Section 5: Rules of Play
Objective
The objective of Spikeball is to hit the ball onto the net in such a way that the opposing team cannot successfully return it. Teams alternate hitting the ball onto the net until one team fails to make a legal return, resulting in a point for the opposing team.
Basic Flow of Play
- The serving team begins by serving the ball onto the net toward the receiving team
- The receiving team has up to three touches among its two players to control the ball and spike it back onto the net
- Teams continue alternating net hits until a team fails to return the ball legally
- The team that wins the rally scores a point (rally scoring)
Serving
- Distance: The server must stand at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) from the edge of the net at the moment of contact
- Motion: The serve must be an underhand hit. The server tosses the ball upward (at least 4 inches) and strikes it with one open hand toward the net
- Trajectory: The served ball must travel downward onto the net. It must bounce off the net and travel upward toward the receiver
- Net clearance: The ball must not strike the rim of the net on the serve. A serve that hits the rim is a fault (see Let Serves below)
- Receiver position: The designated receiver must be given a fair opportunity to play the ball. The serve should not be aimed directly at the receiver's body from an unreasonably close distance
- Pivot foot: The server may take a single step during the serve but must not cross the 6-foot line before making contact with the ball
Rally Play
Once the serve is successfully returned, the rally phase begins. During a rally:
- Teams alternate hitting the ball onto the net. After one team hits the ball onto the net, the other team has possession
- There are no assigned sides or zones. Players move freely around the net in 360 degrees
- Each team has up to three touches to return the ball to the net
- The ball must be hit, not caught, carried, or thrown
- Players may use any part of their body to hit the ball (hands, arms, head, chest, legs, feet)
Touch Limit
- Maximum touches: Each team is allowed a maximum of three touches before the ball must be played onto the net
- No consecutive touches: The same player may not hit the ball twice in a row. Touches must alternate between the two teammates
- Minimum touches: A team is not required to use all three touches. A player may spike the ball onto the net on the first or second touch
- Counting touches: Any intentional or unintentional contact with the ball counts as a touch, including deflections off the body
Net Shots
- Clean bounce: The ball must bounce cleanly off the net surface. A clean bounce means the ball contacts the net mesh and rebounds upward in a predictable trajectory
- Multiple bounces: If the ball bounces on the net more than once (a "double bounce" on the net), the hitting team loses the point
- Near-net play: Players may reach over the net to play the ball, provided they do not touch the net or interfere with the opposing team
Rim Shots
- Definition: A rim shot occurs when the ball strikes the plastic rim (frame) of the net rather than the mesh surface
- Consequence: If the ball hits the rim at any point during play (including on the serve), the hitting team loses the rally and the opposing team is awarded the point
- Rim and net: If the ball hits both the rim and the net simultaneously, it is considered a rim shot and the point is awarded to the opposing team
Pocket Shots
- Definition: A pocket shot occurs when the ball hits the net near the rim and rolls along or "pockets" into the junction between the net and the rim, producing an unpredictable bounce
- Ruling: Pocket shots that produce an unplayable or drastically altered trajectory are replayed (called a "let")
- Judgment call: In self-officiated games, both teams should agree whether a bounce was a pocket. If they disagree, the point is replayed
Let Serves
- Rim on serve: If the served ball strikes the rim, it is a let and the serve is retaken. The server gets one additional attempt
- Consecutive lets: If the server hits the rim on the retaken serve, the receiving team is awarded the point (fault)
- Near-rim serves: If the ball lands very close to the rim but bounces off the net cleanly, it is a legal serve regardless of how close it came to the rim
Hinder Rules
- Definition: A hinder occurs when a player's position or movement prevents an opponent from making a play on the ball
- Defensive hinder: If a player on the team that just hit the ball onto the net impedes an opponent's ability to reach or play the ball, a hinder is called and the point is replayed
- Offensive hinder: If the receiving team's own movement causes them to run into an opponent, it is not a hinder — they must play around the obstacle
- Responsibility: Both teams share responsibility to avoid collisions. The team that just hit the net must make a reasonable effort to move out of the opposing team's path
- Calling hinders: Either team may call a hinder. If both teams agree, the point is replayed. If they disagree, a referee decides (in tournaments) or the point is replayed (in casual play)
Body Shots
- Legal contact: The ball may be played with any part of the body, including hands, fists, arms, head, chest, legs, and feet
- Unintentional contact: If the ball strikes a player unintentionally (e.g., a deflection off the body), it counts as a touch for that player's team
- Below the net: If a player is positioned very close to the net and the ball hits them directly off the net before they can react, it counts as a touch. If the contact makes the ball unplayable, the team that was hit loses the point
Faults
A fault results in the loss of the rally. The following are faults:
- The ball hits the rim at any point during play
- The ball bounces more than once on the net
- A team uses more than three touches before returning the ball to the net
- The same player touches the ball twice in a row
- The ball is caught, carried, or thrown rather than hit
- The ball hits the ground before being returned to the net
- The server steps closer than 6 feet to the net before contacting the ball
- The served ball is not struck underhand
- A player touches the net or net frame during play in a way that affects the rally
- The ball does not make contact with the net on a team's return
Switch Serves
- Alternating servers: When a team regains service (wins a rally on the opponent's serve), the next server on that team must serve. Teams must alternate servers with each new service possession
- Tracking the rotation: Each team should track which player served last. In tournament play, referees may track the rotation
- Wrong server: If the wrong player serves and the error is caught before the rally ends, the serve is retaken by the correct server. If the rally is completed before the error is noticed, the result stands
Possession Changes
After each net hit, possession transfers to the opposing team. The team that did not hit the ball onto the net is now on offense and has up to three touches to return it. There is no concept of "sides" — both teams share the same 360-degree playing area and possession alternates with each net contact.
Out-of-Play Situations
- If the ball becomes lodged in the net, the point is replayed
- If an external object or person interferes with play (e.g., a dog runs through the playing area), the point is replayed
- If the net shifts or collapses during a rally, the point is replayed and the net is reset