# Rule 17 Rule 17: how the wording changed (American four-wall)

4 rulebooks state this rule, from 1 January 1920 to 1931. No rewording or change was found.

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 January 1920 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1 January 1920 | 2 first recorded |
| 1923 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1923 | 2 unchanged |
| 1928 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1928 | 1 first recorded |
| 1931 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1931 | 1 moved |

## The wording

### Rule 17, part 1 of 3

Begins: “If a ball hits an adversary on the way…”

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

  > If a ball hits an adversary on the way to the front wall and afterwards reaches the front wall before touching the floor, it is in play.

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

### Rule 17, part 2 of 3

Begins: “All balls striking players on the return are hinders…”

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

  > All balls striking players on the return are hinders or points.

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

### Rule 17, part 3 of 3

Begins: “If a ball, while in play, touches a player…”

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

  > If a ball, while in play, touches a player on the way back from the front wall, it counts as a miss for this player, putting his side out if serving, or scoring for his opponent if they are serving, and the ball is immediately dead or out of play.

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

  > If a [- ball, -] [+ ball +] while in [- play, -] [+ play +] touches a player on the way back from the front wall, it counts as a miss for this player, putting his side out if serving, or scoring for his opponent if they are serving, and the ball is immediately dead or out of play.
  
  2 words added, 2 removed.

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