Clause history · American four-wall
Rule 18 Rule 18: how the wording changed
7 rulebooks state this rule, from 1873 to 1931. The wording was reworded or changed 3 times.
How to read this page
- Added words are underlined and sit inside [+ +].
Removed wordsare struck through and sit inside [- -].- Each rulebook says in words what kind of change it is: unchanged (same wording as the rulebook it was compared with); punctuation only (only punctuation, spacing or capitals differ); moved (same wording, in another place or under another number); reworded (the sense is the same, said in other words); changed (the rule now says something different).
- 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, so a wrong match is possible.
Rulebook by rulebook
The table has one row per rulebook; each date jumps to its wording below.
| 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
Each part of the rule is followed on its own, oldest rulebook first. Rulebooks of other codes that borrowed the wording appear in their place by date.
Rule 18, part 1 of 3
Begins: “If a ball served to the player goes over…”
1873 James's Four-Wall Rules
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 Read the rule
17 March 1889 The Sun Four-Wall Rules
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
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 Read the rule
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
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
Compared with A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1 January 1920.
Hitting a partner with
thea 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
Compared with A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1923.
Hitting a partner with
athe ball immediately puts the ball out of play andloses the pointcounts as a miss for that side except during the service when the partner is standingbetween the lineswith his back to thewall.side wall as described in Rule 14.12 words added, 8 removed.
1931 A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules
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
sideside, except during the service when the partner is standing with his back to the side wall as described in Rule14.1.2 words added, 2 removed.
All rules: clause history. The family tree is at Rulebooks.