Sections 4 - 12 -- Modifications

4.0-11.0 -- RULE MODIFICATIONS

The following sections (4.0 through 11.0) detail the additional or modified rules that apply to variations of the singles game described in Sections 1 through 3.

4.0  Doubles
5.0  One Serve Game
6.0  Multi-bounce
7.0  One-wall and Three-wall play
8.0  Wheelchair
9.0  Visually Impaired
10.0  Deaf
11.0  Men's Professional 
12.0  Women's Professional

4.0 -- DOUBLES
The USRA's rules for singles also apply in doubles with the following additions and modifications:

• 4.1 -- Doubles Team
• 4.2 -- Serve in Doubles
• 4.3 -- Fault Serve in Doubles
• 4.4 -- Out Serve in Doubles
• 4.5 -- Return in Doubles

Rule 4.1 DOUBLES TEAM

• (a) A doubles team shall consist of two players who meet either the age requirements or player classification requirements to participate in a particular division of play. A team with different skill levels must play in the division of the player with the higher level of ability. When playing in an adult age division, the team must play in the division of the younger player. When playing in a junior age division, the team must play in the division of the older player.
• (b) A change in playing partners may be made so long as the first match of the posted team has not begun. For this purpose only, the match will be considered started once the teams have been called to the court. The team must notify the tournament director of the change prior to the beginning of the match.

Rule 4.2 SERVE IN DOUBLES

• (a) Order of Serve. Before the match begins, each team shall inform the referee of their team’s order of service, which shall be followed throughout the match. The order of serve may be changed between games, provided that the referee has been verbally notified before the first serve of the new game. At the beginning of each game, when the first server of the first team to serve is out, the team is out. Thereafter, both players on each team shall serve until the team receives a handout and a sideout.
• (b) Partner's Position. On each serve, the server's partner shall stand erect with back to the side wall and with both feet on the floor within the service box from the moment the server begins the service motion until the served ball passes the short line. Violations are called foot faults. However, if the server's partner enters the safety zone before the ball passes the short line, the server loses service.
• (c) Changes of Serve. In doubles, the side is retired when both partners have lost service, except that the team which serves first at the beginning of each game loses the serve when the first server is retired.

Rule 4.3 FAULT SERVE IN DOUBLES

• (a) The server's partner is not in the service box with both feet on the floor and back to the side wall from the time the server begins the service motion until the ball passes the short line.
• (b) A served ball that hits the doubles partner while in the doubles box results in a fault serve.
• (c) In open division play, if a serve hits the non-serving partner while standing in the box, the server will be allowed one more opportunity to hit a legal serve. Hitting the non-serving partner twice, results in an out.
• (d) In open division play, consecutive faults -- either (i) a screen serve followed by hitting the non-serving partner or (ii) hitting the non-serving partner followed by a screen serve -- results in an out.

Rule 4.4 OUT SERVE IN DOUBLES

• (a) Out-of-Order Serve. In doubles, when either partner serves out of order, the points scored by that server will be subtracted and an out serve will be called: if the second server serves out of order, the out serve will be applied to the first server and the second server will resume serving. If the player designated as the first server serves out of order, a sideout will be called. The referee should call "no serve" as soon as an out-of-order serve occurs. If no points are scored while the team is out of order, only the out penalty will have to assessed. However, if points are scored before the out of order condition is noticed and the referee cannot recall the number, the referee may enlist the aid of the line judges (but not the crowd) to recall the number of points to be deducted.
• (b) Ball Hits Partner. A served ball that hits the doubles partner while outside the doubles box results in loss of serve.

Rule 4.5 RETURN IN DOUBLES

• (a) The rally is lost if one player hits that same player's partner with an attempted return.
• (b) If one player swings at the ball and misses it, both partners may make further attempts to return the ball until it touches the floor the second time. Both partners on a side are entitled to return the ball.

5.0 -- ONE SERVE
The USRA's standard rules governing racquetball play will be followed but only one serve is allowed. Therefore, any fault serve is an out serve, with a few exceptions [noted separately below, and within the text rules cited].

Rule 3.9 FAULT SERVES 
[Screens]
(i) In open division play, if a serve is called a screen, the server will be allowed one more opportunity to hit a legal serve. Two consecutive screen serves results in an out.

Rule 4.3 FAULT SERVES IN DOUBLES 
[Serve hits partner]
(c) In open division play, if a serve hits the non-serving partner while standing in the box, the server will be allowed one more opportunity to hit a legal serve. Hitting the non-serving partner twice, results in an out.

[Consecutive faults]
(c) In open division play, either (i) a screen serve followed by hitting the non-serving partner or (ii) hitting the non-serving partner followed by a screen serve, results in an out.

6.0 -- MULTI-BOUNCE
In general, the USRA's standard rules governing racquetball play will be followed except for the modifications which follow.

