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Wallyball (known in some places as rebound volleyball) is a fast-paced sport that is similar to volleyball played in a racquetball court, where it is legal to hit the ball off of the walls.
The word "wallyball" is a portmanteau of the words "wall" and "volleyball".
The number of players on a side can vary from two to six. The American Wallyball Association allows two, three, or four player teams, [1] while the Wallyball Information Network also allows five and six player teams. [2]
Wallyball is played in a racquetball court which measures 40 feet (12 m) long, 20 feet (6 m) wide and 20 feet (6 m) high. A center line divides the court in half. The net is hung above the center line, traversing the entire width of the court. The net is 3 feet (0.91 m) tall and hung at no more than 8 feet (2.44 m) above the floor for men's wallyball games and no more than 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) above the floor for women. Two service areas are on each side, extending across the entire width of the court and 1 foot from each end wall. The ball is spherical, weighs between 9 and 10 ounces (255 and 283 g), and is 25 to 27 inches (64 to 69 cm) in circumference (the same size as a regular volleyball). The ball is made of rubber.
Wallyball can use two types of scoring. The first is called rally scoring (Officially started being used in 1989). A point is scored on every service up to the point where one team reaches the "freeze point." Once that occurs, a point is awarded on the next side-out and from that point on, each team must serve to score a point. The "freeze point" varies depending on the number of points needed to win a game. The freeze point is three points fewer than the number of points needed to win a game. The side-out and unmodified rally scoring methods of volleyball are also commonly used. In Wallyball this is called speed scoring.
Much of the strategy used in Wallyball is similar to that used in volleyball. In the traditional three person game it is advantageous to employ one blocker, one person to defend against the dink (short, soft) shot, and the last person to defend shots over the other players' heads but still in bounds. On offense, the widely accepted strategy is of designating one player to receive all second hits to allow for the other players on their team to prepare for the third hit. In addition, varying the number of touches before the ball is hit over the net is crucial.
While some tactics in volleyball are effective in wallyball, there are several that are almost entirely unique to wallyball and highly counterintuitive to the average volleyball player. Ball handling in Wallyball is more strict. Rotation on hand sets is watched closely and receiving the ball must be done cleanly. Steve Fuhrman, a National Wallyball Rules Director of over 20 years, stresses that "Wallyball, Rebound Volleyball, and Volleyball are different games, with different rules". He says that "Many facilities play with house rules which is great! When attending a sanctioned wallyball tournament, these house rules probably do not exist. For example, any type of "paintbrush" hit is not allowed." In 2000, Fuhrman worked with US Volleyball to codify ball-handling guidelines for Volleyball and Wallyball, which only remain in place for Wallyball today.[ citation needed ]
Players have been putting legal spin on serves, spikes, and placed hits in wallyball since the sport was invented. Legal spin is done by contacting the ball off-center as it is struck. The ball must pop off the players hand (not roll on it) to be a good, clean hit with spin.
During the serve the ball can hit one side wall on either side of the net. It cannot hit the back wall or two walls. The ball also cannot hit the ceiling when it crosses the net. The same is true during the volley. The ball can hit any number of walls, including the back wall and ceiling during the course of your three hits on your side. Once the ball is crossing the net though, it must comply with the one wall, no ceiling requirement, or it is considered out of bounds. If you have hit a wall on your side, the ball cannot hit another after going over the net. Although, there are many groups of players who choose to include a two wall and back wall hit as legal hits even after going over the net. While not part of the official rules, many feel it adds a chaotic and fun addition to the game.
Both The New Oxford American Dictionary (2001) and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed. 2000) state, incorrectly [ citation needed ], in their definitions of "wallyball," that the ball may contact the ceiling before crossing the net.
Two timeouts of 30 seconds each are allowed. If more than the allowed timeouts are called, a penalty is given. Penalties can be a single point, game forfeiture, or a game suspension of the captain.
The player in the back position of the court puts the ball in play by hitting it with one hand only or any part of his or her arm. A jump serve is permitted. For the serve to be good, it must pass over the net without touching the net or any other players on the server's team. In addition, the ball may not touch two or more walls before being played, the opponent's back wall, or the ceiling of the court. Should the server catch the ball on service toss, a sideout will be called. No members of the serving team may attempt to block the opponent's view of the server in any way. A team must maintain their serving order throughout the match. If the players are discovered out of order, the game stops immediately, any points scored while the server was in an illegal position are canceled, and a side-out is declared.
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" and "doubles". Badminton is often played as a casual outdoor activity in a yard or on a beach; formal games are played on a rectangular indoor court. Points are scored by striking the shuttlecock with the racquet and landing it within the other team's half of the court.
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since Tokyo 1964. Beach volleyball was introduced to the programme at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics. The adapted version of volleyball at the Summer Paralympic Games is sitting volleyball.
Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase velocity and control. Unlike most racquet sports, such as tennis and badminton, there is no net to hit the ball over, and, unlike squash, no tin to hit the ball above. Also, the court's walls, floor, and ceiling are legal playing surfaces, with the exception of court-specific designated hinders being out-of-bounds. Racquetball is played between various players on a team who try to bounce the ball with the racquet onto the ground so it hits the wall, so that an opposing team’s player cannot bounce it back to the wall.
