SpikeballRules Card

What you need

• One Spikeball / roundnet set (the round net and frame)
• The small Spikeball ball
• Four players in two teams of two
• A flat open area with room to move 360 degrees around the net
• Grass, sand, or any soft surface for diving

Set it up

There are no court boundaries after the serve. All players except the receiver start at least 7 ft from the net. Leave ample clear space around the net for chasing the ball; a roughly 30 ft open circle suits casual play.

Scoring

• Rally scoring: a point is awarded on every rally, served or not
• Games are typically played to 21 points, win by 2 (many casual games and tournaments also use 11 or 15, win by 2)
• You score when the opponents fail to return the ball to the net in 3 touches, let it hit the ground, miss the net, or commit a fault
• The team that wins the rally earns the point and serves next
• Keep the chosen serving order. A winning server switches places with their partner and serves again; when the receiving team wins, the next designated server takes over.

How to play

1. Set up and start the serve. Set up two teams of two around the net. All players except the receiver start at least 7 ft away. The designated receiver stands opposite the server. Choose a serving order for all four players and keep it throughout the game.
2. Serve onto the net. Toss the ball, then strike it onto the net toward the receiver. A serve must rebound cleanly without a rim or pocket hit. A first service fault gets a second attempt; two faults give the receiving team a point.
3. Use up to three touches. Return the ball to the net within three team touches, normally alternating players. Soft-touch exception: if the ball hits a player while rising from the net, that player may touch it again; their partner must then return it to the net.
4. Hit the ball back to the net. On the final touch, you spike or push the ball so it bounces cleanly off the net. There are no boundaries, so once it is off the net the rally is live and players can move anywhere around the net.
5. Win the rally. A failed return, ground contact, direct rim hit or double bounce on the net ends the rally. The opponents score. A pocket or unusual net rebound is playable during a rally if it does not directly hit the rim.
6. Play rally scoring to 21. Every rally scores a point for the winning side, whether or not they served. Play to 21 and you must win by 2. The next serve goes to the team that won the rally.