Handball codes compared, 1916
The rules in force in 1916, one column per code. Each cell is the code's newest edition on or before 1916.
Concepts come from the research crosswalk. Wording is shown only for editions whose text is republished on this site; for the Irish (GAA) and wallball (USWA) rules a cell says the concept is in the rules, with the rule number where known, and no wording. A code appears from its first edition on record. The Irish column holds the 1903 hardball rules only; later Irish editions are not yet in the comparison. Terms as of a year has the glossary; the family tree of the rulebooks shows how the editions descend from one another.
Year
| Concept | American four-wall Four-wall (A.A.U. revised rules, 1903) | One-wall, small ball One-wall (Brokaw, American Hand Ball, 1915) | Three-wall no edition yet | Wallball, big ball no edition yet | Irish 60x30 hardball Gaelic Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appeals and finality | Yes, rule 10 Appeal decided promptly; final | Yes, rule 45, 46 Appeal from the referee to the umpire on interpretation; umpire final | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 14, 23, 28) |
| Ball from the wall hits a player | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 11 Ball off the board striking an opponent = against the side struck | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Ball hits an official or spectator | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 47 Legal ball striking referee or umpire is 'dead', no advantage | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Ball hits an opponent before reaching the wall | Yes, rule 6 Hinder narrowed: ball strikes the server before reaching the opponent, or the opponent during service | Yes, rule 13 Called a 'hinder'; two on one service = point or putout against the side making them | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 21) |
| Ball hits the hitter or his partner | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 12 Ball off the board striking the hitter or his partner = against that side | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 15, 22) |
| Ball: specification | Yes, rule 3 'Full regulation Spalding ball', same size and weight | Yes, rule 52 1 7/8-2 in, 2-2 1/4 oz, gum and carbon, 30 psi | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 5) |
| Ball: wet ball | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 51 Referee may stop play, dry the ball, resume with a serve | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Catching or stopping the ball | Not in this edition | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 13, 20) |
| Change of serve | Yes, rule 5 Same | Yes, rule 8, 9 'Server is out, and in doubles the side is out' (putout) | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 11) |
| Conduct and player code | Yes, rule 13 Gentlemanly conduct at all times | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Court: dimensions | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 53, 54, 55 Board 20 ft wide x 10 ft high; floor 20 x 26 ft; field 55 x 40 ft overall | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 3, 4) |
| Court: line marking | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 54 Lines red, 2 in wide; floor smooth, not polished | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Court: long (back) line | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 7, 54 'Front line' 26 ft from the board (back edge of the floor); serve landing beyond it is long | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 2) |
| Court: run-off area around the floor | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 55 'Field' 55 x 40 ft including the floor, on all sides but the board | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Court: service zone | Yes, rule 5 Same | Yes, rule 2 Ball dropped anywhere in the court beyond the service line (far side from the board) | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Court: short line (minimum serve length) | Yes, rule 4 'Ace line' (same); 'outer court' -> 'court' | Yes, rule 54 'Service line' midway between board and front line (13 ft); also the short mark | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 1) |
| Court: wall surface and top | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 53 Board of tongued-and-grooved boards on studding, painted white, no lines; surround sounds different | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 4) |
| Doubles: alternating service and positions | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 26, 30 Partners alternate service and defensive positions; alternate positions each game | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Doubles: serving order and first hand | Not in this edition | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 9) |
| Equipment: dress and uniform | Yes, rule 14 Properly clothed, neat appearance; bare feet barred | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Equipment: gloves | Yes, rule 14 Gloves allowed | Yes, rule 50 Gloves compulsory, made to keep sweat off the ball | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| First service (toss) | Yes, rule 2 Players toss for position | Yes, rule 31 Coin toss, then a 'play for the service' rally | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 9) |
| Game length | Yes, rule 1 21 aces | Yes, rule 28 21 points | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 6) |
| Game types: singles, doubles, cutthroat | Not in this edition | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 9, 16) |
| Injury time | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 38 Referee may grant minutes; over five needs the other side's consent | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Lines: ball on a line | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 49 Ball on any line is good; doubtful balls served again | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 18) |
| Match format | Yes, rule 1 Games per 'set' fixed by the Committee | Yes, rule 40 Best three of five in important or championship games | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 7, 8) |
| Obstruction: duty to give way | Yes, rule 6 Each player must give way and in no way interfere | Yes, rule 21, 22, 23, 27 Limits on blocking: right of way past the service line; no passing between ball and opponent | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Obstruction: legal block by position | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 19, 20, 25 A player may place the ball to block the opponent; blocking must end when the ball leaves the hand | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Obstruction: penalised (intentional / avoidable) interference | Yes, rule 6 Same; ace 'shall count' | Yes, rule 37 Unfair blocking or intentional interference: fine of 1-5 points | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 24) |