Rule 6.1 BASIC RETURN RULE
In general, the ball remains in play as long as it is bouncing. However, the player may swing only once at the ball and the ball is considered dead at the point it stops bouncing and begins to roll. Also, anytime the ball rebounds off the back wall, it must be struck before it crosses the short line on the way to the front wall, except as explained in Rule 6.2.

Rule 6.2 BLAST RULE
If the ball caroms from the front wall to the back wall on the fly, the player may hit the ball from any place on the court--including past the short line--so long as the ball is still bouncing.

Rule 6.3 FRONT WALL LINES
Two parallel lines (tape may be used) should be placed across the front wall such that the bottom edge of one line is 3 feet above the floor and the bottom edge of the other line is 1 foot above the floor. During the rally, any ball that hits the front wall

• (i) below the 3-foot line and
• (ii) either on or above the 1-foot line must be returned before it bounces a third time. However, if the ball hits below the 1-foot line, it must be returned before it bounces twice. If the ball hits on or above the 3-foot line, the ball must be returned as described in the basic return rule.

Rule 6.4 GAMES AND MATCHES
All games are played to 11 points and the first side to win two games, wins the match.

7.0 -- ONE-WALL & THREE-WALL PLAY
In general, the USRA's standard rules governing racquetball play will be followed except for the modifications which follow.

Rule 7.1 ONE-WALL
There are two playing surfaces--the front wall and the floor. The wall is 20 feet wide and 16 feet high. The floor is 20 feet wide and 34 feet to the back edge of the long line. To permit movement by players, there should be a minimum of three feet (six feet is recommended) beyond the long line and six feet outside each side line.

• (a) Short Line. The back edge of the short line is 16 feet from the wall.
• (b) Service Markers. Lines at least six inches long which are parallel with, and midway between, the long and short lines. The extension of the service markers form the imaginary boundary of the service line.
• (c) Service Zone. The entire floor area inside and including the short line, side lines and service line.
• (d) Receiving Zone. The entire floor area in back of the short line, including the side lines and the long line.

Rule 7.2 THREE-WALL WITH SHORT SIDE WALL
The front wall is 20 feet wide and 20 feet high. The side walls are 20 feet long and 20 feet high, with the side walls tapering to 12 feet high. The floor length and court markings are the same as a four wall court.

Rule 7.3 THREE-WALL WITH LONG SIDE WALL
The court is 20 feet wide, 20 feet high and 40 feet long. The side walls may taper from 20 feet high at the front wall down to 12 feet high at the end of the court. All court markings are the same as a four wall court.

Rule 7.4 SERVICE IN THREE-WALL COURTS
A serve that goes beyond the side walls on the fly is an out. A serve that goes beyond the long line on a fly, but within the side walls, is a fault.

8.0 -- WHEELCHAIR

Rule 8.1 CHANGES TO STANDARD RULES
In general, the USRA's standard rules governing racquetball play will be followed, except for the modifications which follow.

• (a) Where USRA rules refer to server, person, body, or other similar variations, for wheelchair play such reference shall include all parts of the wheelchair in addition to the person sitting on it.
• (b) Where the rules refer to feet, standing or other similar descriptions, for wheelchair play it means only where the rear wheels actually touch the floor.
• (c) Where the rules mention body contact, for wheelchair play it shall mean any part of the wheelchair in addition to the player.
• (d) Where the rules refer to double bounce or after the first bounce, it shall mean three bounces. All variations of the same phrases shall be revised accordingly.

Rule 8.2 DIVISIONS

• (a) Novice Division. The novice division is for the beginning player who is just learning to play.
• (b) Intermediate Division. The Intermediate Division is for the player who has played tournaments before and has a skill level to be competitive in the division.
• (c) Open Division. The Open Division is the highest level of play and is for the advanced player.
• (d) Multi-Bounce Division. The Multi-Bounce Division is for the individuals (men or women) whose mobility is such that wheelchair racquetball would be impossible if not for the Multi-Bounce Division.
• (e) Junior Division. The junior divisions are for players who are under the age of 19. The tournament director will determine if the divisions will be played as two bounce or multi-bounce. Age divisions are: 8-11, 12-15, and 16-18.

