Racquetball Rules!

The USAR and IRF racquetball rules

Rules page from USA Racquetball

International Racquetball Federation 2006-2008 rules

Frequently asked racquetball rules questions:

Q: The ball was hit out of the court, what happens?
A. The person who hit it out loses the rally. This is NOT a replay. (Common courtesy says they are also responsible for retrieving the ball.)
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Q: What if the ball hits the door handle and takes a weird bounce?
A: This is called a court hinder and is a replay of the rally. Shots off the lights, vents, etc. can all be court hinders as long as the path of the ball was clearly altered from normal and it affected the rally- if a ceiling shot is just barely changed by hitting the light then you can play on.
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Q: What if the ball was hit so hard that it comes off the front wall, hits the back wall, and then hits the front wall again?
A: The ball is still in play until its second bounce no matter how many walls it hits. You do not have to 'chase' it and hit it before it hits the front wall a second time. You can play the ball off the front wall on its first, second, third, etc. trip there as long as it has not bounced twice.
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Q: Do you have to win by two points?
A: There is no "win by two". In racquetball matches are best of 3 games to 15, so at 14-14, next point scored wins the game. If necessary, the third game (called the tiebreaker) is only to 11 points, first to 11 wins the match.
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Q: What do you do if the ball breaks?
A. If the ball breaks, it is a replay. However, continue the rally if you suspect the ball is broken just in case it is not. Check by squeezing (not hitting) after the rally.
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Q: Can I hit the ball before it bounces?
A: Yes, you can hit the ball anytime after it hits the front wall and before it bounces two times. On a serve, you may play the ball out of the air as long as you do not enter the safety zone.
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Q: How do you determine who serves first?
A: In a friendly game, usually both players hit a lag shot from the back wall, off the front wall, and trying to have it land as close as possible to the short line. Whomever is closest to the line serves first. In a tournament, there is a coin flip or some other random method. The other player (or team) serves first in the second game, no matter who wins the first game. If there is a tiebreaker, the person with the most amount of points in their losing game gets the serve. If the points totals are equal, another lag shot or coin flip is done.
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Q: What happens when a serve lands on the short line?
A: The ball must completely cross the short line- if it lands on or partially on the line it is a short serve.
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Q: What is a foot fault?
A: A foot fault is when a server steps COMPLETELY over the service line on the service motion. Stepping on or partially over the line is ok, as long as ANY part of the foot is touching the line. You may begin your serve standing partially on the short line, but not over it.
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Q: Do I have to bounce the ball to serve it?
A: Yes, you must bounce the ball exactly one time on your service motion. Furthermore, this bounce must land inside the service zone.
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Q: What is the dotted line for?
A: The area between the dotted line and the short line is the safety zone. The dotted line is called the encroachment line. On a serve, the receiver cannot cross the plane of the encroachment line and enter the safety zone with any part of their racquet or body UNTIL either A) the ball crosses the encroachment line in the air or B) the ball bounces before the encroachment line. A violation of this rule is a point for the server. Basically, it prevents charging the serve too close for safety purposes.

Also, a server (or their partner) cannot enter the safety zone until the serve crosses the short line.
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Q: What about those lines on the sides of the service box?
A: The innermost lines are the drive serve lines- if a server is hitting a drive (hard) serve between themselves and the wall (down the line) no part of the racquet or body may cross this line. On a lob serve you can stand as close to the wall as you like.

The outermost lines are for doubles- the non serving partner must stand completely inside this box until the serve crosses the short line.
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Q: If a replay is called on a second serve rally, is the replay started from second serve?
A: No, the serve is 'reset' to first serve whenever a rally is replayed.
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Q: What is the call when the ball hits the wall and floor at the exact same time?
A: The 'tie' goes to the floor, so whatever the consequence of hitting the floor first is played. A serve which 'cracks out' long or on the third wall is considered good. A shot to the front wall is a skip.
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Q: What if the ball hits the frame of the racquet but not the strings?
A: This is still a legal shot. You can hit the ball with any part of the racquet. However, you are not allowed a 'double hit'- the ball must rebound clean off the frame or frame/string interface.
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Q: What is a carry?
A: A carry is when you 'sling' the ball and the ball rolls across your stringbed. This is not a legal hit, and you should call it on yourself. It has a distinct feel and sound. Note that slicing and spinning the ball are NOT carries, even if done on accident and results in a different shot than you meant to take.
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Q: What happens when a player hits themselves (or their teammate in doubles)?
A: This is an automatic loss of rally. Even if the other person had no chance at the ball or had given up, if the ball hits you before the second bounce you lose the rally.
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Q: What if I hit myself on a serve?
A: This is still an automatic loss of rally, so even if it is on first serve, you lose the serve completely.

Also, if you do not hit the front wall first on the serve (hit the floor, sidewall or ceiling directly) it is also a loss of serve. Same goes for a serve which leaves the court. Basically anything really embarrassing is a loss of serve- if you can't hit the 1600 square foot front wall standing still from 20 feet away this probably isn't your sport.
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Q: What about if I hit the other player?
A: This is a judgement call. Normally, it is a hinder and the rally is replayed. If the ball clearly would not have made it to the front wall anyway, it is a bad shot and a loss of rally.
However, the non-hitting player must allow the hitting player the straight in shot, and the cross court pass to the opposite corner. If the player is blocking these lanes and gets hit with the ball, it is technically a penalty hinder and the rally is awarded to the hitter. In friendly games, this is too hard to call so it is usually a replay as long as the ball would have made it to the front wall, but in tournaments the referee may call a penalty hinder if you do not move out of the hitting lanes.

Never stand in front of somebody hitting the ball, and always watch the ball.
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Q: My backhand stinks. Can I switch hands during a rally to hit the ball?
A: No. You may switch hands between rallies if you like, but during the rally you must have the racquet securely tethered to one hand at all times.
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Q: Do I have to wear eye guards?
A: How could you even ask such a thing? You MUST WEAR EYE PROTECTION anytime you step foot on a racquetball court, even if you are by yourself. You will make someone feel awful when they accidentally blind you. Regular glasses are NOT good enough.

If you still are not convinced, check this link out.

(WARNING: Obviously that link contains pictures of horrible and disgusting racquetball eye injuries so only click if you are a big jerk who is too cool to wear eye protection.)