II. COURTS & EQUIPMENT
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COURT SPECIFICATIONS
The four-wall racquetball court is 20 feet wide, 40 feet long and 20 feet
high, with a back wall at least 12 feet high. Courts are marked with 1 1/2
inch wide lines (short line, service line, drive serve lines, and
receiving line) that indicate the service zone, service boxes, and
receiving zone.
RACQUET SPECIFICATIONS
The racquet, including bumper guard and handle, may not exceed 22 inches
in length. The frame may be any material judged to be safe, with a thong
that securely attaches it to the player's wrist, and string that does not
mark the ball.
APPAREL
In sanctioned tournament play,eyewear designed for racquetball (which meets or exceeds ASTM F803 or
Canadian [CSA] impact standards) is REQUIRED. Players who require
corrective eyewear also must also adhere to this rule. Protective eyewear
must be worn as designed and may not be altered. Shoes must not mark or
damage the floor. Approved eyewear must be worn and wrist thongs must be
used during warm-up.
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III. PLAY REGULATIONS
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SERVE
In tournament play, the player or team winning the coin toss has the
option to either serve or receive at the start of the first game. The
second game will begin in reverse order of the first game. The player or
team scoring the highest total of points in games one and two will have
the option to serve or receive first at the start of the tiebreaker. In
the event that both players or teams score an equal number of points in
the first two games, another coin toss will take place and the winner of
the toss will have the option to serve or receive. In everyday play, the
"lag" or courtesy "you serve" will determine the first
server.
START
The serve is started from any place within the service zone, with the
exception of certain drive serves. (See "Drive Service Zones")
Stepping on, but not over, the lines is permitted. The server may not step
over the short line until the ball passes the short line.
MANNER
The player begins the service motion with any continuous movement which
results in the ball being served. The ball must be bounced and hit before
it bounces a second time.
DRIVE SERVICE ZONES
The drive serve lines are three feet from each side wall in the service
box. The player may drive serve between the body and the nearest side wall
only if the player starts and remains outside of the 3-foot drive service
zone, and the racquet does not break the plane of the zone while making
contact with the ball. The drive serve zones aren't observed for
crosscourt drive serves, the hard-Z, soft-Z, lob or half-lob serves.
SERVE IN DOUBLES
At the beginning of each doubles game, when the first server is out, the
team is out. Thereafter, both players on each team serve until the team
receives a handout and a sideout. On each serve, the server's partner must
stand erect with their back to the side wall and both feet on the floor
within the service box until the served ball passes the short line.
DEFECTIVE SERVES
There are three types of defective serves: 1) a dead-ball serve which
results in no penalty and the server is given another serve (like a wet
spot or broken ball), 2) any fault serve (foot fault, short, long, screen,
three-wall, etc.), and 3) an out serve which results in an out (double
fault, server hits self with serve, etc.)
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 particularly in making an
on-the-fly return attempt. 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.
SIDEOUT
A server continues to serve until an out serve, OR two consecutive fault
serves, OR one player hits partner with an attempted return (in doubles),
OR a player or team loses a rally, OR a player or team commits an
avoidable hinder. In singles, retiring the server is a sideout. In
doubles, the side is retired when both partners have lost service.
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 racquet (or rebounds from any court surface) 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 remains in play until it touches the floor a second time
regardless of how many walls it makes contact withincluding the front
wall. In singles, if a player swings at the ball and misses it, the player
may continue to attempt to return the ball until it touches the floor for
the second time. In doubles, 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.
HINDERS
There are two types of hinders, 1) a dead-ball hinder which is replayed
without penalty (court hinders, body contact, safety holdup, screens,
etc.) and 2) avoidable 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, etc.). If your court
position or manner takes away an offensive shot from your opponent, the
right thing to do is call an avoidable hinder on yourself.
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