Racquetball - 2012-2014 - Rules Irf

7/29/2019 Racquetball - 2012-2014 - Rules Irf

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INTERNATIONAL RACQUETBALL FEDERATION


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Correction of Missing text:

Rule 2.5 UNIFORM

(a) The uniform and shoes may be of any

c o lo r . The shirt may contain any

insignia or writing considered in good

taste by the referee (final determination

t o be made by the t o u r n a me n t

director). Doubles teams should wearsimilar colors to ease the identification

problem.

(b) All male players in sanctioned IRF

competition must wear shirts wi th

sleeves; females may wear appropriate

sleeveless attire. Shirts must bear either

the country name, abbreviation or

graphic image (country flag, symbol, or

map/outl ine) -- dominantly displayed

on the back, to be visible by officials

and spectators during match play.

(c) Each player shall have within easy

access an extra shirt which they may be

requested to put on, if in the judgment

of the referee excess perspiration is

creating hazardous playing conditions

and causing unnecessary delays in play.(d) All players competing in an IRF

sanctioned event will be required to

wear lensed protective eyewear

manufactured for racquet sports, with

the exception of prescribed non -

breakable protective lenses. The

eyewear must be worn properly and

not be altered in any way. NOTE:

National federations are empowered to

apply and enforce the published

national safety standards of their

country in the matter of protective

eyewear for their athlete


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OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL

RACQUETBALL FEDERATION

RULES

1 THE GAME

1.1 Types of Games1.2 Description1.3 Objective1.4 Points and Outs1.5 Match, Game, Tiebreaker

2 COURTS AND

EQUIPMENT

2.1 Court Specifications2.2 Ball Specifications2.3 Ball Selection2.4 Racquet Specifications

3 PLAY REGULATIONS

3.1 Serve

3.2 Start3.3 Manner3.4 Readiness3.5 Delays3.6 Drive Service Zones3.7 Defective Serves3.8 Dead-Ball Serves3.9 Fault Serves

3.10 Out Serves3.11 Return of Serve3.12 Changes of Serve3.13 Rallies3.14 Dead-Ball Hinders3.15 Avoidable Hinders3.16 Timeouts3.17 Technical Fouls and Warnings

RULE MODIFICATIONS

4.0 Doubles5.0 One Serve Game6.0 Multi-bounce7.0 Wheelchair

OFFICIATING

All Regulations such as: Uniform,Seeding, etc. are covered in the IRFCompetition Format AS A SEPARATEDOCUMENT.

1 THE GAME

Rule 1.1 Types Of GamesRacquetball is played by two or four

players. When played by two, it iscalled singles and when played by four,doubles. A non-tournament variation

of the game that is played by threeplayers is called cutthroat.

Rule 1.2 DescriptionRacquetball is a competitive game in

which a strung racquet is used to serveand return the ball.


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Rule 1.3 Objectivee objective is to win each rally byserving or returning the ball so theopponent is unable to keep the ball in

play. A rally is over when a player (orteam in doubles) is unable to hit the

ball before it touches the floor twice, isunable to return the ball in such amanner that it touches the front wallbefore it touches the floor, or when ahinder is called.

Rule 1.4 Points And OutsPoints are scored only by the servingside when it serves an irretrievable serve(an ace) or wins a rally. Losing the serveis called a sideout in singles. In doubles,

when the first server loses the serve it iscalled a handout and when the secondserver loses the serve it is a sideout.

Rule 1.5 Match, Game, TiebreakerA match is won by the first side

winning two games. e first twogames of a match are played to 15

points. If each side wins one game, atiebreaker game is played to 11 points.

2 COURTS AND

EQUIPMENTRule 2.1 Court Specificationse specifications for the standardfour-wall racquetball court are:

(a) Dimensions. e dimensions shallbe 20 feet wide, 40 feet long and 20 feethigh, with a back wall at least 12 feet

high. All surfaces shall be in play, withthe exception of any gallery opening,any back wall surface above the 12-footout-of-court line, surfaces designated asout-of-play for a valid reason (such asbeing of a very different material or not

in alignment with the backwall), anddesignated court hinders.

(b) Markings. Racquetball courts shallbe marked with lines 1 1/2 inches wideas follows:

1. Short Line. e back edge of the


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short line is midway between, and isparallel with, the front and backwalls.

2. Service Line. e front edge of theservice line is parallel with, and five

feet in front of, the back edge of theshort line.

3. Service Zone. e service zone isthe 5' x 20' area bounded by thebottom edges of the side walls and bythe outer edges of the short line andthe service line.

4. Service Boxes. e service boxesare located at each end of the servicezone and are designated by lines

parallel with the side walls. e edgeof the line nearest to the center of thecourt shall be 18 inches from thenearest side wall.

5. Drive Serve Lines. e drive servelines, which form the drive servezone, are parallel with the side walland are within the service zone. eedge of the line nearest to the centerof the court shall be three feet fromthe nearest side wall.

6. Receiving Line. e receiving lineis a broken line parallel to the shortline. e back edge of the receivingline is five feet from the back edge ofthe short line. e receiving linebegins with a line 21 inches long that

extends from each side wall. eselines are connected by an alternateseries of six -inch spaces and six-inchlines. is will result in a linecomposed of 17 six inch spaces, 16six - inch lines, and two 21- inch

lines.

7. Safety Zone. e safety zone is the5' x 20' area bounded by the bottomedges of the side walls and by theback edges of the short line and thereceiving line. e zone is observedonly during the serve. See Rules3.10(i) and 3.11(a).

8. Out-of-court line. e upper edgeof the out- ofcourt line is on the back

wall parallel with and located 12 feet(3.65m) above the floor.

Rule 2.2 Ball Specifications(a) e standard racquetball shall be2 1/4 inches in diameter; weighapproximately 1.4 ounces; have ahardness of 55-60 inches durometer;and bounce 68-72 inches from a 100-inch drop at a temperature of 70-74degrees Fahrenheit.

