Four-wall · Part 5 USHA Tournaments
Rule 2.1-one Courts
The specifications for the standard one-wall handball court are:
The wall shall be 20 feet wide (from the outside edge of one side line to the outside edge of the other side line) and 16 feet high including any top line. Courts should be numbered.
2) Floor. The floor shall be 20 feet wide from the outside edges of the sidelines. It shall be 34 feet from the wall to the back edge of the long line. The side lines should extend at least 6 feet beyond the long line. There also should be a minimum border of at least 6 feet (but ideally 20 feet of floor beyond each side line, as well as 16 feet beyond the long line) to allow for playing space. In addition, to keep from losing the ball, outdoor courts should be surrounded by a 12-16 foot high 1-inch chain link fence.
Interpretation
The player standing further from the wall must move out of the way of his opponent even though it may mean moving to an undesirable court position. If a player assumes such a position and there is a collision, or there is interference with the stroke of the player trying to strike the ball, the hinder is avoidable.
B. Blocking.
The short line runs parallel to the wall, between the side lines, with its back edge 16 feet from the wall.
2) Long line. The long line runs parallel to the wall, between the side lines, with its back edge 34 feet from the wall.
3) Top line. The top line runs parallel to the floor, between the side lines, with its top edge 16 feet from the floor (See 2.1B8).
4) Service markers. There shall be service markers, lines of at least 6 inches in length extending inward from the side lines, parallel to the short and long lines and located midway between them. The imaginary extension of these lines across the court indicates the service line (See Rule 4.4A).
5) Service zone. The service zone is the floor inside and including the short, service, and side lines.
6) Receiving zone. The receiving zone is the floor area behind the short line, inside and including the side and long lines.
7) Playing zone. The playing zone is the floor area between the wall and the outside edges of the side and long lines.
8) Wall edge. The top edge of the wall, if any, is not part of the court. A ball striking the top edge is an out.
Under Rule 2.3 Gloves
A. General. Gloves must be worn to keep the ball dry.
1) Big Ball One-Wall. Exclusively in big ball, one-wall matches, gloves are optional. However, players must have access to gloves. They will not be required to wear them unless the referee deems it necessary to help keep the floor and/or the ball from getting wet.
Under Rule 2.4 Uniform
A. General. Shirts are not required for outdoor play unless requested by opponent.
Under Rule 3.4 Referee
A. Decisions. The referee will be positioned behind the receiving side and shall make all decisions with regard to the rules and the referee has the authority to change his call. Where line judges are used, the referee shall announce all final judgments.
1) Spectators. The referee shall have jurisdiction over the spectators, as well as the players, while the match is in progress (See Rule 5.6). A ball that hits an official or spectator before hitting the wall shall be judged as if it had hit an opponent (See Rule 4.7A2). If a “non-seated” spectator or official interferes with a player in his attempt to play a ball, it is a hinder. In the interest of safety, when sufficient playing area cannot be provided, the referee may call a dead-ball hinder for interference that prevents a player from having a fair chance to see or return the ball (See Rule 4.7A7).
Under Rule 3.6 Line Judges
A. Line Judges. There should be a line judge, positioned at the most advantageous views, for each of the side lines, the short line and the long line.
B. Duties and responsibilities. Line judge duties shall be to call “out” the balls that hit the floor or the wall off the court and to call faults on their respective lines as they occur. The short line judge may call skip balls, backswing hinders and two bounce returns at the discretion of the referee. If a line judge is uncertain, he/she should abstain from making a call. The referee may substitute his/her decision on a call.
Line judges also are designated to help decide appealed calls. In the event of an appeal, and after a very brief explanation of the appeal by the referee, the line judges must indicate their opinions of the referee’s call.
Interpretation
The hinder serve, like any other hinder, is based on interference affecting the play. The referee should not make the call too quickly, but should watch the reaction of the receiver. If the referee feels that the receiver hesitates getting into position, a hinder should be called. If, however, the receiver moves quickly and obviously is going to have time to get into good position for a shot, the hinder should not be called.
If the receiver positions himself/herself to one side of center or anticipates the serve is going to be hit to one side and moves in that direction too quickly, and the serve is hit to the opposite side, a hinder should not be called. It is also important that the referee attempt to position himself/herself so that he/she will have the same angle of view as the receiver. The best answer to this dilemma is: When in doubt, call a hinder serve.
