Wallyball Information Network (WIN!) Intramural/Sports Club Program
The Wallyball Information Network (WIN!) assists facilities in promoting and marketing the sport in their community. How can we help you?
The Wallyball Information Network (WIN!) announces a program that will empower Intramural Directors to rejuvenate their underused racquetball courts with free assistance, training materials, and wallyball equipment. There is no need to drill holes in the court walls as we can provice you with suction cups to hold up the net. Please visit your schools Intramural or Sports Club website to find out what a student will need to play wallyball. Then contact us is help is needed with anything !!
According to Steve Fuhrman, Executive Director of the Wallyball Information Network (WIN!), "a program like this will help schools start a wallyball program or help your exsisting program. With the millions of players and thousands of racquetball courts at the schools, it’s a natural and healthy grassroots program.” For more information, contact:
HOW WALLYBALL HELPS ATHLETES ON AND OFF THE COURT
Participation in wallyball provides athletes with a special opportunity to enhance physical health while learning the value of teamwork, composure, and perseverance. Participation in any organized athletic activity will cause the individual athlete to establish their own goals and values.
Wallyball is a great game for building character. Individuals who learn how to excel in wallyball can also develop habits and attitudes which will help them succeed in other areas of life. Wallyball players learn the value of teamwork because success and teamwork in wallyball are inseparable. Wallyball has a scoring system that rewards perseverance. The rules of the game require participants to adhere to high standards of conduct and to respect officials and opponents during competition when emotions are difficult to contain.
TEAMWORK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DETERMINANT OF SUCCESS IN WALLYBALL
A team will not succeed unless all individual team members operate as one coordinated unit. The purpose of most training in wallyball is to fine tune the interaction between individuals on a team. Split-second decisions (required by 60 - 80 mph spikes) are commonplace and there is no time to think about preparation or responses. Reactions must be instinctive. The explosive movements of four athletes within a twenty by twenty foot area must be well unified. The best teams, as a result of their cohesion, are fun and enjoyable to watch.
Superstars will not succeed without well-organized teams surrounding them. In wallyball, one person cannot make or break a team. Championship teams are often the ones which are able to perpetuate the execution of team functions despite the loss of key players due to injury or any other absence. Top programs win consistently because of team unity, excellent training methods, hard work, and positive attitudes, not merely from the exploits of individual stars. At the highest levels of competition, everyone has mastery of the fundamentals. Execution of team systems such as spike coverage and defense determine the winning team. The long rally characteristic of high level wallyball ends very quickly when individuals fail to execute their team assignments.
THE GAME IS AN EXERCISE IN LIMITING ERRORS AND MAINTAINING CONFIDENCE DESPITE THE LACK OF IMMEDIATE SUCCESS.
One must deal with setbacks and overcome obstacles in order to achieve important goals in wallyball and in life. The best wallyball teams may fall behind on the scoreboard, but they are able to succeed because they are accustomed to dealing with adversity and maintaining their poise.
A rally, played correctly, might go on indefinitely. In reality, the loss of each rally is usually attributable to fatigue, mental error, or miscommunication, so the game is characterized by the need to endure frustration and maintain composure. The parallels to life are clear. "Winners" are those who view setbacks as opportunities and continually adjust their sights in order to achieve long-term goals. Wallyball players, whether they are conscious of the process or not, are constantly working to develop and maintain the confidence and poise under pressure.
The scoring system in wallyball has another important ramification. No matter how well a team has played, it must be able to win the last two rallies in succession or it can not win the game. No matter how badly a game has gone, a team always has a chance to win if it is able to win at least every other rally, thereby preventing the opponents from scoring the last point. As a result, wallyball matches are frequently characterized by thrilling come-from-behind victories. The scoring system in wallyball presents players with challenges that are similar to those found in other areas of life. One must learn from one's mistakes and not be hindered by them. The person who succeeds may not be the most talented, but, rather, the one who never quits. In wallyball and in life, perseverance many times reaps great rewards.
CONCLUSION
The unique nature of wallyball provides invaluable experiences for all players. Players learn to accept their own errors and limitations. They experience self-sacrifice and delayed gratification. Players learn that consistency is more important to success on the wallyball court than any single "big play." Wallyball is a game of team work, physical exertion, safety, unique rules, and principled behavior. Participants learn not only to play an exciting game, but also to expand their ability to interact effectively with others, and to conduct themselves, on and off the court, with confidence, poise, and respect for themselves and others.
