 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(November 2013) |
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 handball or racquetball court, with similar rules to those sports.
Four wall paddleball was invented in 1930 by Earl Riskey, a physical-education instructor and later Director of Intramural Sports at the University of Michigan. [1] The paddleball trophy, awarded annually to the person who has done the most for the game, bears Riskey's name.
The university's Intramural Sports Building was built with a large number of squash and handball courts, and the school's tennis players often practiced on them during bad weather. Sometimes they used wooden paddles from paddle tennis instead of tennis rackets for their workouts. Riskey thought that a game played with paddles on a handball court might be a good addition to the intramural program. The courts at the Intramural Sports Building in Ann Arbor are still the site for many national championship tournaments.
Other sports (notably paddle tennis) used paddles, but the ball proved more difficult to create. Riskey found that if the fuzzy surface was removed from a tennis ball, the resulting ball had a suitable bounce for the game. Dime-store rubber balls were also used. The choice of ball remains one of the most contentious issues of the sport today. There are standard paddleballs (made by Ektelon), but the sport is also played with a racquetball. This difference changes how the game is played. For instance, when playing with a standard paddleball the ceiling ball is an impractical shot; however, when playing with a racquetball the ceiling ball is the shot of choice.
Paddleball can be played with two players (singles), three players ("cut throat"), or four players (doubles). The rules of paddleball are similar to indoor racquetball, and both sports are played on the same 40-by-20-foot (12.2 by 6.1 m) court. The most-significant differences between paddleball and racquetball are:
There are other minor differences, but racquetball players tend to pick up the sport quickly and many players are good in both. Marty Hogan, Charlie Brumfield and Bud Muehleisen, for instance, each held national open titles in both sports; Hogan held both national open titles during the same year.
The differences in the paddle and the ball make for longer rallies than in racquetball, and use more of the court. As a consequence paddleball tends to be more physical, and contact between players (while discouraged) occurs more often than in racquetball. Playing the sport at the highest level requires an advanced degree of fitness and endurance, similar to that required by squash.
The official governing organization for paddleball is the National Paddleball Association (NPA), whose website is the official source for current rules and tournament schedules. [2]
The official paddleball ball is an unpressurized black ball with a small hole, slightly larger and heavier than a racquetball. Early in the sport's history, many of the better players honed their paddles and guarded their designs. Other players—most notably Bud Muehleisen—started with commercial paddles by Spalding or Marcraft, and modified them to meet their personal preferences. Old tennis rackets could be cut down into paddles, and these "paddle rackets" (as they were called) gave a player such an advantage over a standard wooden paddle that a new game evolved from it.
Competitive paddles are still made in small shops, but the technology has advanced beyond early paddles. Modern paddles combine polymer foams, high-strength metals, graphite and epoxy resin. Paddles are made in home shops by craftsmen such as eight-time national champion Mike Wisniewski of Bay City, Michigan, who builds a few paddles—more than needed for personal use, but not enough to be considered a manufacturer. These "Wiz paddles" are well-enough made that they are often kept on display when not in use. A few small manufacturers (notably Hillbilly Paddles) produce hundreds of paddles per year.
Several games are similar to four wall paddleball, and some are played on the same court:
Similar games are played on different courts:
Squash is a somewhat-similar game, played with a long-handled racket on a similar (but different-sized) court. The court is shorter and wider, and the ceiling and bottom 19 inches (48 cm) of the front wall are out of bounds. The rules of squash are also different. It is considered a more-defensive game than paddleball, while racquetball is considered more offensive.