2) Straddle balls. A legally served ball that travels between the legs of the server is an automatic hinder serve.
C. Fault serves.
1) Foot fault.
a) The server’s foot touches the floor outside the service zone before the served ball passes through the plane of the back edge of the short line from the wall.
b) In doubles, when the server’s partner is not outside the side lines, astraddle the indicated service line, or enters the playing zone before the served ball passes him/her (See Rule 4.2B).
2) Short serve. Any serve that first hits the wall and on the rebound hits the floor in front of, or on, the short line on or between the side lines.
3) Long serve. Any serve that first hits the wall and on the rebound hits the floor in back of the long line and on or between the side lines. During tournament play, receiver(s) must not catch a serve that is assumed will be long. The referee shall award a point for failure to return.
4) Bouncing ball outside service zone. Any serve that is struck on a bounce that was made outside the service zone. (See Rule 4.1 D).
5) Not hitting ball on first bounce from a single drop. (See Rule 4.1 D).
6) Two consecutive hinder serves. Two consecutive hinder serves result in a fault. (See Rule 4.3 B.1) This is the only fault call that cannot be appealed. (See Rule 4.8)
Interpretation
This call is just the opposite of the “failure to move” avoidable hinder. When a player “creates” a hinder by his/her movement, it is also avoidable. Sometimes a player, in the effort to get into a better court position, will cause contact with an opponent who is about to hit the ball, or a player will move in so close to an opponent who is hitting the ball as to cause a possibility of body contact. In either case, an avoidable hinder should be called. It is also an avoidable hinder if one player, just as his/her partner is hitting the ball, moves directly in front of an opponent creating a hinder, not to be confused with a “legal “ hinder.
C. Moving into ball.
The call shall follow the opinion of the majority of participating officials (four line judges and one referee.) If there is no majority, the referee may let the call stand, reverse the call or call for a replay.
Under Rule 3.7 Appeals
C. Number of Appeals. In all one-wall matches, appeals are limited to three unsuccessful (referee’s initial call stands), appeals per player/side per game for the first two games and two unsuccessful appeals per player/side for the tiebreaker. This limitation applies only to those appeals requested by a player/side, and once the unsuccessful limit is reached further requested appeals shall not be granted. All appeals imposed by rule shall not be affected and shall remain unlimited (see Rule 4.7.A.3 and Rule 4.8.F.1 Interpretation No. 19).
Under Rule 4.2 Doubles
B. Partner’s position. In doubles, the server’s partner must stand outside the side lines, astraddle the indicated service line, and may not enter the playing zone until the served ball passes him. A violation is called a “foot fault.”
Under Rule 4.3 Defective Serves
A. Dead-ball serves. A dead-ball serve results in no penalty and the server is given another serve without cancelling a prior defective serve or hinder fault.
B. Hinder serves. A hinder serve call stops play, and the server gets another serve. (See Rule 4.3 C.6)
1) Moving on service. The server or his partner moves out of the way of a legally served ball from the wall, a hinder may be called not voiding any previous faults. This call, like any other hinder, is based on interference affecting the play (See Interpretation No. 5). If there is initial interference, but the receiver still has time to get into good position, a hinder should not be called. He/she should watch the reaction of the receiver. The receiver should be given the benefit of any doubt, as long as he/she is properly positioned (See Rule 4.3C6).
Interpretation
This avoidable hinder may occur almost anywhere on the court. A player has an offensive setup; in his/her effort to get into a more favorable position, the defensive player moves into the path of the ball and is hit. This is avoidable. In this case, the referee must use judgment and not call an avoidable if he/she feels the ball was “mis-hit” and that the defensive player was moving into a non-hindering position in which he/she would not have been hit if the ball had been hit truly.
3) Touched serve. Any served ball on the rebound from the wall that touches the server, or touches the server’s partner. This includes a serve that is intentionally caught. When the partner is hit by the serve, the “out serve” penalty supersedes the partner’s foot fault.
Interpretation
Even though the foot fault occurs before the out serve, the out serve penalty takes precedence and shall be enforced. Another example: A server foot faults when contacting the ball and the ball does not hit the wall first. Again, the out serve penalty should be enforced. For this reason, a referee should wait until after the ball is served to call a foot fault.