(b) Official ball. Any ball which carriesthe endorsement stamp or approvalfrom the IRF is an official ball.

Rule 2.3 Ball Selection(a) e ball shall be selected byagreement between the players and at


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least two acceptable balls should beagreed upon before the matchcommences. If the players cannot agree,the referee shall make the selection andthis decision shall be binding on the

participants.

(b) During the course of a match thereferee may, at their discretion or at therequest of both players/teams, replacethe ball. Only an IRF approved ballshall be used in all sanctionedtournaments.

Rule 2.4 Racquet Specifications(a) e racquet, including bumperguard and all solid parts of the handle,may not exceed 22 inches in length

with a maximum tolerance of 3/8 of aninch.

(b) e racquet frame may be anymaterial judged to be safe.

(c) e racquet frame must include acord that must be securely attached tothe players wrist.

(d) e string of the racquet must begut, monofilament, nylon, graphite,

plastic, metal, or a combinationthereof, and must not mark or defacethe ball.

(e) e penalty for using an illegalracquet is a technical. e penalty forrequesting that an opponents racquet

be measured resulting in the racquetbeing declared legal will be a technicalon the requesting team/player for delayof game.

3 PLAY REGULATIONS

Rule 3.1 Servee server has two opportunities to putthe ball into play. e player or team

winning the coin toss has the option toeither serve or receive at the start of thefirst game. e second game will beginin reverse order of the first game. e

player or team scoring the highest total

of points in games 1 and 2 will have theoption to serve or receive first at thestart of the tiebreaker. In the event thatboth players or teams score an equalnumber of points in the first twogames, another coin toss will take placeand the winner of the toss will have theoption to serve or receive.

Rule 3.2 StartGames are started by the referee'scalling the score ("Zero serves zero").e server may not initiate the pre-service motion from outside of theservice zone. Stepping on the short line(back), but not over, is permitted. Aer

starting the service motion, the servermay step over the service (front) lineprovided that some part of both feetremains on or inside the line until theserved ball passes the short line. SeeRule 3.9(a) and 3.10(i) for violations.

Rule 3.3 Manner

* Missing text


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A serve is commenced as the ball leavesthe server's hand. e ball must bounceon the floor in the service zone and onthe first bounce be struck by the server'sracquet in an obvious attempt to servethe ball. e ball must strike the front

wall first and on the rebound hit thefloor back of the short line, either withor without touching one of the side

walls.

Rule 3.4 ReadinessOnce a rally has ended, the players aregiven a reasonable amount of time(according to the judgment of thereferee) to return to their respective

positions, and then the score is called.

Rule 3.5 Delays(a) e 10 second rule applies to theserver and receiver simultaneously.Collectively, they are allowed up to 10seconds aer the score is called to serveor be ready to receive. It is the server'sresponsibility to look and be certainthe receiver is ready. If a receiver is notready, they must signal by raising theracquet above the head or completelyturning the back to the server. ese arethe only two acceptable signals. ereceiver cannot cause the server to

violate the ten second rule. [See Rule5.3 for warnings].(b) Serving while the receiving

player/team is signaling not ready is afault serve. A warning will be issued

with each first-serve infraction.

(c) Aer the score is called, if the serverlooks at the receiver and the receiver isnot signaling not ready, the server maythen serve. If the receiver attempts tosignal "not ready" aer that point, the

signal shall not be acknowledged andthe serve becomes legal.

Rule 3.6 Drive Service Zonese drive serve lines will be 3 feet fromeach side wall in the service zone.

Viewed one at a time, the drive serveline divides the service area into a 3-foot and a 17-foot section that applyonly to drive serves. e player maydrive serve between the body and theside wall nearest to where the servicemotion began only if the player startsand remains outside of the 3-foot driveservice zone. In the event that theservice motion begins in one 3-footdrive service zone and continues intothe other 3-foot drive serve zone, the

player may not hit a drive serve at all.

(a) e drive serve zones are notobserved for cross - court drive serves,the hard-Z, so-Z, lob or half-lobserves

.(b) e racquet may not break the

plane of the 17-foot zone while makingcontact with the ball.

(c) e drive serve line is not part ofthe 17-foot zone. Dropping the ball on


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the line or standing on the line whileserving to the same side is an infraction.

Rule 3.7 Defective ServesDefective serves are of three typesresulting in penalties as follows:

(a) Dead-Ball Serve. A dead-ball serveresults in no penalty and the server isgiven another serve (without cancelinga prior fault serve).

(b) Fault Serve. In the open division,players will be permitted only oneserve. In the Open Division, a faultserve is a hand out, out or sideout. Inage and other skill divisions, players are

permitted two serves. Two (2) faultserves result in a hand out, out orsideout.

(c) Out Serve. An out serve results inan out (either a sideout or a handout).

Rule 3.8 Dead-Ball ServesDead-ball serves do not cancel any

previous fault serve. e following aredead-ball serves:

(a) Court Hinders. A serve that takesan irregular bounce because it hit a wetspot or an irregular surface on the courtis a dead-ball serve. Also, any serve thathits any surface designated by localrules as an obstruction rather thanbeing out-of-play.

(b) Broken Ball. If the ball isdetermined to have broken on theserve, a new ball shall be substitutedand the serve shall be replayed (withoutcanceling any prior fault serve).

(c) Screen serve. In the Open divisiononly (using one serve modifications), ascreen ball serve is replayed.

Rule 3.9 Fault Servese following serves are faults. In one -serve play, infractions result in an out[See exceptions in Rule 5.3]. In otherdivisions, any two in succession resultin an out:

(a) Foot Faults. A foot fault resultswhen:

1. e server does not begin theservice motion with both feet in theservice zone.2. e server steps completely overthe service line (no part of the footon or inside the service zone) beforethe served ball crosses the short line.

