# Rule 11 Rule 11: how the wording changed (American four-wall)

7 rulebooks state this rule, from 1873 to 1931. The wording was reworded or changed 1 time.

## How to read this

- Added words are marked [+ like this +]; removed words [- like this -].
- Each rulebook says what kind of change it is: unchanged, punctuation only, moved, reworded or changed.
- A program matched each clause with the one before it. Automatic matches were made by the program alone; machine-reviewed ones were also checked by a second program. A person has not checked either.

## Rulebook by rulebook

| Date | Rulebook | Clauses, by kind of change |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1873 | James's Four-Wall Rules, 1873 | 2 first recorded |
| 1886 | Spalding Four-Wall Rules, 1886 | 1 unchanged, 1 punctuation only |
| 17 March 1889 | The Sun Four-Wall Rules, 1889 | 1 punctuation only, 1 reworded |
| 1 January 1920 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1 January 1920 | 1 first recorded |
| 1923 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1923 | 1 unchanged |
| 1928 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1928 | 2 first recorded |
| 1931 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1931 | 2 moved |

## The wording

### Rule 11, part 1 of 5

Begins: “When a ball is served short to the player…”

- **1873, James's Four-Wall Rules**: First recorded (automatic).

  > When a ball is served short to the player he has the privilege of striking it with his hand or foot, if struck with the foot and it fails to go upon the front wall it does not score for the striker.

- **1886, Spalding Four-Wall Rules**: Punctuation only (automatic). Compared with James's Four-Wall Rules, 1873.

  > When a ball is served short to the player he has the privilege of striking it with his hand or [- foot, -] [+ foot; +] if struck with the foot and it fails to go upon the front wall it does not score for the striker.
  
  1 word added, 1 removed.

- **17 March 1889, The Sun Four-Wall Rules**: Reworded (machine-reviewed). Compared with Spalding Four-Wall Rules, 1886.

  > When a ball is served short to the player he has the privilege of striking it with his hand or foot; if struck with the foot and it fails to go upon the front [- wall -] [+ wall, +] it does not [- score for the striker. -] [+ score. +]
  
  2 words added, 5 removed.

### Rule 11, part 2 of 5

Begins: “If struck with the hand and it fails to…”

- **1873, James's Four-Wall Rules**: First recorded (automatic).

  > If struck with the hand and it fails to strike the front wall it is an ace for the striker.

- 1886, Spalding Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic).

- **17 March 1889, The Sun Four-Wall Rules**: Punctuation only (automatic). Compared with Spalding Four-Wall Rules, 1886.

  > If struck with the hand and it fails to strike the front [- wall -] [+ wall, +] it is an ace for the striker.
  
  1 word added, 1 removed.

### Rule 11, part 3 of 5

Begins: “Catching or stopping the ball on the service before…”

- **1 January 1920, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: First recorded (automatic).

  > Catching or stopping the ball on the service before it hits the floor counts as a hand out.

- 1923, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic).

### Rule 11, part 4 of 5

Begins: “A served ball which does not rebound beyond the…”

- **1928, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: First recorded (automatic).

  > A served ball which does not rebound beyond the short line before touching the floor is termed a "short" ball.

- **1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: Moved (automatic). Compared with A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1928.

  > A served ball which does not rebound beyond the [- short line -] [+ short-line +] before touching the floor is termed a "short" ball.
  
  1 word added, 2 removed.

### Rule 11, part 5 of 5

Begins: “A served ball which rebounds from the front wall…”

- **1928, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: First recorded (automatic).

  > A served ball which rebounds from the front wall and touches two side walls before touching the floor is termed a "short" ball.

- **1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: Moved (automatic). Compared with A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1928.

  > A served ball which rebounds from the front wall and touches two side walls before touching the floor is termed a [- "short" -] [+ short +] ball.
  
  1 word added, 1 removed.

All rules: [clause history](https://handball.theperfectship.com/rulebooks/clause-history/).