# Rule 18 Rule 18: how the wording changed (American four-wall)

7 rulebooks state this rule, from 1873 to 1931. The wording was reworded or changed 3 times.

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

## The wording

### Rule 18, part 1 of 3

Begins: “If a ball served to the player goes over…”

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

  > If a ball served to the player goes over the back board or strikes the gallery before bounding on the floor, it is a foul.

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

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

  > If a ball served to the player goes over the back board or strikes the gallery before [- bounding on the floor, -] [+ bounding, +] it is a foul.
  
  1 word added, 4 removed.

### Rule 18, part 2 of 3

Begins: “If a ball, before it is dead, touches a…”

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

  > If a ball, before it is dead, touches a player on the way back from the front wall, it loses the point for the player touched and the ball is immediately out of play.

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

### Rule 18, part 3 of 3

Begins: “Hitting a partner with the ball immediately puts the…”

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

  > Hitting a partner with the ball immediately puts the ball out of play and loses the point for that side except during the service when the partner is standing between the lines with his back to the wall.

- **1923, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: Reworded (machine-reviewed). Compared with A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1 January 1920.

  > Hitting a partner with [- the -] [+ a +] ball immediately puts the ball out of play and loses the point for that side except during the service when the partner is standing between the lines with his back to the wall.
  
  1 word added, 1 removed.

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

  > Hitting a partner with [- a -] [+ the +] ball immediately puts the ball out of play and [- loses the point -] [+ counts as a miss +] for that side except during the service when the partner is standing [- between the lines -] with his back to the [- wall. -] [+ side wall as described in Rule 14. +]
  
  12 words added, 8 removed.

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

  > Hitting a partner with the ball immediately puts the ball out of play and counts as a miss for that [- side -] [+ side, +] except during the service when the partner is standing with his back to the side wall as described in Rule [- 14. -] [+ 1. +]
  
  2 words added, 2 removed.

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