Squash, sometimes called squash rackets, is a racket-and-ball sport played by two (singles) or four players (doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. The objective of the game is to hit the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. There are about 20 million people who play squash regularly world-wide in over 185 countries. The governing body of squash, the World Squash Federation (WSF), is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the sport will be included in the Olympic Games, starting with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) organizes the pro tour.
Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the court. Each team also works in unison to prevent the opposing team from grounding the ball on their side of the court.
American handball, known as handball in the United States and sometimes referred to as wallball, is a sport in which players use their hands to hit a small, rubber ball against a wall such that their opponent(s) cannot do the same without the ball touching the ground twice or hitting out-of-bounds. The three versions are four-wall, three-wall and one-wall. Each version can be played either by two players (singles), three players (cutthroat) or four players (doubles), but in official tournaments, singles and doubles are the only versions played.
Squash tennis is an American variant of squash, one played with a ball and racquets that are more similar to the equipment used for lawn tennis, and with somewhat different rules. The game offers the complexity of squash and the speed of racquetball.
Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players (singles) or four players (doubles) use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. In 2022, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington.
A point in tennis is the smallest subdivision of the match. A point can consist of a double fault by the server, in which case the point is automatically won by the receiver. In all other cases, a point begins when a legal serve is hit by the server to the receiver on the opposite side of the court, and continues until one side fails to legally return the ball to the opposite side. Whichever side fails to do so loses the point and their opponent wins it.
Ball badminton is a sport native to India. It is a racket sport game, played with a yellow ball made of wool, on a court of fixed dimensions divided by a net. The game was played as early as 1856 by the royal family in Tanjore, the capital of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu, India. It enjoys the greatest popularity in India. Ball badminton is a fast-paced game; it demands skill, quick reflexes, good judgment, agility, and the ability to control the ball with one's wrist.
Fistball is a sport of European origin, primarily played in the German-speaking nations of Austria, Germany and Switzerland, as well as in Brazil. The objective of the game is similar to volleyball, in that teams try to hit a ball over a net, but the rules vary from volleyball in several major ways. The current men's fistball World Champions are Germany, winners of both the 2023 Men's World Championships and the fistball category at the 2022 World Games, while the current women's fistball World Champions are also Germany, after winning the 2021 Women's World Championships.
Several sports related to volleyball have become popular. Indoor volleyball and beach volleyball are both events at the Olympics, and sitting volleyball is an event at the Paralympics. Other varieties are localized, or are played at an amateur or informal level.
Newcomb ball (also known simply as Newcomb, and sometimes spelled Newcombe (ball)) is a ball game played in a gymnasium or court using two opposing teams and a net. Newcomb ball and the sport of volleyball were both created in 1895 and are similar in their design. The sport rivaled volleyball in popularity and participation by the 1920s. The sport of throwball may be a possible relative.
Bossaball is a team sport that originated in Brazil and was conceptualised by Belgian Filip Eyckmans in 2004. Bossaball is a ball game between two teams, combining elements of volleyball, football, and gymnastics with music into a sport. It is played on an inflatable court featuring a trampoline on each side of the net. The trampolines allow the players to bounce high enough to spike the ball over the net.
Net and wall games are court games where either a net separates the opponents or a wall serves to reflect the ball to the opponent. The object of these games is to hit the ball or bird over the net or against the wall back to the opponent. Play typically begins with one side serving the ball/bird by initially tossing or releasing it and then hitting it over the net. This then starts a rally, in which the sides alternate hitting the ball/bird over the net. Players then score points whenever the opponent fails to return the ball/bird back over the net. The criteria on what is considered a valid return varies between each sport.
A serve in tennis is a shot to start a point. A player will hit the ball with a racquet so it will fall into the diagonally opposite service box without being stopped by the net. Normally players begin a serve by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it. The ball can only touch the net on a return and will be considered good if it falls on the opposite side. If the ball contacts the net on the serve but then proceeds to the proper service box, it is called a let; this is not a legal serve in the major tours although it is also not a fault. Players normally serve overhead; however serving underhand is allowed. The serve is the only shot a player can take their time to set up instead of having to react to an opponent's shot; however, as of 2012, there is a 25-second limit to be allowed between points.
Paddle ball is a sport that is played on a court half the size of a tennis court, using paddle racquets. The paddle is made of wood or graphite, and has holes to reduce air friction. The game is played in singles or in doubles.
Roundnet is a ball game created in 1989 by Jeff Knurek, inspired primarily by concepts from volleyball. The game is played between two teams, usually with two players each. Players initially line up around a small trampoline-like net at the start of a point and starts with a serve from one team to another. Teams alternate hitting the ball back to the net.
Snow volleyball is a winter team sport played by two teams of three players on a snow court divided by a net. The objective of each team is to score points by sending a ball over the net so as to ground it on the opponent's court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent. A team is allowed up to three touches to return the ball across the net, and individual players may not touch the ball twice consecutively.
This glossary provides definitions and context for terminology related to, and jargon specific to, the sport of pickleball. Words or phrases in italics can be found on the list in their respective alphabetic sections.