# Rule 8 Rule 8: how the wording changed (American four-wall)

10 rulebooks state this rule, from 1873 to 1931. The wording was reworded or changed 2 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 moved |
| 1893 | Deshong Four-Wall Rules, 1893 | 1 first recorded |
| 1903 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1903 | 1 reworded |
| 1903 | Deshong Four-Wall Rules, 1903 | 1 unchanged |
| 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 reworded |

## The wording

### Rule 8, part 1 of 5

Begins: “If the striker or his partner stops the ball…”

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

  > If the striker or his partner stops the ball intentionally before it bounds after leaving the front wall, it is a hand out.

- 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 8, part 2 of 5

Begins: “Only one hand shall be used in striking the…”

- **1893, Deshong Four-Wall Rules**: First recorded (automatic).

  > Only one hand shall be used in striking the ball, otherwise a foul is committed, and the punishment is the loss of a hand or an ace.

- **1903, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: Reworded (machine-reviewed). Compared with Deshong Four-Wall Rules, 1893.

  > Only one hand shall be used [+ at a time +] in striking [- the -] [+ a +] ball, otherwise a foul is committed, and the punishment [- is -] [+ will be +] the loss of [+ an ace or +] a hand [- or an ace. -] [+ out. +]
  
  10 words added, 5 removed.

- 1903, Deshong Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic). Same words as Deshong Four-Wall Rules, 1893.

### Rule 8, part 3 of 5

Begins: “Stepping over the service line while serving shall be…”

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

  > Stepping over the service line while serving shall be counted as a short ball.

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

### Rule 8, part 4 of 5

Begins: “Doing so twice in succession shall be counted a…”

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

  > Doing so twice in succession shall be counted a hand out.

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

### Rule 8, part 5 of 5

Begins: “While serving the ball the server must stand in…”

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

  > While serving the ball the server must stand in the serving space between the two lines.

- **1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: Reworded (machine-reviewed). Compared with A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1928.

  > While serving the ball the server must stand in the serving space between the [- two lines. -] [+ service-line and the short-line. +]
  
  4 words added, 2 removed.

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