| Obstruction: unintentional interference replayed (dead-ball hinder) | Yes, rule 6 Same; effect unstated | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 24) |
| Obstruction: who calls hinders | Yes, rule 12 The scorer is a judge of hinders and fouls | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 23, 24) |
| Officials: line official | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 44 Umpire watches balls on or near the side lines (and unfair play) | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Officials: referee's charge and powers | Yes, rule 11 Referee decides serving, returns, shorts, aces, hand outs | Yes, rule 33, 34 Charge of the game, decisions, penalties; may move anywhere in the field, not the court | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Officials: scorer | Yes, rule 12 Scorer keeps 'a correct tally of the aces' and informs players | Yes, rule 44 Umpire keeps the score | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Officials: who officiates | Yes, rule 11 A referee and a scorer | Yes, rule 32 A referee and an umpire | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 17, 23, 28) |
| Penalty: point deduction (fine / technical) | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 37, 42, 43 'Fine' of 1-5 points subtracted (unfair blocking, fighting, repeated unfair acts) | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Penalty: refusing the referee's decision | Yes, rule 12 Disobeying referee or scorer = disqualified | Yes, rule 39 Fine one point per minute of delay, then game forfeited 21-0 | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Rally: ball landing out | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 17 Return landing outside the court = point or putout against the hitter | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 14, 25, 27) |
| Rally: failure to return | Yes, rule 5 Same | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 11) |
| Rally: one touch only | Not in this edition | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 12) |
| Rally: play before the second bounce | Yes, rule 5 Same | Yes, rule 16 All balls from first bounce or fly; serve first bounce only | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 12) |
| Rally: swing and miss, further attempts | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 14 In doubles, after a complete miss the partner may play it | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Return of serve: on the fly | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 5, 16 Serve must not be played on a fly, first bounce only | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Return: front wall before floor | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 10 Returned balls must touch the board before the floor | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Scoring: who scores and the unit | Yes, rule 4 Same, as its own rule | Yes, rule 48 Points only by the serving side; 'putouts' by the other side | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 11) |
| Serve hits a player | Yes, rule 6 Serve striking the opponent = hinder (reversed) | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 19) |
| Serve: faults that lose the serve | Yes, rule 5 Same | Yes, rule 8 Two consecutive short/long serves = server (side) out | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 18) |
| Serve: foot fault | Yes, rule 5 Same | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Serve: how it is put in play | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 2, 3 Ball dropped or thrown to the floor, struck on the first bound | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 10, 18) |
| Serve: landing outside the side lines | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 9 Server out at once (side out in doubles) | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 18) |
| Serve: long | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 7 Landing beyond the front line is 'long' | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 18, 26) |
| Serve: missed serve | Not in this edition | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 18) |
| Serve: must hit the front wall first | Yes, rule 5 Same | Yes, rule 10 All served and returned balls touch the board before the floor | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 18) |
| Serve: playing a fault serve | Yes, rule 7 May play it 'should he so desire'; must be returned if it reaches the wall | Yes, rule 15 Short/long/wide balls may be played on; appeal after the rally | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 19, 26) |
| Serve: positions of the other players | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 1, 24 All players outside the court until the ball is in play; server's partner may stand between opponents | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 16) |
| Serve: receiver's position | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 1 Players outside the court (in the field) until the ball is in play | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 17) |
| Serve: screening / moving on the serve | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 24 Server's partner must move away from the served ball | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 19) |
| Serve: server's position | Yes, rule 5 Same | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Serve: short | Yes, rule 4, 5 Same | Yes, rule 4, 6 Must cross the service line; landing before it is 'short', serve again | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 18, 26) |
| Striking: hand only | Yes, rule 7 Foot debarred for all balls; foul | Yes, rule 18 Front of either hand only | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Striking: one hand at a time | Yes, rule 8 'At a time' added | Not in this edition | No edition yet | No edition yet | Yes, in the rules; text not republished (rule 15) |
| Time between games | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 41 Not more than ten minutes | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Time between rallies and service delay | Yes, rule 9 Same, singles | Yes, rule 35, 36 No delay over one minute without the referee's consent; referee may order play | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
| Win by two at 20-all | Not in this edition | Yes, rule 29 At 20-all a side must score two consecutive points on one service | No edition yet | No edition yet | Not in this edition |
What the codes share
41 concepts appear in more than one code, 24 in only one.