| Year | Site | Champion | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Madison, WI | Paul Nelson | Madison, WI |
| 1962 | Madison, WI | Paul Nelson | Madison, WI |
| 1963 | Madison, WI | Bill Schultz | Madsion, WI |
| 1964 | Flint, MI | Paul Nelson | Madison, WI |
| 1965 | Ann Arbor, MI | Moby Benedict | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 1966 | East Lansing, MI | Bud Muehleisen | San Diego, CA |
| 1967 | Bloomington, IN | Paul Lawrence | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 1968 | Minneapolis, MN | Bud Muehleisen | San Diego, CA |
| 1969 | Ames, IA | Charlie Brumfield | San Diego, CA |
| 1970 | Fargo, ND | Charlie Brumfield | San Diego, CA |
| 1971 | Flint, MI | Steve Keeley | E. Lansing, MI |
| 1972 | Knoxville, TN | Dan McLaughlin | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 1973 | Eau Claire, WI | Steve Keeley | East Lansing, MI |
| 1974 | Ann Arbor, MI | Steve Keeley | East Lansing, MI |
| 1975 | Livonia, MI | Dan McLaughlin | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 1976 | Adrian, MI | Steve Keeley | San Diego, CA |
| 1977 | E. Lansing, MI | Steve Keeley | San Diego, CA |
| 1978 | Ann Arbor, MI | R. P. Valenciano | Flint, MI |
| 1979 | Ann Arbor, MI | Marty Hogan | San Diego, CA |
| 1980 | Lansing, MI | Dick Jury | Haslette, MI |
| 1981 | Ann Arbor, MI | Steve Wilson | Flint, MI |
| 1982 | Lansing, MI | Larry Fox | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 1983 | Ypsilanti, MI | Steve Wilson | Flint, MI |
| 1984 | Lansing, MI | Steve Wilson | Flint, MI |
| 1985 | Saginaw, MI | Steve Wilson | Flint, MI |
| 1986 | Davison, MI | Mark Kozub | Livonia, MI |
| 1987 | Ann Arbor, MI | Marty Hogan | St. Louis, MO |
| 1988 | Davison, MI | Andy Kasalo | Calumet City, IL |
| 1989 | Ann Arbor, MI | Mike Wisniewski | Bay City, MI |
| 1990 | Davison, MI | Mark Kozub | Livonia, MI |
| 1991 | Saginaw, MI | Mike Wisniewski | Bay City, MI |
| 1992 | Midland, MI | Andy Kasalo | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 1993 | East Lansing, MI | Mike Wisniewski | Bay City, MI |
| 1994 | Pontiac, MI | Mike Wisniewski | Bay City, MI |
| 1995 | Eau Claire, WI | Mark Piechowiak | Bay City, MI |
| 1996 | Midland, MI | Mike Wisniewski | Bay City, MI |
| 1997 | Midland, MI | Bob Groya | Bay City, MI |
| 1998 | Midland, MI | Mike Wisniewski | Bay City, MI |
| 1999 | Pontiac, MI | Andy Mitchell | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 2000 | Ann Arbor, MI | Andy Mitchell | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 2001 | Kalamazoo, MI | Andy Mitchell | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 2002 | Livonia, MI | Mike Wisniewski | Bay City, MI |
| 2003 | Midland, MI | Mike Wisniewski | Bay City, MI |
| 2004 | Ann Arbor, MI | Kelly Gelhaus | Riverside, CA |
| 2005 | Ann Arbor, MI | Kelly Gelhaus | Riverside, CA |
| 2006 | San Diego, CA | Chris Crowther | Riverside, CA |
| 2007 | East Lansing, MI | Kelly Gelhaus | Riverside, CA |
| 2008 | San Diego, CA | Aaron Embry | San Diego, CA |
| 2009 | Ann Arbor, MI | Cesar Carrillo | Memphis, TN |
| 2010 | San Diego, CA | Mike Wisniewski | Bay City, MI [3] |
The table below has been sourced from information on the NPA website:
| Year | Site | Champions and Hometowns |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Madison, WI | John Blanchieu and Maurice Rubin (Detroit, MI) |
| 1963 | Madison, WI | Bob and Dick McNamara (Minneapolis, MN) |
| 1964 | Flint, MI | Bob and Dick McNamara (Minneapolis, MN) |
| 1965 | Ann Arbor, MI | Harold Kronenberg and Galen Johnson (Eau Claire, WI) |
| 1966 | E.Lansing, MI | Harold Kronenberg and Galen Johnson (Eau Claire, WI) |
| 1967 | Bloomington, Ind. | Harold Kronenberg and Galen Johnson (Eau Claire, WI) |
| 1968 | Minneapolis, MN | Bud Muehleisen and Charlie Brumfield (San Diego, CA) |
| 1969 | Ames, IA | Bud Muehleisen and Charlie Brumfield (San Diego, CA) |
| 1970 | Fargo, N.D. | Bob and Bernie McNamara (Minneapolis, MN) |
