# Rule 15 Rule 15: 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 | 1 first recorded |
| 1886 | Spalding Four-Wall Rules, 1886 | 1 unchanged |
| 17 March 1889 | The Sun Four-Wall Rules, 1889 | 1 moved |
| 1 January 1920 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1 January 1920 | 4 first recorded |
| 1923 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1923 | 4 unchanged |
| 1928 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1928 | 4 first recorded, 1 reworded |
| 1931 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1931 | 5 unchanged |

## The wording

### Rule 15, part 1 of 9

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

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

  > When a ball is served to the player, he shall strike it on the fly or first bound; failing to do so counts an ace for the striker.

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

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

  > When a ball is served to the [- player, -] [+ player +] he shall strike it on the fly or first bound; failing to do so counts an ace for the striker.
  
  1 word added, 1 removed.

### Rule 15, part 2 of 9

Begins: “After the service the ball must be returned to…”

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

  > After the service the ball must be returned to the front wall before hitting the floor.

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

### Rule 15, part 3 of 9

Begins: “Hitting the floor and front wall at the same…”

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

  > Hitting the floor and front wall at the same time counts as a miss.

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

### Rule 15, part 4 of 9

Begins: “The front wall must be hit first.”

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

  > The front wall must be hit first.

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

### Rule 15, part 5 of 9

Begins: “If the outside fails to return the ball it…”

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

  > If the outside fails to return the ball it counts as a tally for the side serving.

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

- **1928, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: Reworded (machine-reviewed). Compared with A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1923.

  > If the [- outside fails -] [+ opponents fail +] to return the ball [+ properly +] it counts as a tally for the [- side serving. -] [+ server. +]
  
  4 words added, 4 removed.

- 1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic).

### Rule 15, part 6 of 9

Begins: “After the ball is served the server's opponents must…”

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

  > After the ball is served the server's opponents must return the ball to the front wall.

- 1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic).

### Rule 15, part 7 of 9

Begins: “The ball may be played on the fly or…”

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

  > The ball may be played on the fly or on the first bounce, but must strike the front wall after it is returned before hitting the floor.

- 1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic).

### Rule 15, part 8 of 9

Begins: “If it strikes the front wall and floor at…”

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

  > If it strikes the front wall and floor at the same time it counts as a miss.

- 1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic).

### Rule 15, part 9 of 9

Begins: “If the server or his partner in doubles fails…”

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

  > If the server or his partner in doubles fails to return the adversary's play properly the server is out.

- 1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic).

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