A Quick & Easy Rules Reference Sheet

OPENING RUSH  

Each game begins with the 'opening rush' where players from each team run to retrieve the three balls placed on the centre line on their respective right side of the court.  

• The centre line is soft only on an opening rush (i.e., players may cross the line while retrieving balls).

• All balls must be cleared behind the attack line for them to be considered in play. 

  • The ball can be passed or carried over the attack line. 

  • Only the ball and not the body holding the ball must clear the attack line. 

  • A ball thrown that is not cleared can not get an opponent out. 

  • If a ball that is not clear is thrown and then caught by the opposing team, the thrower is out.

  • The attack line only applies to the opening rush, and not regular play.

• A team may collect an opposing team’s balls once all 3 of their balls have crossed the clear line. 

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HANDLING THE BALL 

• You may not deflate a ball before throwing it. This is known as “pinching” and is illegal.

• A player can hold and throw multiple balls at once. 

• A throw may be performed with one or both hands and be overhand, underhand, side arm or chest  push/throw. 

• A live player can roll/toss extra balls out of bounds to an out player on their team.

• Out players (or ball retrievers) may hold balls and roll/toss balls to the live player. 

• Out players can only touch balls that have fully crossed the sideline on their half of the court. 

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LIVE BALLS 

• Only a live ball can get an opposing player out. 

• A ball is live when: 

  • It is thrown by a live player. 

  • It is deflected off a live player or a ball. 

  • It comes in contact with a ball thrown by the same team. 

• A ball is dead when: 

  • It bounces off the floor, ceiling, walls, anything attached to the walls, or a person not on the  court. 

  • It comes in contact with a ball thrown by the opposing team

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THE COUNTDOWN (Burden, shot-clock)

• A ball must cross the middle line (by throw or deflection) within the 10 second countdown.  

• The countdown is reset by a ball thrown (by either team) or deflecting off any object and crossing the middle line.

• If no ball crosses the line within the countdown, the team with advantage must give up all balls to the opposing team

• A ball placed or softly thrown over the line with no intention of hitting an opposing player does not  reset the clock. This is known as an “invalid throw” and is illegal.

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ADVANTAGE 

Ball advantage determines who is responsible to throw within the countdown. There are 3 levels of  advantage, each level superseding the one below it.  

Advantage is given to the team that: 

1. Has possession of 4 or more (the majority) of the balls. 

2. Has more live players. 

3. Received the last thrown ball. 

If you are unsure as to whether or not your team has ball advantage, defer to the referee who will be gesturing to the side of the court that has ball advantage.

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OUTS 

A player is considered out when:  

• A live ball hits them.  

  • This can be from an opposing throw or a deflection off a live player or ball. 

  • Clothing, personal equipment, and hair all count as part of a player's body. 

  • Throws to the head and face are not encouraged but always count as an out. 

  • The player is only out once the ball in question becomes dead.  

    • E.g., A ball hits a player and pops into the air. That player is alive until the ball hits a dead object (floor/wall/ceiling/etc.) 

• An opposing player catches their throw. 

• They are disarmed (a live ball knocks a ball out of their hands and dies). 

• They step out of bounds.  

  • The side lines are not considered “soft” - you must stay within the boundaries of the court.  

  • After the opening rush, the middle line becomes “hard”. Hard lines can not be touched.  

    • A body part in contact with the line but not crossing it is an out.

    • A body part may cross the air above the hard line. 

    • A body part may cross the centre line to retrieve a ball, but the ball may not be used as an  “anchor” for balance across the line. 

• Touching the back wall, or players off the court does not count as an out. 

  • If a player must step out of bounds to retrieve a ball or personal item (e.g., glasses), they must  raise their hand before leaving the court.

  • Touching the side wall does count as an out, as it is considered an extension of the out of bounds area. 

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CATCHING  

A catch is when a live player catches a live ball, resulting in the opposing player to be out, as well as a player from the catching team’s out queue to become alive and re-enter the court. 

• A catch can be from either a direct throw or a deflection from a live player. 

• A catch can be made with any part of the body as long as a reasonable amount of control of the ball  is shown. 

  • E.g., A ball caught between the legs that can be held there is a catch. A ball landing on a body  but slowly rolls off, is not a catch. 

• The catcher must maintain two points of contact with the ground while demonstrating control in order for a catch to be considered legal.

• Catches use “first one out, first one on” to determine which player re-enters the court.

  • It is up to the catching team to use their best judgment on which player re-enters. If a referee notices that the incorrect player has re-entered the game, that player will immediately be deemed out. 

• A person can become “alive” if they are still on the court at the time of the catch, as long as said player is demonstrating an effort to get off of the court prior to the catch being made.  

  • E.g., a player is hit out, and as they are walking over to the queue a catch is made. They may re-enter the game. 

  • E.g., a player is hit out by a ball while a catch is being made almost simultaneously on a different ball. They may not re-enter the game.

• A player is not considered “alive” until they step back onto the court and touch the back wall. They can’t be hit out or touch a live ball before that. 

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BLOCKING 

A player can use one or more balls to block a live ball from hitting them. 

• A live ball remains live after it has been blocked. 

• Disarming occurs when an opposing ball knocks a ball from the player’s hand to the ground (or wall or ceiling). 

  • The player does not have to be actively blocking to be disarmed. 

  • If the player can regain control of the live disarmed ball, they are still alive.

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SUDDEN DEATH

Sudden Death is a game mode for when the game’s run time has ended. 

During Sudden Death:

• Blocked balls count as a hit. 

• The ball becomes part of your body, any rules associated with getting hit by a ball apply.

• E.g., A blocked ball which is caught saves the player.