| 1971 | Flint,MI | Craig Finger and Paul Lawrence (Ann Arbor, MI) |
| 1972 | Knoxville, TN | Evans Wright and Dan Alder (East Lansing, MI) |
| 1973 | Eau Claire, WI | Evans Wright and Dan Alder (East Lansing, MI) |
| 1974 | Ann Arbor, MI | Steve Keeley (San Diego, CA) and Len Baldori (East Lansing, MI) |
| 1975 | Livonia, MI | Dick Jury (East Lansing, MI) and R.P. Valenciano (Flint, MI) |
| 1976 | Flint, MI | Steve Keeley (San Diego, CA) and Andy Homa (Williamston, MI) |
| 1977 | Ann Arbor, MI | Dick Jury (Williamston, MI) and R.P. Valenciano (Flint, MI) |
| 1978 | Portage, MI | Dick Jury (Williamston, MI) and R.P. Valenciano (Flint, MI) |
| 1979 | East Lansing, MI | Dick Jury (Haslett, MI) and R.P. Valenciano (Flint, MI) |
| 1980 | Ann Arbor, MI | Bob Sterken (Ann Arbor, MI) and Greg Grambeau (Ann Arbor, MI) |
| 1981 | Flint, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1982 | Kalamazoo, MI | Steve Wilson (Flint, MI) and Kevin McCully (Ann Arbor, MI) |
| 1983. | Midland, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1984 | Dearborn, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1985 | Pontiac, MI | Andy Kasalo (Calumet City, IL) and Andy Mitchell (Ft. Wayne, IN) |
| 1986 | Dearborn, MI | Andy Kasalo (Calumet City, IL) and Andy Mitchell (Ft. Wayne, IN) |
| 1987 | Dearborn, MI | Andy Kasalo (Calumet City, IL) and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1988 | Portage, MI | Andy Kasalo (Calumet City, IL) and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1989 | Southgate, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1990 | Canton, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1991 | Taylor, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1992 | Lansing, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1993 | Eau Claire, WI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1994 | Midland, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1995 | Kalamazoo, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1996 | Davison, MI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1997 | Eau Claire, WI | Andy Kasalo and Andy Mitchell (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 1998 | Davison, MI | Mike Wisniewski (Bay City, MI) and Mike Czabala (Ann Arbor, MI) |
| 1999 | Eau Claire, WI | Andy Mitchell and Andy Kasalo (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 2000 | Kalamazoo, MI | Andy Mitchell and Andy Kasalo (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 2001 | Midland, MI | Andy Mitchell and Andy Kasalo (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 2002 | Bloomingdale, IL | Mike Czabala (Los Angeles, CA) and Mike Wisniewski (Bay City, MI) |
| 2003 | Eau Claire, WI | Andy Mitchell and Andy Kasalo (Kalamazoo, MI) |
| 2004 | Bloomingdale, IL | Kelly Gelhaus and Steve Lerner (Riverside, CA) |
| 2005 | Riverside, CA | Kelly Gelhaus and Steve Lerner (Riverside, CA) |
| 2006 | Ann Arbor, MI | Kelly Gelhaus and Todd Entriken (Riverside, CA) |
| 2007 | Riverside, CA | Kelly Gelhaus and Todd Entriken (Riverside, CA) |
| 2008 | East Lansing, MI | Mike Wisniewski and Chad Krager (Bay City, MI) |
| 2009 | San Diego, CA | Mike Orr (San Diego, CA) and Todd Entriken (Riverside, CA) |
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 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.
Squash, sometimes called squash rackets, is a racket-and-ball sport played by two (singles) or four players (doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. The objective of the game is to hit the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. There are about 20 million people who play squash regularly world-wide in over 185 countries. The governing body of squash, the World Squash Federation (WSF), is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the sport will be included in the Olympic Games, starting with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) organizes the pro tour.
