Wallyball Rules: How To Play, Scoring, Winning, Tips, Strategy

Modern-day takes on games like volleyball and racquetball have been growing exponentially – and for good reason! However, one particular game that has seen enormous success with sports enthusiasts is Wallyball. But what is it? What are the Wallyball rules? How do you play it? Today, there are variations of nearly every game that you might have heard of – with a few rule curves.

Wallyball combines the best of both worlds to give players a fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping game that requires swiftness and coordination with their teammates at all times! In Wallyball, players must smash a ball across the court without hitting the net that runs across the court half-line. The game is quite similar to volleyball, except this is an indoor sport, and you can use the walls for a tactical advantage. Are you interested in learning this game? Then, let’s dive headfirst into its rules and regulations!

How To Play Wallyball?

If you haven’t heard of this game before, do not fret. It’s easier than it sounds. It combines the simplicity of volleyball with the compact and fast-paced game of racquetball. Imagine playing volleyball on a racquetball court with a net running down the middle of the court. Sounds interesting! 

Learning the game is way more interesting and easy as well. Most of it is about relying on your instincts and having cat-like reflexes while following the wallyball rules. However, this game can be really fun—and sometimes even tricky—because the walls can either help you or cost you a game! However, what makes Wallyball so popular among the masses is its simplicity! So, read on to find out more about this interesting games.

The Objective

In Wallyball, players aim to secure more points for their team and defeat the opponent. Tools like in-game strategies, hitting techniques, and teamwork are crucial to winning the game. The aim is to have more points than the opposing team before time runs out.

Wallyball Rules

To be truly good at a game, you need to know the rules of that game by heart – this couldn’t be truer. With Wallyball, no matter how elementary the game might sound so far, there are a few critical Wallyball rules and guidelines that you need to be acquainted with. They are as follows:

General Rules Of Wallyball

Here is a comprehensive list of the general Wallyball rules of the exciting game that you should be familiar with:

• A coin toss is made to determine the first team to serve and start the game (alternatively, you can play rock, paper, and scissors as well).
• According to the wallyball rules, the legal service area is 3 ft from the end on either side of the court.
• Strike the ball with your hand, palm, or any other part of your arms and shoot it into the opposing team’s side of the court (one hand only).
• Players cannot hold, lift, scoop, or carry the ball during the game, which is considered a fault.
• Each team is allowed up to three touches before striking the ball into the opposing team’s side of the court.
• In some leagues, servers are not allowed to spike or block the ball if four active players are on each team, per wallyball rules.

• Blocking, striking, or spiking a serve is legal in some leagues and illegal in some.
• A ball can touch the back wall and go over the wallyball net directly (in the court of the team in possession of the ball), but if the ball touches two walls consecutively, it must be touched by another player before it crosses the net.
• Players cannot climb the walls or use the walls for any purpose other than strategic deflection of the ball. They also may not lift their teammates to gain a height advantage.

Teams & Players

Each team in Wallyball can have a specific number of players. This includes substitutes as well. The following set of wallyball rules are geared towards the formation of a team and the nature of the team engaged in the game:

• Each team competing in Wallyball can have two, three, or four players. 
• Each team (men’s or women’s teams) gets one substitute/ alternate player in every game.
• Each team (co-ed teams) will be allowed one male and one female substitute.

Time-Outs

• Both teams are allowed two thirty-second timeouts each (in some games, both teams are allowed only one timeout).
• If a team calls for more than two time-outs, the opposing team is either awarded a point or given a side out.

Ball

In this section, we shall elucidate what is factored in when declaring that a ball is out of bounds and what is fair play, per wallyball rules for adults. A ball is out of bounds when:

1. The ball hits the ceiling when crossing the wallyball net.
2. When crossing the wallyball net, the ball hits the back wall on the opponent’s side.
3. The ball hits two walls consecutively after striking/serving while crossing the net.

Wallyball rules state that if the ball touches the ceiling, bounces off the back wall in the court of the same team, or is touched by the same player, it is not out of bounds. Also, brushing or pushing the ball is not allowed in service. Clean contact is a must for fair and good service.

