Playing Rules

PLAYING RULES

Basic Hexball Playing Rules

Here are the fundamental, must-know rules of a hexball game: 

  • Only 2 players on the court at any given time: normally one on the left and one on the right, but there is no rule commanding this.
  • Only three touches are allowed per team every time the ball crosses the net.
  • On hard surfaces, the ball is allowed to bounce on the first or second touch, but it counts as one of the three allowed touches.
  • It is illegal to block or attack a serve.
  • Intentional returning of the ball on the team’s first touch is discouraged but not outlawed. This is not tennis!
  • The net height is adjustable according to the level of play and participants involved. For instance, at social level the net height is determined by the shortest player’s reach.
  • Downward-motion attacking shots (spikes) are limited for taller against shorter players, for male against female players, for senior against junior and veteran players, and for higher against lower level players.
  • Points are made on every serve for the team winning the rally (not scoring only on own serve).
  • The serves is rotated between sides on every two points, ie. each side gets two turns to serve, except when both teams are within two points of winning the set (from 9-9 in a normal set to 11), when the serve will swap sides on every rally.
  • The serve is rotated between teammates after each rally. At the beginning of the match the order of serving will be determined for the rest of the match.
  • Players may not hit the ball twice in succession.
  • A block is not considered a hit.
  • The ball may touch the net during a volley and on a serve.
  • A ball touching a boundary line is in.
  • A ball is out if it hits the floor completely outside the court, any of the net posts or anchor ropes, the referee stand, or the ceiling.
  • It is legal to contact the ball with any part of a player’s body.
  • It is illegal to catch, hold or throw the ball. The higher the level of play, the stricter this rule is applied.
  • Matches are made up of sets; the number and length of sets depend on the level of play.
  • No substitutes are allowed. If a player has to leave the court, the remaining player may choose to continue alone. In this case the remaining player may play all three of his side’s touches, and a ball bouncing no longer counts as a touch on their side.

Rule Violations

Committing any of these hexball rule violations will result in a point for the opponents.

  • Touching or stepping on or across the service line while serving.
  • Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully.
  • Ball-handling errors and contacting the ball illegally (double touching, lifting, carrying, throwing, etc.) – at lower levels these rules are not strictly enforced.
  • Touching the net with any part of the body (except long hair) while the ball is in play.
  • Blocking a serve from fully crossing the net.
  • Reaching over the net to block a ball before the opponents’ third contact. It is however legal to reach over the net to block on the third contact.
  • Reaching over the net to attack a ball coming from the opponent’s court when the ball has not yet broken the vertical plane of the net.
  • Crossing the court centerline with any part of your body, with the exception of a partial hand or foot.
  • Serving out of rotation or out of order.
  • When playing mixed age groups, mixed genders, mixed playing levels or mixed height classes, spiking (hitting an overhanded attacking shot in a downward motion in the direction of an opposing player):
    • Male to female,
    • Senior male to junior or veteran,
    • Tall to short height class, and
    • Higher to lower level player.

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