Rules Of Wallyball

Rules Of Wallyball
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Wallyball is a version of volleyball played indoors on a racquetball court. What makes the sport different from volleyball is that obstacles such as the wall and ceiling are part of the game. Because of this, some wallyball rules are different than those for volleyball.

Serving

As in volleyball, play begins with a serve. If you win the coin toss, your team serves first. The service area extends three feet from the back of the court on each side of the net. The serve must be full contact; a push or rolling motion of the hand is illegal. The ball can't touch the walls or ceiling on the serve. In a four-on-four game, the server is not allowed to spike or block the ball.

Boundaries

One of the unique features of wallyball is that the walls and ceiling are in play in certain situations. You may strike the ball and rebound it off a wall or the ceiling into your opponent's side of the court, but only if the ball touches the wall while still on your side of the court. If you hit the ball and it strikes a side wall, back wall or the ceiling on the opponent's side of the court, it is out of bounds. If you hit the ball and it hits two walls or the wall and the ceiling before being touched by a player or touching the floor, it is out of bounds. If the ball leaves the playing surface, it is also out of bounds.

Scoring

Taking into consideration the boundaries involving the walls and ceiling, scoring in wallyball is similar to volleyball. Your team has three chances to strike the ball and volley it to the opponents side of the net. If a player hits the ball twice in a row, hits it out of bounds or it touches the floor, the other team scores a point. You may block the ball and spike the ball as in volleyball, but you may not intentionally touch the net.

Other Rules

You may not climb a wall or receive assistance from another player to gain height when striking or blocking the ball. You also may not make contact with the ball with a body part below the waist. Holding, pushing or scooping the ball is not permitted. You must make a clean hit every time you strike the ball. Typical games end at 15 points and must be won by at least 2 points. Usually, a match will be a best-of-three games format.

References

Article reviewed by Robert Orlandini Last updated on: Apr 14, 2011

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