Rule 8.3 RULES

• (a) Two Bounce Rule. Two bounces are used in wheelchair racquetball in all divisions except the Multi-Bounce Division. The ball may hit the floor twice before being returned.
• (b) Out-of-Chair Rule. The player can neither intentionally jump out of the chair to hit a ball nor stand up in the chair to serve the ball. If the referee determines that the chair was left intentionally it will result in loss of the rally for the offender. If a player unintentionally leaves the chair, no penalty will be assessed. Repeat offenders will be warned by the referee.
• (c) Equipment Standards. To protect playing surfaces, the tournament officials will not allow a person to participate with black tires or anything which will mark or damage the court.
• (d) Start. The serve may be started from any place within the service zone. Although the front casters may extend beyond the lines of the service zone, at no time shall the rear wheels cross either the service or short line before the served ball crosses the short line. Penalties for violation are the same as those for the standard game.
• (e) Maintenance Delay. A maintenance delay is a delay in the progress of a match due to a malfunction of a wheelchair, prosthesis, or assistive device. Such delay must be requested by the player, granted by the referee during the match, and shall not exceed 5 minutes. Only two such delays may be granted for each player for each match. After using both maintenance delays, the player has the following options:
  • (i) continue play with the defective equipment,
  • (ii) immediately substitute replacement equipment, or
  • (iii) postpone the game, with the approval of the referee and opponent.

Rule 8.4 MULTI-BOUNCE RULES

• (a) The ball may bounce as many times as the receiver wants though the player may swing only once to return the ball to the front wall.
• (b) The ball must be hit before it crosses the short line on its way back to the front wall.
• (c) The receiver cannot cross the short line after the ball contacts the back wall.

9.0 -- VISUALLY IMPAIRED
In general, the USRA's standard rules governing racquetball play will be followed except for the modifications which follow.

Rule 9.1 ELIGIBILITY
A player's visual acuity must not be better than 20/200 with the best practical eye correction or else the player's field of vision must not be better than 20 degrees. The three classifications of blindness are B1 (totally blind to light perception), B2 (able to see hand movement up to 20/600 corrected), and B3 (from 20/600 to 20/200 corrected).

Rule 9.2 RETURN OF SERVE AND RALLIES
On the return of serve and on every return thereafter, the player may make multiple attempts to strike the ball until

• (i) the ball has been touched,
• (ii) the ball has stopped bouncing, or
• (iii) the ball has passed the short line after touching the back wall. The only exception is described in Rule 9.3 below.

Rule 9.3 BLAST RULE
If the ball (other than on the serve) caroms from the front wall to the back wall on the fly, the player may retrieve the ball from any place on the court -- including in front of the short line -- so long as the ball has not been touched and is still bouncing.

Rule 9.4 HINDERS
A dead-ball hinder will result in the rally being replayed without penalty unless the hinder was intentional. If a hinder is clearly intentional, an avoidable hinder should be called and the rally awarded to the non-offending player or team.

10.0 -- DEAF
In general, the USRA's standard rules governing racquetball play will be followed except for the modifications which follow.

Rule 10.1 ELIGIBILITY
An athlete shall have a hearing loss of 55 db or more in the better ear to be eligible for any deaf tournament.

11.0 -- MEN'S PROFESSIONAL
[International Racquetball Tour/IRT]
In general, competition on the International Racquetball Tour [IRT] will follow the standard rules governing racquetball established by the USRA, except for the modifications which follow. 

Rule 11.1 GAME, MATCH
All games are played to 11 points, and are won by the player who scores to that level, with a 2-point lead. If necessary, the game will continue beyond 11 points, until such time as one player has a 2-point lead. Matches are played the best three out of a possible five games to 11.

Rule 11.2 APPEALS
The referee's call is final. There are no line judges, and no appeals may be made.

Rule 11.3 SERVE
Players are allowed only one serve to put the ball into play.

Rule 11.4 SCREEN SERVE
In IRT matches, screen serves are replayed. 

Rule 11.5 COURT HINDERS
No court hinders are allowed or called.

Rule 11.6 OUT-OF-COURT BALL
Any ball leaving the court results in a loss of rally.

Rule 11.7 BALL
All matches are played with the Penn Pro ball. The first, third, and fifth (if necessary) games of the match are started with a new ball.

Rule 11.8 TIMEOUTS

• (a) Per Game. Each player is entitled to one 1-minute timeout per game.
• (b) Between Points. The player has 15 seconds from the end of the previous rally to put the ball in play.
• (c) Between Games. The rest period between all games is 2 minutes, including a fifth game tiebreaker.
• (d) Equipment Timeouts. A player does not have to use regular timeouts to correct or adjust equipment, provided that the need for the change or adjustment is acknowledged by the referee as being necessary for fair and safe continuation of the match.
• (e) Injury Timeout. Consists of two 7½ minute timeouts within a match. Once an injury timeout is taken, the full 7½ minutes must be used, or it is forfeited. Each player is entitled to one 1-minute timeout per game.

12.0 -- WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL
In general, competition in the Ladies Professional Racquetball Association [LPRA] will follow the standard rules governing racquetball established by the USRA, except for the modifications which follow. 

Rule 12.1 GAME, MATCH
All games are played to 11 points, and are won by the player who scores to that level, with a 2-point lead. If necessary, the game will continue beyond 11 points, until such time as one player has a 2-point lead. Matches are played the best three out of a possible five games to 11.

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