A racket or racquet is an item of sporting equipment used to strike a ball or shuttlecock back-and-forth in games such as tennis, badminton, squash, racquetball and padel. The typical basic structure of a racket consists of 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.
Fives is an English handball sport derived from jeu de paume, similar to the games of handball, Basque pelota, and squash. The game is played in both singles and doubles teams, in an either three- or four-sided court.
American handball, known as handball in the United States and sometimes referred to as wallball, is a sport in which players use their hands to hit a small, rubber ball against a wall such that their opponent(s) cannot do the same without the ball touching the ground twice or hitting out-of-bounds. The three versions are four-wall, three-wall and one-wall. Each version can be played either by two players (singles), three players (cutthroat) or four players (doubles), but in official tournaments, singles and doubles are the only versions played.
Basque pelota is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall or, more traditionally, with two teams face to face separated by a line on the ground or a net. The roots of this class of games can be traced to the Greek and other ancient cultures.
Gaelic handball is a sport where players hit a ball with a hand or fist against a wall in such a way as to make a shot the opposition cannot return, and that may be played with two (singles) or four players (doubles). The sport, popular in Ireland, is similar to American handball, Welsh handball, fives, Basque pelota, Valencian frontó, and more remotely to racquetball or squash. It is one of the four Gaelic games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). GAA Handball, a subsidiary organisation of the GAA, governs and promotes the sport.
One wall paddleball is an American ball game that consists of hitting a small rubber ball against a single wall by using paddles. It can be played in singles or in doubles. The general rule of the game is that the ball must hit the wall without touching the court floor more than once in order to be a valid rally. The balls are usually black, blue, and green. The paddles were originally made of wood, but they are now primarily made of materials such as graphite and titanium.
Rackets or racquets is an indoor racket sport played in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada. It is infrequently called "hard rackets" to distinguish it from the related sport of squash.
Matkot is a popular Padel ball game in Israel similar to beach tennis, often referred to by Israelis as their national beach sport.
Padel, also sometimes called padel tennis, is a racket sport of Mexican origin, typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court. Although padel shares the same scoring system as tennis, the rules, strokes, and technique are different. The balls used are similar but with a little less pressure. The main differences are that the court has walls and the balls can be played off them in a similar way as in the game of squash and that solid, stringless bats are used. The height of the ball being served must be at or below the waist level.
Paleta frontón is a Peruvian sport that was born in the capital, Lima, in 1945. This sport has its roots in the "pelota vasca" brought by the Spanish settlers, and the domestic "pelota mano", called "handball" at that time due to English influence. The sport is similar to squash but is played on an open court.
Paddle ball is a one-person toy played with an attached ball and paddle.
Charles Edgar Brumfield is an American attorney and former professional racquetball player as well as a noted paddleball player. For much of his professional racquetball career, Brumfield was the marquis player for Leach Industries, the leading manufacturer of racquetball rackets at the time. Leach produced several Brumfield signature rackets including the "Graphite Brumfield". For a brief time, Brumfield had his own sports brand label, which marketed rackets and sports apparel.
Bud Muehleisen is a dentist in San Diego, California, and a racquetball and paddleball player. A left-handed player, "Dr. Bud" Muehleisen was the first person inducted into the Racquetball Hall of Fame, and is considered the best racquetball player and the best paddleball player of the 1960s era, and one of the best finesse players in the history of either game. The description of his career at the Racquetball Hall of Fame reads:
'Dr. Bud' Muehleisen has sometimes been called the most influential man in racquetball. He began playing paddleball in 1962, won four national titles, then took up paddle rackets in 1969, edging out Brumfield to win one of the first national championships in the sport that would become racquetball. Bud served on the IRA board of directors for seven years as the first Rules Committee chairman and was instrumental in the formation of the game's first rules. He won an unprecedented 41 national titles, was a coach and teacher, a regular contributor of instructional material to early magazines and worked with most of the major equipment manufacturers in developing racquets, balls and other products.
Paddle ball is a sport that is played on a court half the size of a tennis court, using paddle racquets. The paddle is made of wood or graphite, and has holes to reduce air friction. The game is played in singles or in doubles.
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