(b) Short Service. A short serve is anyserved ball that first hits the front walland, on the rebound, hits the floor onor in front of the short line either withor without touching a side wall.(c) ree Wall Serve. A three-wall serveis any served ball that first hits the front

wall and, on the rebound, strikes bothside walls before touching the floor.


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(d) Ceiling Serve. A ceiling serve is anyserved ball that first hits the front walland then touches the ceiling (with or

without touching a side wall).

(e) Long Serve. A long serve is a served

ball that first hits the front wall andrebounds to the back wall beforetouching the floor (with or withouttouching a side wall).

(f ) Bouncing Ball Outside ServiceZone. Bouncing the ball outside theservice zone as a part of the servicemotion is a fault serve.

(g ) Illegal Drive Serve. A drive serve inwhich the player fails to observe the 17-foot drive service zone outlined in Rule3.6.

(h) Screen Serve. A served ball that firsthits the front wall and on the rebound

passes so closely to the server, or serverspartner in doubles, that it prevents thereceiver from having a clear view of theball. (e receiver is obligated to takeup good court position, near centercourt, to obtain that view.) [See Rule5.3 for one serve variation]

(i) Serving before the Receiver is Ready.A serve is made while the receiver is notready as described in Rule 3.5(b). [SeeRule 5.3 for oneserve variation.]

Rule 3.10 Out ServesAny of the following results in an out:(a) Failure to Serve. Failure of server to

put the ball into play, according to 3.5.

(b) Missed Serve Attempt. Any attempt

to strike the ball that results in a totalmiss or in the ball touching any part ofthe servers body.

(c) Touched Serve. Any served ball thaton the rebound from the front walltouches the server or servers racquetbefore touching the floor, or any ballintentionally stopped or caught by theserver or servers partner.

(d) Fake or Balk Serve. Such a serve isdefined as a non-continuous movementof the racquet towards the ball as theserver drops the ball for the purpose ofserving.

(e) Illegal Hit. An illegal hit includescontacting the ball twice, carrying theball, or hitting the ball with the handleof the racquet or part of the body oruniform.

(f ) Non-Front Wall Serve. Any servedball that does not strike the front wallfirst.

(g) Crotch Serve. Any served ball thathits the crotch of the front wall andfloor, front wall and side wall, or front

wall and ceiling is an out serve (because


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it did not hit the front wall first). Aserve into the crotch of the back walland floor is a good serve and in play. Aserved ball that hits the crotch of theside wall and floor beyond the shortline is in play.

(h) Out-of-Court Serve. An out-of-court serve is any served ball that firsthits the front wall and, before strikingthe floor, either goes out of the court,hits the back wall above the out-of-court line, or hits a surface above thenormal playing area of the court thathas been declared as out-of-play for a

valid reason [See Rule 2.1(a)].

(i) Safety Zone Violation. e server orserver doubles partner may enter thesafety zone at any time aer serving(striking) the ball.

Rule 3.11 Return Of Serve(a) Receiving Position

1. e receiver may not enter thesafety zone until the ball bounces orcrosses the receiving line.2. On the fly return attempt, thereceiver may not strike the ball untilthe ball breaks the plane of thereceiving line. However, the receiversfollow-through may carry thereceiver or the racquet past thereceiving line.3. Neither the receiver nor theracquet may break the plane of theshort line, except if the ball is struck

aer rebounding off the back wall.4. Any violation by the receiverresults in a point for the server.

(b) Legal Return. Aer a legal serve, aplayer receiving the serve must strike

the ball on the fly or aer the firstbounce, and before the ball touches thefloor the second time; and return theball to the front wall, either directly oraer touching one or both side walls,the back wall below the out of-courtline, or the ceiling, or any combinationof those surfaces. A returned ball musttouch the front wall before touchingthe floor.

(c) Failure to Return. e failure toreturn a serve results in a point for theserver.

(d) Other Provisions. Except as notedin this rule (3.11), the return of serve issubject to all provisions of Rules 3.13through 3.15.

Rule 3.12 Changes Of Serve(a) Outs. A server is entitled tocontinue serving until one of thefollowing occurs:

1. Out Serve. See Rule 3.10.2. Two Consecutive Fault Serves. SeeRule 3.9. [See Rule 5.3 for oneserve

variation]3. Failure to Return Ball. Player orteam fails to keep the ball in play asrequired by Rule 3.11(b).


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4. Avoidable Hinder. Player or teamcommits an avoidable hinder whichresults in an out. See Rule 3.15.

(b) Sideout. Retiring the server insingles is called a sideout.

(c) Effect of Sideout. When the server(or serving team) receives a sideout, theserver becomes the receiver and thereceiver becomes the server.

Rule 3.13 RalliesAll of the play which occurs aer thesuccessful return of serve is called therally. Play shall be conducted accordingto the following rules:

(a) Legal Hits. Only the head of theracquet may be used at any time toreturn the ball. e racquet may be heldin one or both hands. Switching handsto hit a ball, touching the ball with any

part of the body or uniform, orremoving the wrist safety cord during arally results in a loss of the rally.

(b) One Touch. e player or teamtrying to return the ball may touch orstrike the ball only once or else the rallyis lost. e ball may not be carried. (Acarried ball is one which rests on theracquet long enough that the effect ismore of a sling or throw than a hit.)(c) Failure to Return. Any of thefollowing constitutes a failure to make alegal return during a rally:

1. e ball bounces on the floor morethan once before being hit.2. e ball does not reach the front

wall on the fly.3. e ball is hit such that it goes intothe gallery or wall opening or else hits

a surface above the normal playingarea of the court that has beendeclared as out-of-play [See Rule2.1(b)8].4. A ball which obviously does nothave the velocity or direction to hitthe front wall strikes another player.5. A ball struck by one player on ateam hits that player or that players

partner.6. Committing an avoidable hinder[See Rule 3.15].7. Switching hands during a rally.8. Failure to use a racquet wrist safetycord.9. Touching the ball with the body oruniform.10. Carrying or slinging the ball withthe racquet.