4) Wall edge. The top edge of the wall, if any, is not part of the court. A ball striking the top edge is an out.
5) Outside serve. Any serve that, on the rebound from the wall, hits the floor outside of the side lines is an out against the serving side. During tournament play, receivers must not catch serves that they assume to be out. Referee will award point for failure to return.
Under Rule 4.4 Return of Serve.
A. Receiving position. The receiver or receivers must stand in back of the service line until the ball from the wall passes the short line. Any violation of this rule results in a point for the server (See Rule 2.1 B.4).
B. Fly return. In making a fly return or any other legal return, the receiver may hit the ball anytime after it passes completely through the plane of the back edge of the short line and no part of his/her body may extend on or over the plane of the back edge of the short line until after contacting the ball. A violation results in a point for the server. After contacting the ball, the receiver and his/her partner may step on or over the short line without penalty.
C. Legal return. After the ball is legally served, one of the players on the receiving side must strike the ball either on the fly or after the first bounce, and before the ball touches the floor a second time, to return the ball to the wall on or between the lines first and make it rebound into the playing zone.
Under Rule 4.6 Rally.
H. Out ball. Any ball in play, after the service, striking outside the side lines or past the long line, is an out or point. During tournament play, the players must not catch balls that they assume to be out. Referee will award an out or point.
Under Rule 4.7 Dead-ball Hinders.
A. Situations.
4) Moving on service. If the server or his/her partner moves out of the way of a legally served ball. (See Rule 4.3B1)
Delete: 5) Straddle ball.
7) Safety holdup.
Add: This does not affect the rules on legal hinders. (See Rule 4.7 B.1)
B. Yielding fair access.
1) Standing still. If a player attempting to play a ball is interfered with by an opponent, who, after his side has played the ball, was perfectly still in front of or aside the player, it is NOT a hinder. This “legal” hinder is the essence of the one-wall game. However, if a player of the side that has just hit the ball stands perfectly still, but his opponent moves back into him in trying to play the ball, not necessarily making contact, and is thus kept from having a fair chance to play the ball, it is a hinder. It is the duty of the player farther from the wall to get out of the way. (See Interpretation No. 12)
2) Being moved into the ball. If a player on the side that has just hit the ball is moved or pushed unintentionally into the ball, or prevented from getting out of the way of a ball, by an opponent trying to play the ball, it is a dead ball hinder.
Add: Rule 4.75 Hinder Fault. During a rally, if a player on the serving side creates a hinder called by the referee, the serving side starts the ensuing service with a fault, except as stated in Rule 4.3 B.
Under Rule 4.8 Avoidable hinders.
Replace: Avoidable hinders are called when:
With: A player moving as late as possible to avoid being hit by the ball is not creating an avoidable hinder. (See Rule 4.7 B.1) Avoidable hinders, which should not be confused with “legal” hinders (See rule 4.7 B.1), are called when:
A. Failure to move. A player does not move sufficiently to allow his/her opponent his/her shot.
Interpretation
Generally, this type of avoidable hinder occurs after a player has hit the ball and finds himself/herself out of position. In the effort to move into a better court position, he/she crosses the eventual path of the ball just before the ball reaches the opponent, thereby obstructing the opponent’s view of the ball.
Under Rule 4.10 Rest Periods
E. Postponed by referee: Any games postponed by the referee (due to weather) shall be resumed with the same score.
Mentioned here
- Server (actor)
- Receiver (actor)
- Player (actor)
- Partner (actor)
- Opponent (actor)
- Referee (actor)
- Line judge (actor)
- Serve (action)
- Return of serve (action)
- Rally (action)
- Hinder (action)
- Avoidable hinder (action)
- Replay (action)
- Fault serve (action)
- Out serve (action)
- Short serve (action)
- Long serve (action)
- Foot fault (action)
- Skip (action)
- Appeal (action)
- Court (place)
- Short line (place)
- Long line (place)
- Service line (place)
- Service zone (place)
- Receiving line (place)
- Playing zone (place)
- Side lines (place)
- Ball (thing)
- Gloves (thing)
- Uniform (thing)
- Point (concept)
- Game, match, tiebreaker (concept)
- Doubles (concept)
- One-wall (GAA: Wallball) (game)
- Jersey / shirt (thing)
- Wall (thing)
- Floor (thing)