Descriptionary

block one player getting in front of the other after a shot.

ceiling ball a ball shot into the ceiling and rebounding off the front wall, then bouncing high off the floor toward the back wall, a common defen­sive shot.

ceiling serve any serve that strikes the ceiling before or after contact with the front wall.

crotch any of the junctures where floor and walls meet or where ceiling and walls meet.

crotch shot a shot played into any juncture between floor and wall or ceiling and wall.

cutthroat a game in which three players compete against each other.

dead ball any ball no longer in play, due to interfer­ence or being shot out of the court. Also, any old ball that has lost its bounce.

donut a score of zero.

doubles a game in which two teams, of two players each, compete against one another.

down-the-line pass a shot hit straight along a side- wall that returns straight and close to that sidewall, making it difficult to return.

drive serve a low drive into the front wall that rebounds low and fast into the rear court.

English spin imparted on the ball.

face the hitting surface of a racquet.

fault an illegal serve.

fly ball a ball played directly off a wall without a first bounce on the floor.

forehand a stroke in which the ball is hit on the same side as the racquet hand.

forehand corner the court area where each player hits forehand shots.

front court the part of the court near the front wall.

gun hand the hand that is used to grip the racquet.

half-volley hitting a ball on the short hop or the instant it bounces up from the floor.

hypotenuse shot a low shot played from a rear cor­ner to the opposite front corner.

inning one round of play, in which both players have served.

isolation strategy in doubles play, playing the majority of shots to the weaker or less skilled of the two opponents.

kill shot an extremely low shot off the front wall, which barely bounces and is difficult for an opponent to retrieve.

lob a soft, high-arching serve that drops into one of the rear corners.

long an illegal serve that bounces off the front wall and flies all the way to the back wall without touch­ing the floor.

mercy ball a dangerous situation in which a player attempting to hit a ball might accidentally strike the opponent by swinging the racquet, so consequently he or she chooses not to and lets the ball go by. In most cases the play is taken over.

offhand the hand that does not grip the racquet.

pinch shot a kill shot played into a sidewall first.

portsider a left-handed player; southpaw.

rally the continuous return of the ball by each player until an error is made.

reverse corner kill a kill shot hit crosscourt into the far front corner.

rollout the ball rolling out from the wall after a kill shot.

service box the serving area, marked by the service line and the short line.

short line the line marking the rear of the service box halfway between the front wall and the back wall.

side-out loss of service due to a missed shot or penalty.

straddleball any shot that passes between the legs of a player.

sweet spot the area of the racquet face providing the most power and control, usually the center.

technical one point subtracted from a player's score due to unsportsmanlike behavior, such as swearing or stalling.

tension the degree of tightness in the stringing of a racquet.

thong the loop tethered to the butt of a racquet, used as a safety device to keep the racquet from flying out of the hand during play.

volley to strike the ball off a wall before it bounces on the floor.

wallpaper ball a shot that returns as closely as pos­sible along a sidewall without touching it.

z-ball a shot that bounces high off the front wall corner into a sidewall, across to the opposite sidewall, then onto the floor, tracing a Z pattern.

rodeo

bareback riding the riding of a wild, bucking horse for eight seconds while hanging on with only one hand.

bronc short for bronco, an unbroken or improperly broken horse.

bulldog to wrestle a steer to the ground by grasping its horns and twisting its head down.

bull riding riding a bucking bull for eight seconds while holding on with one hand.

calf roping roping a calf from horseback, then wrestling the calf to the ground and tying three of its legs.

chute a narrow stall in which a wild horse or bull is held for mounting and release into the arena.

clown a clown who runs into the arena to distract a bull after a rider has been thrown.

hazer an assistant, noncompeting rider who guides a steer in a straight line to make it easier for a contes­tant to leap onto the steer and wrestle it down.