(d) Effect of Failure to Return.Violations of Rules 3.13

(a) through (c) result in a loss of rally.If the serving player or team loses therally, it is an out. If the receiver losesthe rally, it results in a point for theserver.

(e) Return Attempts. e ball remainsin play until it touches the floor asecond time, regardless of how many

walls it makes contact with including


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the front wall. If a player swings at theball and misses it, the player maycontinue to attempt to return the balluntil it touches the floor for the secondtime.

(f ) Broken Ball. If there is any suspicionthat a ball has broken during a rally,

play shall continue until the end of therally. e referee or any player mayrequest the ball be examined. If thereferee decides the ball is broken theball will be replaced and the rallyreplayed. e server resumes play atfirst serve. e only proper way tocheck for a broken ball is to squeeze itby hand.(Checking the ball by striking it with aracquet will not be considered a validcheck and shall work to thedisadvantage of the player or team

which struck the ball aer the rally.)

(g) Play Stoppage. If foreign objectsenter the court, or any outsideinterference occurs, the referee shallstop the play i f such occurrencesinterfere with ensuing play or playerssafety [See Rule 3.14(a)7].

(h) Replays. Whenever a rally isreplayed for any reason, the serverresumes play at first serve. A previousfault serve is not considered.

(i) Out of Court Ball1. Aer return with a bounce. Anyball returned to the front wall which,aer its first bounce on the floor,goes above the out-of-court line orthrough any opening in a side wall

shall be declared dead and the rallyreplayed.2. Aer return without a bounce.Any ball which, on the rebound,does not bounce on the floor and-goes above the out-of-court line shallbe an out or point against theoffending player. If the ball goesthrough any opening in a side wall, itshall be declared dead and the rallyreplayed.3. No return. Any ball not returnedto the front wall, but which caromsoff a player's racquet above the out-of-court line or into any opening in aside wall , either wi th or wi thouttouching the cei l ing, side or back

wall shall result in loss of the rally bythe offending player.

Rule 3.14 Dead-Ball HindersA rally is replayed without penalty andthe server resumes play at first serve

whenever a dead-ball hinder occurs.Also, see Rule 3.15 which describesconditions under which a hinder mightbe declared avoidable and result in lossof the rally.

(a) Situations1. Court Hinders. e referee should


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stop play immediately whenever theball hits any part of the court that

was designated in advance as a courthinder (such as a vent grate). ereferee should also stop play (i) whenthe ball takes an irregular bounce as a

result of contacting a rough surface(such as court light or vent) or aerstriking a wet spot on the floor or

wall and (ii) when, in the refereesopinion, the irregular bounceaffected the rally.2. Ball Hits Opponent. When anopponent is hit by a return shot inflight, it is a dead-ball hinder. If theopponent is struck by a ball whichobviously did not have the velocityor direction to reach the front wall, itis not a hinder, and the player whohit the ball will lose the rally. A

player who has been hit by the ballcan stop play and make the callthough the call must be madeimmediately and acknowledged bythe referee. Note this interferencemay, under certain conditions, bedeclared an avoidable hinder. SeeRule 3.15.3. Body Contact. If body contactoccurs which the referee believes wassufficient to stop the rally, either forthe purpose preventing injury byfurther contact or because thecontact prevented a player frombeing able to make a reasonablereturn, the referee shall call a hinder.Incidental body contact in which the

offensive player clearly will have theadvantage should not be called ahinder, unless the offensive playerobviously stops play. Contact withthe racquet on the followthroughnormally is not considered a hinder.

4. Screen Ball. Any ball reboundingfrom the front wall so close to thebody of the defensive player that it

prevents the offensive player fromhaving a clear view of the ball. (ereferee should be careful not to makethe screen call so quickly that it takesaway a good offensive opportunity.)[Does not apply for the serve. SeeRule 4.3(c)]. A ball that passesbetween the legs of a player who has

just returned the the ball is notautomatically a screen. It depends on

whether the other player is impairedas a result. Generally, the call should

work to the advantage of theoffensive player.5. Backswing Hinder. Any body orracquet contact, on the backswing oron the way to or just prior toreturning the ball, which impairs thehitters ability to take a reasonableswing. is call can be made by the

player attempting the return, thoughthe call must be made immediatelyand is subject to the refereesapproval. Note the interference maybe considered an avoidable hinder.See Rule 3.15. (b)6. Safety Holdup. Any player aboutto execute a return who believes that


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striking the opponent with the ballor racquet is likely may immediatelystop play and request a dead-ballhinder. is call must be madeimmediately and is subject toacceptance and approval of the

referee. (e referee will (c) grant adead-ball hinder if it is believed theholdup was reasonable and the player

would have been able to return theshot. e referee may also call anavoidable hinder if warranted.)7. Other Interference. Any otherunintentional interference which

prevents an opponent from having afair chance to see or return the ball.Example: When a ball from anothercourt enters the court during a rallyor when a referees call on an adjacentcourt obviously distracts a player.

(b) Effect of Hinders. e referees callof hinder stops play and voids anysituation which follows, such as the ballhitting the (g) player. e only hindersthat may be called by a player aredescribed in rules (2), (5), and (6)above, and all of these are subject to theapproval of the referee. A dead -ballhinder stops play and (h) the rally isreplayed. e server resumes play atfirst serve.(c) Responsibility. While making anattempt to return the ball, a player isentitled to a fair chance to see andreturn the ball. It is the responsibility ofthe side that has just hit the ball to

move so the receiving side may gostraight to the ball and have anunobstructed view of and swing at theball. However, the receiver isresponsible for making a reasonableeffort to move towards the ball and

must have a reasonable chance to returnthe ball for any type of hinder to becalled.