Blocking

Defending a ball that has crossed into your court can be tricky. You have to be light on your feet, and your hand-eye coordination needs to be first-grade. Also, there are certain wallyball rules that need to be followed when defending. For example, defenders can block the ball (usually not allowed with four players, but exceptions are made) if:

1. The server spikes the ball.
2. The opposing team has clocked three touches.

Touching the wallyball net is not allowed during the game and can result in a fault unless an opponent drives the ball into the net, which, in turn, touches an opposing player. As for the blockers/defenders, they can reach over the net if and only if the opposing team has made three contacts with the ball before striking.

Double Hits

According to wallyball rules, double hits are allowed only when:

1. Blocking
2. Returning a hard hit from the opponent

Tips And Strategies: Wallyball

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a bunch of Wallyball strategies and tricks up your sleeve? Hone your skills and get better at the game with these useful tips and strategies and catch your opponent by surprise, all while staying within the Wallyball rules:

• Keep a mental tally of the number of touches on each ball so you know when you can block or counter/can be blocked or counter.
• Unless absolutely necessary, try to keep the number of touches to a minimum.
• Mix it up with brushes and clean hits, and catch your opponent off guard with a powerful spike.
• Cover the entire court and ensure everyone sticks to their positions to cover enough ground. 
• Make use of the double touch smartly.
• Avoid faults when serving and ensure the ball clears the wallyball net. 
• Footwork is quintessential in Wallyball, so stay light on your feet at all times.
• When a parry or a counter is short and crisp, try striking the ball at the opposition wall and keep it low to prevent a recovery.
• Use fake shots and feints to make your opponent reach out earlier or clear a spot for your shot.
• When the opponent jumps to shoot, either jump high near the net to block or deflect or stay low and loose to recover from a spike.

Once you know how to play Wallyball, use these strategies to get started. Once you understand the game and get the hang of it, you will be able to devise new strategies that will help improve your Wallyball game!

Scoring In Wallyball

The million-dollar question here is, “How do you score in Wallyball?” Is it the same as scoring in Volleyball? Well, the answer is no. They are quite similar, but there is one major difference. In volleyball, teams are awarded points for every score. In Wallyball, a speed scoring format is followed.

Simply put, in Wallyball, points are awarded on service. This continues until the Freeze Point is reached. Once that happens, a point is awarded on the next side-out. Then, each team must continue to serve to score additional points. It’s as simple as that!

Freeze Point – It is essentially three points less than the points needed to win the game.

Spiking – Spiking refers to chopping the ball down with force in a manner that prevents the opposing team from recovering the ball or even defending.

Winning In Wallyball

According to the wallyball rules, either team needs to secure 15/18/21 points (depending on the league) with a 2-point lead over the opposition to win the game. Sometimes, the games extend beyond the 15/18/21 points limit. This happens when the two teams’ scores are quite close to each other. 

To summarize, these are the wallyball rules to scoring points and winning a game:

• The first team to secure 15/18/21 points (the point/scoring system varies from league to league), with a difference of two points between them and the opponent, wins the game. 
• Three games will be played to determine the winner of a Wallyball game. The team winning two of the three games is declared the winner.

Wallyball Court And Equipment

No special equipment or gear is needed to play Wallyball—it’s that simple! All you need is a racquetball court (40ft X 20ft) and a net about 3ft high. As for the ball, you can opt for a regular volleyball since it fits the bill. 

Did You Know?

• Since it has been derived from volleyball, Wallyball is also referred to as ‘rebound volleyball.’
• Wallyball helps in enhancing hand-eye coordination and overall fitness.
• Joe Garcia popularized the game of Wallyball, but Bill Dejonghe (from the Calabasas Racquetball Club) actually invented it.
• The American Wallyball Association (AWA) is the official governing body for Wallyball across the globe. 
• Another active organization that oversees Wallyball (with slightly different rules) is the Wallyball Information Network (WIN!).

FAQs

Conclusion

The best part about Wallyball is that although it is played on a racquetball court, there are endless possibilities when it comes to scoring. If you follow the official rules correctly, you can employ numerous strategies to help your team win a game. So strap your shoes on and hit the court to play some Wallyball!

Think you know enough? Get, set, and Roll! Keep coming back to Play With Rules for more such impactful learning on sports around the world.