# Rule 17 Serve over the back board (James's Four-Wall Rules, 1873, historical)

> **Historical rulebook: not the current rules.** The current rules are here: https://handball.theperfectship.com/rules/four-wall/

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.

## Mentioned here

- [Player](https://handball.theperfectship.com/player.md)
- [Serve](https://handball.theperfectship.com/serve.md)
- [Ball](https://handball.theperfectship.com/ball.md)
- [Floor](https://handball.theperfectship.com/floor.md)

How this rule changed: [wording in every rulebook](https://handball.theperfectship.com/rulebooks/clause-history/code-fourwall-american/18.md)

## Relationships

- Player relates to Serve: mentioned together in 6 sub-rules.
- Player relates to Ball: mentioned together in 12 sub-rules.
- Player relates to Floor: mentioned together in 2 sub-rules.
- Serve relates to Ball: mentioned together in 6 sub-rules.
- Serve relates to Floor: mentioned together in 2 sub-rules.
- Ball relates to Floor: mentioned together in 2 sub-rules.

Rulebook: [James's Four-Wall Rules, 1873](https://handball.theperfectship.com/rulebooks/james-fourwall-1873.md)

Source: "Hand Ball Rules", in Ed. James, Manual of Sporting Rules (New York: Ed. James, 1873), pp. 76-77 (Library of Congress copy, Internet Archive manualofsporting00jame); reprinted with rewording in Henry Chadwick, The Sports and Pastimes of American Boys (New York: George Routledge and Sons, 1884), pp. 108-109 (Internet Archive sportsandpastim00chadgoog). Public domain.