# Fault serve (USHA Four-Wall Abridged Rules, May 2010, historical)

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

USHA rules text used with permission of the U.S. Handball Association (ushandball.org); credit: U.S. Handball Association. Source: https://www.ushandball.org/

If a player hits a fault serve, he/she has a second change to make a good serve. Two consecutive faults results in an out (loss of serve). Types of fault serves include:

Short Serve – a serve that rebounds from the front wall and bounces on the floor on or in front of the short line.

Long Serve – a serve that rebound from the front wall and either contacts the back wall (if playing on a four-wall court) or bounces outside of the long line (if playing on a one or three wall court) before hitting the floor.

Three Wall or Ceiling Serve (if playing on a three or four wall court): a serve that hits the front wall and then hits any other walls before hitting the floor.

Foot Fault Serve – the server does not start and complete the serve from within the service zone before the ball rebounds past the short line.

## Mentioned here

- [Server](https://handball.theperfectship.com/server.md)
- [Player](https://handball.theperfectship.com/player.md)
- [Serve](https://handball.theperfectship.com/serve.md)
- [Fault serve](https://handball.theperfectship.com/fault-serve.md)
- [Short serve](https://handball.theperfectship.com/short-serve.md)
- [Long serve](https://handball.theperfectship.com/long-serve.md)
- [Foot fault](https://handball.theperfectship.com/foot-fault.md)
- [Court](https://handball.theperfectship.com/court.md)
- [Front wall](https://handball.theperfectship.com/front-wall.md)
- [Back wall](https://handball.theperfectship.com/back-wall.md)
- [Ceiling](https://handball.theperfectship.com/ceiling.md)
- [Short line](https://handball.theperfectship.com/short-line.md)
- [Long line](https://handball.theperfectship.com/long-line.md)
- [Service zone](https://handball.theperfectship.com/service-zone.md)
- [Ball](https://handball.theperfectship.com/ball.md)
- [Three-wall](https://handball.theperfectship.com/three-wall.md)
- [Four-wall](https://handball.theperfectship.com/four-wall.md)
- [Wall](https://handball.theperfectship.com/wall.md)
- [Floor](https://handball.theperfectship.com/floor.md)

## Relationships

- Server relates to Player: mentioned together in 2 sub-rules.
- Server relates to Serve: mentioned together in 4 sub-rules.
- Server relates to Front wall: mentioned together in 3 sub-rules.
- Server relates to Ball: mentioned together in 5 sub-rules.
- Server relates to Wall: mentioned together in 3 sub-rules.
- Server relates to Floor: mentioned together in 3 sub-rules.
- Player relates to Ball: mentioned together in 4 sub-rules.
- Player relates to Wall: mentioned together in 3 sub-rules.
- Serve relates to Front wall: mentioned together in 3 sub-rules.
- Serve relates to Ball: mentioned together in 4 sub-rules.
- Serve relates to Wall: mentioned together in 3 sub-rules.
- Front wall relates to Ball: mentioned together in 4 sub-rules.
- Front wall relates to Wall: mentioned together in 4 sub-rules.
- Ball relates to Wall: mentioned together in 5 sub-rules.
- Ball relates to Floor: mentioned together in 3 sub-rules.
- No link to the other terms shown: Fault serve, Foot fault, Long serve, Short serve, Service zone, Short line, Four-wall.
- 14 weaker links (terms mentioned together in few sub-rules) are not drawn.
- 5 more terms are mentioned but not drawn (the best linked 14 are shown).

Rulebook: [USHA Four-Wall Abridged Rules, May 2010](https://handball.theperfectship.com/rulebooks/usha-fourwall-abridged-2010-05.md)

Source: Handball Rules (Abridged for Curriculum) (PDF, ushandball.org upload, captured 2026-10-30). USHA text, used with the USHA's written permission (letter not yet filed).