The server cannot lean over the line in order to get closer to the net, and their feet and entire body must be behind the line until the ball is contacted. Servers must be behind the six-foot line away from the net to be eligible for the play. If they catch, swing at and miss, or drop the tossed ball, it results in a service fault. The ball is not allowed to be interfered with during the serve.įor each point, the server is allowed two serves to complete a legal serve. The first hit from the server should always be a gentlemen's serve, meaning that the serve should not be used with excessive force but rather with a friendly start to get the game going smoothly. To serve, the server must throw the ball at least 4 inches away from the release point to begin the serve. The server then stands directly across from the receiver, and only the designated receiver may receive the serve. The first serve starts the game, and the setup is dictated by the first receiver. Only a maximum of three touches are permitted. To account for harsh sunlight, wind, or any other condition outside of the game players will rotate serving positions ninety degrees every five points. During each possession, teams have three hits but do not have to use all of their hits. This continues throughout the point, as possession changes whenever the ball hits the net. Once the ball is hit and returned by the non-serving team and hits the net, the possession is flipped. After the ball is served, the possession is assumed by the returning team.
Once the ball is served, all players on both teams can move wherever they may like. The returner can stand wherever they want prior to the serve. During the serve, all players who are not receiving the serve have to line up in their designated positions outside of 6 feet from their section of the rim. To determine who serves first in the match, teams will play a game of rock paper scissors with the winner of the rock paper scissors game receiving the option to serve first or receive first. Before the point starts, players will always be across the net from an opponent and next to their teammate.Įach point begins with a serve, usually done by the team who won the previous point. Each partner is ninety degrees away from the next player. Players line up in a square around the net with their partner to one side, and a member of the opposing team on the other. Materials needed for roundnet include a trampoline-like net, and a small ball with a 12-inch circumference. The bouncing ball has a 12-inch circumference (approximately 3.8-inch diameter).
Also an example of how the teams are set up. Roundnet court, a serving circle with a diameter of 15ft, the 3ft net is placed in the middle, making the serving circle 6ft away from the net. The company manufactures equipment for the sport, and so "spikeball" became a common name for the sport. The sport experienced a revival in 2008 when Spikeball Inc. Roundnet was originally created in 1989 by Jeff Knurek, inspired primarily by concepts from volleyball, although the equipment he created for the game became outdated and lost popularity in 1995. The game starts with a serve from one team to another, and teams alternate hitting the ball back to the net, and ends when the ball falls to the ground or an infraction occurs. Players initially line up around a small trampoline-like net at the start of a point. The game is played between two teams, usually with two players each. Roundnet (also commonly known as spikeball) is a net sport.