR&cat=rac

- Ben

We have had a chance to hit with the new Ektelon sticks a couple of times now. Yesterday we hit with Scott Winters of Ektelon and John Ellis. John tore my game apart but gave me some great advice. We also shot some new instructional videos with John that will be up on the website shortly.

There are two weights for new high end Ektelon. I cannot say too much but so far I like the feel of them. They have a good amount of power but still maintain the control you expect from Ektelon. They definitely have more weight in the head than the Speedport which took some adjustment in timing. So far I like them but will update as we get more play time.

- Ben

I hit today with the Problem Child (165) after I have been hitting recently with the Meanstreak (175). Definitely less forgiving. I am used to a 170 (Ektelon Speedport) so it was a little light for me. It still has a ton of power but for me the Meanstreak fits my game better.

One thing I have noticed about these racquets is they have very little vibration. Solid sticks with a lot of power!

- Ben

We just received the new Ektelon EXO3 hitters to playtest and can’t wait to get them on the courts.  We’ll be trying them out later today and will report back.  I absolutely love my Speedport Camo so it’ll take a lot of impressing to get me to switch.

-Kyle