When choosing to record and broadcast racquetball, a stable shot is important. Viewers do not continue to watch when the camera is moving up and down in unpredictable ways. I will recommend always using a gimbal (if you must be handheld), a tripod (if there is room), or a suction cup mount.
When placing cameras/phones for recording and broadcasting racquetball, you want as few things between the camera and action as possible.
If you are local to the event, there are frequently $30-40 tripods available from Best Buy and Amazon that will do a great job.
If you are only going to have 1 camera/phone, or you are traveling, then you will want to use a suction cup mount designed for a vehicle. The one linked below will easily fit into a racquet bag without being bulky enough that you have to skimp on anything else you want to have with you.
For larger cameras:
Delkin Devices Fat Gecko Dual Suction Camera Mount
For phones:
ivoler windshield mount
This is my preferred tripod, as the basic extension is exactly the right height to get above any painted lines on the back glass and the max height is enough to get over the heads of any players in between the tripod and the action.
Joilcan Tripod 81″
Special addendum for Sun Devil Fitness Center at Arizona State University (and other facilities that have dots baked into their glass to fight glare coming into the courts).
To get the best results from your phone, if you are going to stream from a phone, you want to get your camera back from the glass, ideally, you want to put it on the handrails above and behind the spectators.
This is the only location where I’ll recommend taking a cell phone that far from the glass. 🙂
One way to do this, is with a travel tripod. These tend to be more expensive than the other two options I’ll recommend, but with patience, they can be found for under $20 when sales are going on.
Remember that you want it to be able to fit in a shoe, or shoe compartment of your racquetball bag.
Here’s one that is currently on sale with a $10 off coupon that would have been a good choice for the 2024 National Indoor Championship event.
https://www.amazon.com/Sensyne-Extendable-Detachable-Wireless-Compatible/dp/B0CNGHR7PK/
Other options, include mounts that wrap around various things.
Here is one example:
https://www.amazon.com/iTODOS-Portable-Flexible-Shopping-Compatible/dp/B08C9M5FSN/
And another recommended by Richard Aal:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNDGQH8N/