Wallyball is a team game that is played with a round inflated ball in an area where a net is placed between 2 or more walls. Play is started by one team hitting the ball "off the wall" or directly over the net to the opposing teams' floor area. The opposing team attempts to prevent this by hitting the ball off the side or back wall and volleying it back over the net . The ball is out of bounds whenever it touches the ceiling, hits the back wall, or hits two or more walls on the serve or volley. The back wall is in play only on teams' side that's returning the serve or volley. Points are scored when the team 's side that's returning the serve or volley fails to return it in a manner allowed by the rules. The team first scoring 15 points, provided there is a two point advantage.

Court Boundaries and Equipment

  • COURT SIZE: The court shall be 40' long by 20' wide by 20' high.
  • CENTER LINE: The short serving line in racquetball courts will be designated as the center line.
  • NET: The net shall be 3' wide overall and not to exceed 18' when stretched. The net shall be installed no lower than 8' or higher than 8'2"(depending on installation requirements).
  • BALL: The ball shall not be less than 25" or more than 27" in circumference, and it shall weigh not less than 250 grams or more than 280 grams.
  • BACK WALL IN PLAY OR IN BOUNDS: The back wall is in play only on the team's side that's returning the serve or volley providing a player on that team touches it first.
  • OUT OF BOUNDS: The ball is out of bounds whenever it hits the ceiling, hits the back wall on a serve or a volley, hits two or more walls on a serve or volley.
  • HITTING THE BALL OUT OF THE COURT AREA: Anytime the ball is hit out of the court area the ball is dead and the point shall be replayed. There is no loss of point or serve. If the ball touches the ceiling before leaving the court area, the ball is out of bounds and side out is declared.(loss of point or serve).
  • SERVICE AREA: Two lines 3" long by 1" wide placed in each teams' right hand corner shall determine the service area. The first line is placed 3' from the back wall, on the wall on the right facing the net. The next line placed at the 10' mark, front and back wall respectively.

Referee, Teams, and Players

  • NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Teams entered the league or tournament play shall be composed of 4-person teams. A team may start with two players.
  • PLAYER DIVISIONS: Teams entered in league or tournament play shall be classified as follows:
    • Open: A, B, divisions
    • Men's: 4-person teams
    • Women: 4-person teams
    • Co-Rec: 4-person teams; must have two men and two women and cannot have more women than men on the court.

Position of Players

  • SERVER: The server shall serve from within the serving area.
  • PLAYERS POSITION WHEN BALL IS SERVED: Players shall be positioned as follows: 1 player up and 2 players back, or 2 up and 1 back. After the ball is hit for serve, players may move from their respective positions.
  • SCREENING: At the moment of service it is illegal for the players of the serving team to place their arms forming a screen with which to hide the servers action, or to jump, or form groups of two more players for such a purpose.
  • SERVICE FIRST GAME: For the first game of match one, the captains of the two teams shall call the toss of the coin. The winner gets their choice of the service or playing area. The team not serving first shall start serving the second game. The team with most combined points (1st & 2nd game) shall start serving the third game if needed.
  • FOR SUBSEQUENT GAMES: Teams shall change playing areas at the end of each game of the same match.
  • DURATION OF SERVICE: A team shall continue serving until that team commits a foul or the game is completed.
  • ALTERNATING SERVICE: When the serving team commits a foul, the ball shall be given to their opponents, who shall rotate one position clockwise.
  • SERVER: The right player of the serving team shall be the first server of the game. Thereafter, the player rotating from the right forward to the right back shall be the server.
  • POSITION OF THE SERVER: The server shall serve from the within the serving area and shall not touch the lines bounding this area on the floor outside this area at the instant the ball is contacted when hit for the serve. A part of the server's body may be in the air over or beyond these lines.
  • SERVING OUT OF TURN: A player shall not serve out of turn. An out-of-turn service may be called by opponents' captains. The points made on this service shall be canceled and the side-out service is called, there shall be no loss of point. In either case players of the team in error shall return to their proper positions before another service by either team.
  • DEAD BALL: A served ball is dead if it: 1) touches the floor of the serving area, a teammate of the server, the net; 2) passes through or under the net; 3) or lands out of bounds.

Net Play

  • CONTACTING NET: A player shall not contact any part of the net while the ball is in play. When the ball is driven into the net so that it causes the net to contact an opposing player or players, this is not a foul if they did not actually contact the net by their own motion.
  • REACHING OVER THE NET: In returning the ball a player may follow through over the net, providing he first contacts the ball on is own side of the net. Player(s) in the act of blocking may reach across the net but may not contact the ball there until opponent has hit the ball to return it.
  • CROSSING CENTER LINE: A player may touch the center line but not the floor on the opposite side of the center line while the ball is in play. Any part of a players body may be in the air below the net and beyond the center line if he does not interfere with the opponents play by touching the ball or an opponent. A player may reach under the net to retrieve a ball that is in play by his team.
  • BALL CONTACTING AND CROSSING THE NET: A ball (other than when served) may touch the net within or on the side when crossing to enter the opponent's playing area.
  • PART OF BALL CROSSING NET: When only part of a ball crosses the net and is then contacted by an opponent, it is considered as having crossed the net.
  • SUCCESSIVE CONTACTS BY BLOCKERS: When a player participates in blocking and makes only one attempt to play the ball during the block, he may make successive contacts of the ball during such a play. Player(s) participating in this play may participate in the next play; however, this second hit shall count as the second of three hits allowed by a team.
  • BLOCKING: Blocking can only be done by the front line. A player may not move up to assist. No more than 2 players may block a serve, spike, or volley.

Playing the Ball

  • SIMULTANEOUS CONTACTS BY A PLAYER: Simultaneous contacts of the ball with two or more parts of a player's body are allowed and are considered as one play.
  • SIMULTANEOUS CONTACTS BY TEAMMATES: Simultaneous contacts of the ball by more than one player on the same team are allowed and are considered as one play. Players participating in such a play may participate in the next play.
  • THREE SETS OR PLAYS BY A TEAM: A team shall not set or play the ball more than three times. The ball must clear the net on the third set or that team loses the point or the serve. Contacting the wall does not count as a set or play.
  • PLAYING THE BALL: The ball can be hit with any part of the body above the waist.
  • PLAYING TWO OR MORE WALLS: Contacting two or more walls is only permitted on the team's side, after the player touches the ball.. The ball shall not cross the net after contacting two or more walls. If it does it is considered a side-out or loss of point.
  • SCORING POINT: A point is scored to the team that is serving when the other team commits a foul.
  • SIDE-OUT: A side-out is declared when the other team commits a foul. The ball is then awarded to the receiving team. Points cannot be awarded on a side-out.
  • MATCH: A match won by the team who wins 2 out of 3 games.
  • GAME: A game is won by the first team to score 15 points, provided there is a two point advantage.
  • LEAGUE AND TOURNAMENT PLAY MATCHES: All matches will be won by the team who wins 2 out of 3 games. Each game is fifteen points, provided there is a two point advantage.
  • TIME-OUTS: Each team is allowed one 30-second time-out per game. There will be five minutes between games.
  • REFEREES: You referee your own game.