Rule 3.15 Avoidable HindersAn avoidable hinder results in the lossof the rally. An avoidable hinder doesnot necessarily have to be anintentional act. Dead-ball hinders aredescribed in Rule 3.14. Any of thefollowing results in an avoidablehinder:

(a) Failure to move. A player does notmove sufficiently to allow an opponenta shot straight to the front wall as wellas a cross-court shot which is a shotdirectly to the front wall at an anglethat would cause the ball to rebounddirectly to the rear corner farthest fromthe player hitting the ball. Also when a

player moves in such a direction that itprevents an opponent from takingeither of these shots.

(b) Stroke Interference. is occurswhen a player moves, or fails to move,so that the opponent returning the balldoes not have a free, unimpeded swing.is includes unintentionally movingin a direction which prevents the


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opponent from making an open,offensive shot.

(c) Blocking. Moves into a positionwhich blocks the opponent fromgetting to, or returning, the ball; or in

doubles, a player moves in front of anopponent as the players partner isreturning the ball.

(d) Moving into the Ball. Moves in theway and is struck by the ball just playedby the opponent.

(e) Pushing. Deliberately pushes orshoves opponent during a rally.

(f ) Intentional Distractions. Deliberateshouting, stamping of feet, waving ofracquet, or any other manner ofdisrupting ones opponent.

(g) View Obstruction. A player movesacross an opponents line of vision justbefore the opponent strikes the ball.

(h) Wetting the Ball. e players,particularly the server, should insurethat the ball is dry prior to the serve.Any wet ball that is not corrected priorto the serve shall result in an avoidablehinder against the server.(i) Equipment Interference. If a playerloses any part of their equipment whichinterferes with play. e loss of eye

protection is an automatic avoidablehinder.

Rule 3.16 Timeouts(a) Rest Periods. During a game each

player in singles or each side in doubles,either while serving or receiving mayrequest a "time out." Each "time out"shall not exceed one minute (60

seconds). No more than three "timeouts" in a game shall be granted eachsingles player or each team in doubles.Two time outs are allowed in thetiebreaker.

(b) Injury. No time out shall be chargedto a player who is injured during a play.An injured player shall not be allowedmore than a cumulative total of fieen(15) minutes of rest. If the injured

player is not able to resume play aer acumulative rest of fieen (15) minutes,the match shall be awarded to theopponent(s). On any additional injuryto the same player, the tournamentdirector or referee, aer considering anyavailable medical opinion, shalldetermine whether the injured player

will be allowed to continue.1. Should any external bleedingoccur, the referee must halt play assoon as the rally is over, charge aninjury timeout to the person who isbleeding, and not allow the match tocontinue until the bleeding hasstopped.2. Muscle cramps and pulls, fatigueand other ailments that are notcaused by direct contact (such as

with the ball, racquet, wall or floor)


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will not be considered an injury.

(c) Equipment Timeouts. A time outmay be called by the referee at therequest of a player and aersubstantiation by the referee, because of

faulty equipment or uniform. Two (2)minutes are to be allowed for anyuniform adjustment needed and thirty(30) seconds for any equipmentadjustment.

(d) Between Games. A two (2) minuterest period is allowed between the firstand second game and a five (5) minutesrest period between the second andthird game.

(e) Postponed Games. Any gamespostponed by the referee shall beresumed with the same score as when

postponed.

Rule 3.17 Technical Fouls And Warnings

(a) e referee is empowered to deductone point from a player's or team's score

when, in the referee's sole judgment, theplayer is being overly and deliberatelyabusive. e actual invoking of this

penalty is called a "referee's technical." Ifthe player or team against whom thetechnical was assessed does not resume

play immediately, the referee isempowered to forfeit the match infavor of the opponent. Some examplesof actions which may result intechnicals are:

1. Profanity.2. Excessive arguing.3. reat of any nature to opponentor referee.4. Excessive or hard striking of theball between rallies.

5. Slamming of the racquet againstwalls or floor, slamming the door, orany action which might result indamage to the court and/or injury toother players.6. Delay of game. Examples include(i) taking too much time to dry thecourt, (ii) excessive questioning ofthe referee about the rules, (iii)exceeding the time allotted fortimeouts or between games, (iv)calling a timeout aer the servicemotion begins, (v) calling a timeout

when none are remaining will resultin a technical warning. If this occursagain in the same game it will resultin a technical foul. (vi) A technicalfoul will be assessed if the warm-up

period is violated. e allowed warm-up time in singles is 5 minutesmaximum for both players at thesame time. In doubles each team willbe allowed 4 minutes maximum forthe warm-up.7. Intentional front line foot faults tonegate a bad lob serve.8. Anything consideredunsportsmanlike behavior.9. Wearing improperclothing/uniform, as specified inRule 2.5 (b).


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10. Failure to wear proper eyewear, asspecified in Rule 2.5 d).11. Using an illegal racquet asspecified in Rule 2.4(e).

(b) Coaching. Where coaches are

involved, coaches or teamrepresentatives are bound by the samerules as far as technicals are concernedand any infractions are charged againstthe player. No coaches orrepresentatives are allowed in the courtsat any time during a match unlessgranted permission by the referee.Failure to observe this rule is atechnical and will be charged againstthe player.Any coach or player conductingthemselves in a negative mannertowards the referee or linesperson of amatch shall receive the following

penalties:First Offense: technical warning(minimum) - Subsequent Offenses:technical on the coach/persons playeror team.

(c) Technical Warning. If a player'sbehavior is not so severe as to warranta referee's technical, a technical

warning may be issued without thededuction of a point.

