The Principle of Straight Lines and learning/understanding angles and aiming for mental targets is a large part of playing winning racquetball.

In heated rallies, many amateurs hit their shots in the absence of shot selection. Shot selection is based on high percentage shots from on understanding angles, velocity, and aiming for mental targets to accomplish shot selection goals.

Former world racquetball champion, Dave Peck (1986), lays down the simple principle of every shot takes a straight line path. Peck states that the beginner should strive to practice hitting straight in and straight out shots.

Because once the novice player can hit a straight shot with moderate successes, s/he is ready to apply the Principle of Straight Lines. Afterwards, they can mix in angled passes and finally, advanced shots like the splat and pinch. The Principle of the Straight Line is simple to understand and easy to apply.

The understanding of angles goes is also important with the Straight Line Principle. The standard racquetball court is 20 x 40 feet long by 20 feet high. The court is a perfect rectangle and provides ample opportunities for practicing and applying angled shots for winning racquetball.

The question of how many infinite angles a ball can hit four walls is central to playing successfully. The trick is to go onto a court solo and hit various angled shots. Map out your shot and subsequently, try out the effects of velocity, angles, and powers on various racquetball shots.

For example, measure out the frontwall target that would result in a high percentage V-pass. Then adjust the frontwall target for a wide angled pass.

When you have worked out a good shot map through hours of practice and experimentations, you will play future matches with more confidence because you can shoot intuitively, given that you have already worked out the angles beforehand. This means you only have to make minute adjustments during a match, instead of trying to reinvent the racquetball wheel.