Shared (32)
In two or more codes, each with it from the first edition of its line on record.
- Appeals and finality (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Ball hits an opponent before reaching the wall (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Ball hits the hitter or his partner (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Ball: specification (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Change of serve (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Court: dimensions (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Court: long (back) line (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Court: service zone (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball)
- Court: short line (minimum serve length) (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Court: wall surface and top (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- First service (toss) (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Game length (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Lines: ball on a line (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Obstruction: penalised (intentional / avoidable) interference (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Officials: who officiates (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Rally: ball landing out (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Rally: failure to return (American four-wall, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Rally: play before the second bounce (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Scoring: who scores and the unit (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve hits a player (American four-wall, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: faults that lose the serve (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: how it is put in play (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: landing outside the side lines (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: long (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: must hit the front wall first (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: playing a fault serve (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: positions of the other players (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: receiver's position (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: screening / moving on the serve (One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: short (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball, Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Striking: hand only (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball)
- Time between rallies and service delay (American four-wall, One-wall, small ball)
Converging (9)
In two or more codes, at least one of which added it in a later edition of its line (first year per code shown).
- Equipment: gloves (American four-wall 1903, then One-wall, small ball 1916)
- Match format (American four-wall 1903, then Irish 60x30 hardball 1903, then One-wall, small ball 1916)
- Obstruction: duty to give way (American four-wall 1903, then One-wall, small ball 1916)
- Obstruction: unintentional interference replayed (dead-ball hinder) (American four-wall 1893, then Irish 60x30 hardball 1903)
- Obstruction: who calls hinders (American four-wall 1903, then Irish 60x30 hardball 1903)
- Officials: referee's charge and powers (American four-wall 1903, then One-wall, small ball 1916)
- Officials: scorer (American four-wall 1903, then One-wall, small ball 1916)
- Penalty: refusing the referee's decision (American four-wall 1903, then One-wall, small ball 1916)
- Striking: one hand at a time (American four-wall 1893, then Irish 60x30 hardball 1903)
Unique (24)
Only one code has it.
- Ball from the wall hits a player (One-wall, small ball)
- Ball hits an official or spectator (One-wall, small ball)
- Ball: wet ball (One-wall, small ball)
- Catching or stopping the ball (Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Conduct and player code (American four-wall)
- Court: line marking (One-wall, small ball)
- Court: run-off area around the floor (One-wall, small ball)
- Doubles: alternating service and positions (One-wall, small ball)
- Doubles: serving order and first hand (Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Equipment: dress and uniform (American four-wall)
- Game types: singles, doubles, cutthroat (Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Injury time (One-wall, small ball)
- Obstruction: legal block by position (One-wall, small ball)
- Officials: line official (One-wall, small ball)
- Penalty: point deduction (fine / technical) (One-wall, small ball)
- Rally: one touch only (Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Rally: swing and miss, further attempts (One-wall, small ball)
- Return of serve: on the fly (One-wall, small ball)
- Return: front wall before floor (One-wall, small ball)
- Serve: foot fault (American four-wall)
- Serve: missed serve (Irish 60x30 hardball)
- Serve: server's position (American four-wall)
- Time between games (One-wall, small ball)
- Win by two at 20-all (One-wall, small ball)