Racquetball Rules

Racquetball is a Ladder League Sport and is Governed by our Ladder policies located at Rule 5 Ladder League Policies It is very important that you read these policies for a better understanding of what a ladder league is and how it works.

Team Composition

1. Racquetball a singles event and each team will only consist of one person.

Equipment

1. Players must provide their own racquet.

2. Players must provide their own racquetballs (both players must agree on the ball).

Game Play

1. Players will play the best of three games. The first two games are played to 15 (must win by 2 points). The third game is used as a tiebreaker and goes to 11 (must win by 2 points)

2. Points and Outs

- Points are scored only by the serving side. 

3. Serve

- Players will play rock paper scissors for the right to serve the first game

- The second game will begin by the person who does not serve first in the first game

- The player scoring the highest total of points in games one and two will have the option to serve first at the start of the tiebreaker.

- The server is started from any place within the service zone. Stepping on, but not over, the lines is permitted. The server may no step over the short line until the ball passes the short line.

- The ball must be bounced and hit before it bounces a second time.

- There are three types of defective serves: 1) a dead-ball serve which results in no penalty and the server is given another serve (examples, wet spot or broken ball), any fault serve (examples, foot fault, short, long, screen, or three-wall), and 3) an out serve which results in an out (examples, double fault, or server hits self with serve).

4. Returns

- Once a good serve puts the ball into play, the receiver may not enter the marked safety zone until the ball bounces or crosses the plane of the dashed receiving line.

- After legal contact with the ball (after the bounce, or behind the line), the receiver's follow-through may carry the racquet or the body past the receiving line.

- Failure to return a serve results in a point for the server.

5. Sideout

- A server continues to serve until an out serve

- Or two consecutive fault serves

- Or a player loses a rally

- Or a player commits an avoidable hinder

6. Rallies

- Play initiated after the successful return of serve is called the rally.

- Play stops when:

• The ball is carried (resting on the racquet long enough that the effect is more of a sling or throw than a hit)
• The ball caroms off a player's into a gallery or wall opening
• A ball obviously doesn't have the velocity or direction to hit the front wall and strikes another player
• An avoidable hinder occurs
• The ball touches the floor two times before the next player makes contact with it

7. Hinders

- There are two types of hinders

• 1. A dead-ball hinder which is replayed without penalty (court hinders, body contact, safety holdup, and screens)
• 2. A avoidable hinder which result in the loss of rally by the offender (these are not necessarily intentional, but clearly take away an offensive shot from your opponent, like blocking, making distracting noise, or playing so close as to be hit by the backswing)