# Legal 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/

The server may serve from anyplace with the service zone, and must remain in the service zone until the served ball rebounds past the short line. The service is made by the server bouncing the ball on the floor and then striking the ball so it hits the front wall first and on the rebound, hits the floor behind the short line. After hitting the front wall, the ball may hit one side wall (if playing on three or four wall courts) in the air before hitting the floor.

## Mentioned here

- [Server](https://handball.theperfectship.com/server.md)
- [Serve](https://handball.theperfectship.com/serve.md)
- [Court](https://handball.theperfectship.com/court.md)
- [Front wall](https://handball.theperfectship.com/front-wall.md)
- [Side wall](https://handball.theperfectship.com/side-wall.md)
- [Short line](https://handball.theperfectship.com/short-line.md)
- [Service zone](https://handball.theperfectship.com/service-zone.md)
- [Ball](https://handball.theperfectship.com/ball.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 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.
- 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: Court, Service zone, Short line, Side wall, Four-wall.
- 12 weaker links (terms mentioned together in few sub-rules) are not drawn.

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).