(d) Effect of Technical or Warning. If areferee issues a technical foul, one pointshall be removed from the offender'sscore. No point will be deducted if areferee issues a technical warning. In

either case, a technical foul or warningshould be accompanied by a briefexplanation. Issuing a technical foul or

warning has no effect on who will beserving when play resumes. If atechnical foul occurs when the offender

has no points or between games, theresult will be that the offender's scorebecomes minus one (-1).

RULE MODIFICATIONS

e following sections (4.0 through11.0) detail the additional or modified

rules that apply to variations of thesingles game described in Sections 1through 3.

4.0 DOUBLES

e IRFs rules for singles also apply indoubles with the following additionsand modifications:

Rule 4.1 Doubles Team(a) A doubles team shall consist of two

players who meet either the agerequirements or player classificationrequirements to participate in a

particular division of play. A team withdifferent skill levels must play in the

division of the player with the higherlevel of ability.When playing in an adult age division,the team must play in the division ofthe younger player. When playing in a

junior age division, the team must playin the division of the older player.


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(b) A change in playing partners may bemade so long as the first match of the

posted team has not begun.For this purpose only, the match will beconsidered started once the teams havebeen called to the court.

e team must notify the tournamentdirector of the change prior to thebeginning of the match.

Rule 4.2 Serve In Doubles

(a) Order of Serve. Each team shallinform the referee of the order of

service which shall be followedthroughout that game. e order ofserve may be changed between games,once the referee has been notified. Atthe beginning of each game, when thefirst server of the first team to serve isout, the team is out. ereaer, both

players on each team shall serve until

the team receives a handout and asideout.

(b) Partners Position. On each serve,the servers partner shall stand erect

with back to the side wall and withboth feet on the floor within the servicebox from the moment the server begins

the service motion until the served ballpasses the short line. Violations arecalled foot faults. However, if theservers partner enters the safety zonebefore the ball passes the short line, theserver loses service.

(c) Changes of Serve. In doubles, the

side is retired when both partners havelost service, except that the team whichserves first at the beginning of eachgame loses the serve when the firstserver is retired.

(d) Junior Mixed Doubles. In juniormixed doubles, the male must serve sothat the ball lands in the quadrant

played by the receiving teams maleplayer (males must serve to males). Awarning is issued on the first violation;the second violation in the same match

will result in a technical.

Rule 4.3 Fault Serve In Doubles(a) e servers partner is not in theservice box with both feet on the floorand back tothe side wall from the timethe server begins the service motionuntil the ball passes the short line.

(b) A served ball that hits the doublespartner while in the doubles box resultsin a fault serve. In Open play (oneserve), this fault may be replayed onetime only, per service. e secondinstance, on the same serve, will resultin a handout or a sideout.

(c) ere will be an automatic screenserve in doubles matches when the ballgoes behind the body of the server's

partner.

Rule 4.4 Out Serve In Doubles(a) Out-of-Order Serve. In doubles,


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when either partner serves out of order,the points scored by that server will besubtracted and an out serve will becalled; if the second server serves out oforder, the out serve will be applied tothe first server and the second server

will resume serving. If the playerdesignated as the first server serves outof order, a sideout will be called. ereferee should call no serve as soon asan out-of-order serve occurs. If no

points are scored while the team is outof order, only the out penalty will haveto be assessed. However, if points arescored before the out of ordercondition is noticed and the refereecannot recall the number, the refereemay enlist the aid of the line judges(but not the crowd) to recall thenumber of points to be deducted.

(b) Ball Hits Partner. A served ball thathits the doubles partner while outsidethe doubles box results in a loss ofserve.

Rule 4.5 Return In Doubles(a) e rally is lost if one player hitsthat same players partner with anattempted return.

(b) If one player swings at the ball andmisses it, both partners may makefurther attempts to return the ball untilit touches the floor the second time.Both partners on a side are entitled toreturn the ball.

(c) Both players on a side are entitled toa fair and unobstructed chance at theball and either one is entitled to ahinder even though it naturally wouldbe the partner's ball and even thoughthe partner may have attempted to play

the ball or may have already missed it. Itis not a hinder when players hindertheir own partner.

5.0 ONE SERVE

e IRFs standard rules governingracquetball play will be followed except

for the following:

Rule5.1 One ServeOnly one serve is allowed. erefore,any fault serve is an out serve, with afew exceptions.

Rule 5.2 Screen Serve

If a serve is called a screen, the serverwill be allowed one more opportunityto hit a legal serve. Two consecutivescreen serves results in an out.

Rule 5.3 WarningsWarnings shall be issued for theinfractions shown below. Subsequent

infractions will result in a sideout orloss of rally (point to the server). Forinfraction of Rule 3.5 (a) Delay ofGame ... taking more than 10 secondsto serve or be ready to receive serve ...one warning issued per match. Forinfraction of Rule 3.5 (b) Serving

when the receiver is signaling not


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ready ... one warning will be issued pereach first service.

Rule 5.4 Consecutive FaultsIn doubles, a screen serve followed byhitting the nonserving partner results

in an out.

6.0 MULTI-BOUNCE

In general, the IRFs standard rulesgoverning racquetball play will befollowed except for the modifications

which follow.

Rule 6.1 Basic Return RuleIn general, the ball remains in play aslong as it is bouncing. However, the

player may swing only once at the balland the ball is considered dead at the

point it stops bouncing and begins toroll. Also, anytime the ball rebounds off

the back wall, it must be struck beforeit crosses the short line on the way tothe front wall, except as explained inRule 6.2.

Rule 6.2 Blast RuleIf the ball caroms from the front wall tothe back wall on the fly, the player may

hit the ball from any place on thecourtincluding past the short lineso long as the ball is still bouncing.

