# Rule 19 Rule 19: 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 | 3 first recorded |
| 1923 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1923 | 3 unchanged |
| 1928 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1928 | 1 moved, 1 reworded |
| 1931 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1931 | 1 unchanged, 1 moved |

## The wording

### Rule 19, part 1 of 4

Begins: “The striker shall call time before serving the ball,…”

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

  > The striker shall call time before serving the ball, and shall not serve the ball before the player or players are outside of the line.

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

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

  Same words as the rulebook compared with.

### Rule 19, part 2 of 4

Begins: “The man serving the ball in four handed match…”

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

  > The man serving the ball in four handed match is the man who is supposed to play inside the lines at all times.

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

### Rule 19, part 3 of 4

Begins: “Every player is entitled to a free and unobstructed…”

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

  > Every player is entitled to a free and unobstructed opportunity to play the ball.

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

- **1928, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: Moved (automatic). Compared with A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1923.

  Same words as the rulebook compared with.

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

  Same words as the rulebook compared with.

### Rule 19, part 4 of 4

Begins: “If he is interfered with unintentionally it is called…”

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

  > If he is interfered with unintentionally it is called a hinder and is played over.

- 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 he is interfered with [- unintentionally -] [+ unintentionally, +] it is called a [- hinder -] [+ "hinder" +] and is played [- over. -] [+ over without penalty to either side. +]
  
  8 words added, 3 removed.

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

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