Spikeball is a physical sport that combines the elements of two different games; foursquare and volleyball. The game, which has now become very popular across several countries in the world, offers tons of physical and health benefits for its players. In case you’re just getting to learn about Spikeball, one of the many things you need to know about the game is that it’s age-neutral.
In the game of Spikeball, there are no boundaries. It’s a game of two teams and two players each. The game requires opposing teammates lining up across from each other, with the round net placed down in their center. One of the teams will begin the game by serving and after that, the players are expected to move freely.
How far can players go from the Spikeball net? Is there out of bounds in Spikeball? How far do players usually move from the net? These are the frequently asked questions that you’ll find answers to in the rest of the articles. So, without further ado, let’s get straight down to business.
How far can players go from the Spikeball net?
According to the 2021 official rules of playing Spikeball, the game usually begins with opposing teammates lining up across from each other. That also includes having the roundnet placed in their center.
After that, a player is expected to begin a point by serving the ball down into the Spikeball net. That’s done in a way that allows the ball to ricochets up to the opposing player. The game continues, with each player only allowed to touch the ball, at most, three times before hitting back the roundnet.
As previously mentioned, the Spikeball game doesn’t have any boundaries. That’s so because, during a point, players are allowed to move 360 degrees around the net. However, the game only allows them to do that on one condition, that is if they don’t physically hinder the play of the opposing team on the ball.
Although there are no boundaries whatsoever in the game of Spikeball, there’s a limit to how close a player can get to the ball.
According to the rules of the game, during a point serve, only the receiver of the ball from the opposing side is allowed to stay anywhere relative to the Spikeball roundnet. The other players; including the server’s team and the other player belonging to the receiver’s team, need to get themselves positioned at least 6 feet away from the net until after the ball is served.
Bottom line: the server is allowed to stand anywhere relative to the roundnet. The rest of the players, however, can only stand 6 feet away from the net until after the server strikes the ball into the net.
Is there out of bounds in Spikeball?
As you already know, there are no boundaries when playing the Spikeball game. The rules of the game allow players to move as they like during a point serve. While that’s the truth, you need to understand that the game also has some rules, which specify the out-of-bounds for the players.
For instance, the rules of the game say the players are allowed to move 360 degrees around the Spikeball net. However, they are only expected to move without hindering the play of the opposing team. That is one of the out-of-bounds in the spikeball game.
Here’s the thing; if a defensive player ends up interfering with the team receiving the ball, the rules say the move, often called “hinder”, is out of bounds. If that happens, the point serve will have to restart. That’s not all; in a situation where the receiving team player claims to be hindered. If there’s no genuine reason for that, it’s also called out-of-bounds, allowing the referee to award a point to the opposing team.
Another out-of-bounds in the Spikeball is that apart from the receiver, the other players aren’t expected to stand pretty close around the net. The rest of the players are only expected to stand 6 feet away from the round net until after the ball has been served.
Furthermore, it’s also out of bounds for a defensive player to try and hit the ball when the receiving team is yet to complete its turn. That’s not all; it’s also off-limits for a team to hit the ball into the round net in a way that allows the ball to go to the second player on the same team.
How far do players usually move from the net?
As previously stated, in the game of Spikeball, there are no boundaries, as players are allowed to move 360 degrees around the net, during a point serve. While that’s the truth, you need to understand that there is a limit to how the players can move from the net.
Here’s what the official rules say about how far a player can move from the net:
“All players except the receiver must begin the point at least 6 feet from the net.”
The rules further state that the receiver is the only player that can stand at any distance relative to the round net. However, after the ball has been served, all players are allowed to stand at any desired point around the Spikeball roundnet.