Rule 6.3 Front Wall LinesTwo parallel lines (tape may be used)should be placed across the front wallsuch that the bottom edge of one line is

3 feet above the floor and the bottomedge of the other line is 1 foot abovethe floor . At all times, any ball that hitsthe front wall (i) below the 3- foot lineand (ii) either on or above the 1-footline must be returned before it

bounces a third time. However, if theball hits below the 1-foot line, it mustbe returned before it bounces twice. Ifthe ball hits on or above the 3-foot line,the ball must be returned as describedin the basic return rule.

Rule 6.4 Games And Matches

All games are played to 11 points andthe first side to win two games wins thematch.

7.0 WHEELCHAIR

Rule 7.1 Adjustments.e participant may wear an appliance

that is medically prescribed, providingit does not jeopardize the safety ofothers and the player does not use it toany unfair advantage. e participantmay secure any portion of their body tothe wheelchair.

Rule 7.2 Equipment

In order to protect playing surfaces, thewheelchair must be equipped with afunctional roller bar or similar

protection under the foot platform.ere should be no sharp edgesanywhere on the outside parts of thechair that could cause injury or damageto the court and the chair must be. e


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racquet, including bumper guard andall solid parts of the handle, may notexceed 22 inches in length with amaximum tolerance of 3/8 of an inchequipped with non-marking tires.

Rule 7.3 Two Bounce RuleTwo bounces of the ball on the floor are

permitted but not mandatory during allrallies and serves.

Rule 7.4 Wheel FaultsAll four wheels of the wheelchair areconsidered equal to both feet of theable- bodied player and subsequentcalls are made accordingly. e propercall is "Wheel Fault."

Rule 7.5 Avoidable Hinder/ChairControl

Any player who intentionally alters thedirection or speed of the wheelchair

with their lower extremities will beassessed an avoidable hinder.

Rule 7.6 DivingPlayers may "dive" from their

wheelchair to make a shot: however,every separate attempt at a shot must beinitiated from an upright sitting

position in the wheelchair. e playersbuttock must be in contact with thechair when the ball is hit. Aer the ballhas been hit the player may then comeclear from the chair. Any infraction ofthe above will result in the loss of therally.

Players diving from their wheelchair,where either they or their wheelchairimpede their opponents shot ormovement to a ball which is deemedreturnable by the referee, will result inan avoidable hinder.

Rule 7.7 Maintenance DelayEach player will be allowed up to twofive minute maintenance delays permatch for any malfunction and repairof a wheelchair, prosthesis, or assistancedevice. ese delays are irrespective ofother game timeouts or injurytimeouts.

Rule 7.8 CoachingOnly one coach per player may enterthe court during a time -out to"upright" their player aer a rally orbetween games and only then with the

permission of the referee. Failure toabide by this rule will result in atechnical foul assessed against the

player of the offending coach.

A OFFICIATING

A.1 Tournament ManagementAll recognized IRF tournaments shall

be managed by a tournament director,who shall designate the officials.

A.2 Officialse official shall be a referee designatedby the tournament director or the floormanager or one agreed to by both

participants (teams in doubles).


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Officials may also include, at thediscretion of the tournament director, ascore - keeper and two linespeople.

A.3 Referee RemovalA referee may be removed upon the

agreement of both participants (teamsin doubles) or at the discretion of thetournament director. In the event thatthe referee's removal is requested by one

player (team) and not agreed to by theother, the tournament director or thatdirector's designated assistant(s) mayaccept or reject the request.

A.4 Rules BriefingBefore all tournaments, all officials and

players shall be briefed on rules as wellas local court hinders, regulations, andmodifications the tournament director

wishes to impose. e briefing shouldbe reduced to writing. e current IRFrules will apply and be made available.Any modifications the tournamentdirector wishes to impose must bestated on the entry form and beavailable to all players at registration.

A.5 Referees(a) Pre-Match Duties. Before eachmatch begins, it shall be the duty of thereferee to:

1. Check on adequacy of preparationof court with respect to cleanliness,lighting and temperature.2. Check on availability andsuitability of materials to include

balls, towels, scorecards, pencils andtimepiece necessary for the match.3. Check the readiness andqualifications of the line judges andscorekeeper. Review appeal

procedures and instruct them of their

duties, rules and local regulations.4. Go onto the court to makeintroductions; brief the players oncourt hinders (both designated andundesignated); identify any out-of-

play areas [See Rule 2.1]; discusslocal regulations and rulemodifications for this tournament;and explain oen misinterpretedrules.5. Inspect players equipment;identify the line judges; verifyselection of a primary and alternateball.6. Toss coin and offer the winner thechoice of serving or receiving.

(b) Rererees decisions. During thematch, the referee shall make alldecisions with regard to the rules.

Where line judges are used, the refereeshall announce all final judgments. Ifboth players in singles and three out offour in a doubles match disagree with acall made by the referee, the referee isoverruled, with the exception oftechnical fouls and forfeitures. etournament director may overrule areferees decision or rule interpretationat any time.


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(c) Protests. Any decision of the refereewill, on protest, be accorded dueprocess as set forth in the constitutionof the IRF. For the purposes ofrendering a prompt decision regarding

protests filed during the course of an

ongoing tournament, the stages of dueprocess will be: first to the tournamentdesk, then to the tournament director,and finally to the tournament rulescommittee. In those instances whentime permits, the protest may beelevated to a higher level as called for inthe IRF constitution.

A.6 Line JudgesIn any IRF sanctioned tournament,linespeople may be designated in order todecide appealed rulings. Two linespeople

will be designated by the tournamentdirector and shall, at the referee's signal,either agree or disagree with the refereeruling. e signal to show disagreement is"thumbs down". e signal for no opinionis an "open palm down". Both linespeoplemust disagree with the referee in order toreverse the ruling. If both linespeopledisagree with the referee's call, it shall beoverruled, and the call reversed. If eitherlinesperson agrees with the referee, the callshall stand. In the event that onelinesperson disagrees, and the other signalsthat they did not see the call in question,the rally shall be replayed. If bothlinespeople indicate they did not see theappealed call in question, the referee call

will stand.

A.7 AppealsIn any match using line judges, all calls areappealable, with the exception oftechnicals and game/match forfeitures. (a) Limit on Appeals. Each player will

be allowed to make a maximum of five

"not accepted" appeals per 15 pointgame, and three "not accepted" appealsin the 11 point tiebreaker. If onelinesperson has no opinion and theother disagrees with the referee's call,the appeal will not count against thefive appeal limit. If the referee's callstands, one appeal is charged.(b) Loss of Appeal. e referee shallrecognize an appeal only if it is madebefore the appealing player leaves thecourt, or if the players do not leave thecourt, only before the next serve begins.A player or team will forfeit the right ofappeal if such appeal is made directly tothe line judges, or follows an excessivedemonstration or complaint.Obstructed View. If the referees view isobstructed, they can issue a no-call ontheplay. If one line judge is also unableto make a call (agreeing with thereferees no call), the final decisionmay be determined by the call of theremaining line judge.

A.8 Outcome of AppealsEverything except technical fouls andforfeitures can be appealed. e followingoutcomes cover several of the mostcommon types of appeal, but not all

possible appeals could be addressed.


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erefore, the referees discretion andcommon sense should govern theoutcomes of those appeals that are notcovered herein:

(a) Skip Ball. If the referee makes a callof skip ball, and the call is reversed,

the referee then must decide if the shotin question could have been returnedhad play continued. If, in the opinionof the referee, the shot could have beenreturned, the rally shall be replayed.However, if the shot was notretrievable, the side which hit the shotin question is declared the winner ofthe rally. If the referee makes no call ona shot (thereby indicating that the shotdid not skip), an appeal may be madethat the shot skipped. If the no call isreversed, the side which hit the shot inquestion loses the rally.

(b) Fault Serve. e referee makes a callof fault serve and the call is reversed,the serve is replayed, unless if thereferee considered the serve to be notretrievable, in which case a point isawarded to the server. If an appeal ismade because the referee makes no callon a servethereby indicating that theserve was goodand the no call isreversed, it will result in second serve ifthe infraction occurred on the firstserve or loss of serve if the infractionoccurred on the second serve, orutilizing one-serve rules.

(c) Out Serve. If the referee calls an

out serve and the call is reversed, theserve will be replayed, unless the serve

was obviously a fault too, in which casethe call becomes fault serve. However,if the call is reversed and the serve wasconsidered an ace, a point will be

awarded. Also, if the referee makes nocall on a serve thereby indicating thatthe serve was goodbut the no call isreversed, it results in an immediate lossof serve.

(d) Double Bounce Pickup. If thereferee makes a call of two bounces, andthe call is reversed, the rally is replayed,except if the player against whom thecall was made hit a shot that could nothave been retrieved, then that player

wins the rally. (Before awarding a rallyin this situation, the referee must becertain that the shot would not havebeen retrieved even if play had not beenhalted.) If an appeal is made becausethe referee makes no call therebyindicating that the get was not twobounces, and the no call is reversed,the player who made the two bounce

pickup is declared the loser of the rally.

(e) Receiving LineViolation/Encroachment. If the refereemakes a call of encroachment, but thecall is overturned, the serve shall bereplayed unless the return was deemedirretrievable in which case a sideout (or

possibly a handout in doubles) shouldbe called. When an appeal is made


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because the referee made no call, andthe appeal is successful, the server isawarded a point.

(e) tournament director or official forfailure to comply with the tournament

or host facilitys rules while on thepremises between matches, or for abuseof hospitality, locker room, or otherrules and procedures.

(f ) Court Hinder. If the referee makes acall of court hinder during a rally orreturn of serve, the rally is replayed. Ifthe referee makes no call and a playerfeels that a court hinder occurred, that

player may appeal. If the appeal issuccessful, the rally will be replayed. Acourt hinder on a second serve resultsin only that serve being replayed.(g) Other Rulings. e referee may ruleon all matters not covered in the IRFOfficial Rules. However, the refereesruling is subject to protest as describedin B.5(c).

A.9 Rule InterpretationsIf a player feels the referee hasinterpreted the rules incorrectly, the

player may require the referee ortournament director to cite theapplicable rule in the rulebook. Havingdiscovered a misapplication ormisinterpretation, the official mustcorrect the error by replaying the rally,awarding the point, calling sideout, ortaking other corrective measures.

B PROCEDURES

B.1 Rule Change Procedures(a) Any participating country may

propose a rule change to theInternational Racquetball FederationRules Committee. e rule changesmust be submitted in writing to theIRF Office, Colorado Springs,Colorado, before January 15th of the

year in which the WorldChampionships are held.

(b) e proposed rule changes will besubmitted to the IRF Rules Committee

for review and evaluation. ecommittee will then submit itsrecommendation to the IRF ExecutiveBoard by June 1st of the year in whichthe World Championships are held.

(c) e Executive Board will present itsrecommendation and therecommendations of the RulesCommittee to the participatingcountries during the World Congressmeeting at the World Championships.

(d) e participating countries at theWorld Congress will then vote on theproposed rule changes.(e) Rule changes which receive the

majority of yes votes will go into effecton September 1st of the year in whichthey are passed.


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COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The 2013 IRF

Official Rules of Racquetball arecopyrighted. All rights reserved. eserules may not be reproduced,

electronically scanned or downloaded,either in whole or in part, withoutwritten permission of the publisher.

Copyright 2013 IRF. Forinformation about reprint rights andfees, please contact:e InternationalRacquetball Federation,

Colorado Springs, CO / USA,www.internationalracquetball.com


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REFEREE CERTIFICATION

Name Event Level Signed


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