Any rule and situation not specifically covered are subject to the current version of the United States Racquetball rules and the judgement and discretion of the TTU Intramural sports staff. All rules are subject to change at the discretion of the Intramural Sports Office, and the Intramural Sports Office has the final decision on all situations covered and not covered by the rules. When there is a conflict between the TTU IM Racquetball Rules and US Racquetball Rules, the TTU IM Racquetball Rules shall take precedence. Rule 1: Player Eligibility & Registration Player Eligibility Currently enrolled (at least half-time), fee-paying Tennessee Tech University students as well as faculty and staff of the University may participate in intramural activities. Players can compete for only one doubles or mixed doubles team. Once he or she signs in for one team, that player cannot transfer to another team for the duration of the season. Current and former professional athletes are prohibited from playing in their sport or related sport. The Intramural Coordinator or Assistant Coordinator shall make the final decision on eligibility issues. Registration Individuals should register on the TTU IMLeagues website by the posted deadline. Rule 2: Ladder Tournament Format & Team Composition Divisions Singles Open Doubles Open Ladder Format At the beginning of the tournament, players and teams will be randomly assigned to a spot/rank. Players and teams are responsible for contacting opponents and setting up matches. Players and teams may challenge the next slot up or down. All challenges must be accepted. Pool standings will determine a team s eligibility for the tournament. Pool standings will be determined by (1) number of wins, (2) Head-to-head record, (3) point differential, (4) sportspersonship, and (5) coin toss. Match Format Each match shall be best two-out-of-three games. In singles, a Sideout occurs when a player loses the right to serve the ball, and the other player gains the right to serve. In doubles, when one partner loses this or her service, it is called a Handout. When both teammates have lost the right to serve, it is a Sideout, and the other team may now serve.
Rule 3: Playing Area & Equipment Playing Area All matches will be played on the Campus Recreation & Fitness Center (FIT) racquetball courts. Racket & Racquetballs Players may provide their own racquets and balls or rent items from the Equipment Room. Clothing & Equipment All attire and equipment is subject to the approval of the court supervisor. Any clothing or equipment that is deemed unsafe or illegal must be removed prior to competition. IM staff reserves the right to ask participants to remove or conceal clothing that, in the opinion of IM staff, displays offensive or demeaning language or imagery. Proper athletic attire is required. Footwear o Players are required to wear athletic shoes (e.g. basketball shoes, running shoes, tennis shoes). o Footwear including but not limited to boots, cleats, open-toed shoes, crocks, and sandals is strictly prohibited. Headwear o Players may wear knit or stocking caps, headbands, and hair control devices made with soft and non-abrasive material. o Headwear including but not limited to baseball caps, bandanas with knots, hard plastic hair devices, bobby pins, and safety pins is strictly prohibited. Jewelry o Religious or medical jewelry is permitted and must be taped down against the body. o All other jewelry is prohibited and must be removed prior to the contest. Pads/Braces o Leg & knee braces covered with soft, pliable material and free of any sharp edges are allowed. o Compression sleeves and wrist sweatbands are permitted above the waist.
o Casts and other equipment made of hard, unyielding materials may not be worn above the waist. Blood o Participants that are bleeding, have an open wound, and/or have an excessive amount of blood on the uniform will directed to leave the game. The bleeding must be stopped, the open wound must be covered, and/or the bloody uniform must be changed before the player can return to the game. Rule 4: Forfeits, Defaults, Protests, Scoring, & Reporting Scores Defaults A default is an unplayed match without penalty (e.g. being dropped from the league or being assessed a fee). To receive a default, an individual or team must notify the Intramural Sports Office by 2:00 PM on the day of the contest. In order to verify that the request is legitimate, the team captain or representative must notify the Intramural Sports Office via e-mail or in person. Phone calls will not be accepted. Forfeits A forfeit is failing to show for a match contacting the Intramural Sports Office. A $40.00 fee shall be charged for each forfeit. The team captain will have a hold placed on his/her eagle online account until the fee is paid. If an individual or team forfeits the first match of the season, that individual or team will be dropped from the ladder and replaced with a team on the waiting list. Any individual or team that forfeits a match will be dropped from the ladder. That individual or team may reenter at the bottom of the ladder. A second forfeiture will result in being dropped from the ladder for the reminder of the semester. Protests Protests will be considered by Intramural Sports Graduate Assistants and Professional Staff. During the contest, players or teams may protest (a) player eligibility, (b) the misinterpretation or the misapplication of a rule, or (c) a scoring error. Protests regarding items b & c must be submitted immediately before the beginning of the next serve. Protests regarding the judgement of the court official will not be recognized. When protesting player eligibility: o Regular season: The eligibility of any player may be protested at any point during the regular season (e.g. before, during, and after the contest; anytime during office hours) o Playoffs: Player eligibility must be protested before the start of the match. Protests made after the start or end of the match will be not recognized. Scoring Each game shall be played to fifteen points or when a player/team have a two-point lead. A player or individual shall score on every violation and failure to return of the opponent (rally scoring). Reporting Scores Once the game has been completed, the winning individual or team s captain is responsible for reporting the score to the Intramural Sports Office. Winning individual or captains should be reporting their score on IMLeagues by 5:00 PM on Friday the week of the match. Rule 5: Timing Game Length The match shall be played until a player/team wins two games. There is no time limit.
Rule 6: Playing Rules TTU Intramural Racquetball is self-officiated. Players are expected to review the rules before the start of the season should honor the legitimate calls of their opponents. Disagreements that cannot be resolved by teams in a reasonable time should be reported to the Intramural Sports Office. The Serve Determining the First Serve o Players/teammate shall serve the ball from the service zone. o The player/teammate whose ball lands closest to the back wall without contacting the back wall shall serve first. Serving Order o The player or side winning the opening service serves first. o The receiving player or side in the first game shall serve first in the second game. o If a third game is necessary, it shall be that player accumulating the greatest number of points in the first two games who shall serve first. Serving Zone o The server may serve from any place in the service zone. o Neither foot may extend beyond either line of the service zone. Stepping on the line is permitted. o Server must remain in the service zone until the served ball passes the short line. o During doubles play, the server s partner shall occur the partner s box. Serving Manner o A serve is commenced as the ball leaves the servers' hand. o The ball must bounce once in the service zone, and the server shall hit the ball after one bounce. Returning the Serve Receiving Position o The receiver(s) must stand behind the dashed receiving line until the ball crosses the receiving line on the fly or bounces in the receiving zone. o If the ball bounces in the safety zone, the receiver may cross the receiving line and play the ball. Legal Return o After the ball is legally served, the receiver(s) must return the ball to the front wall before the ball contact the floor. o The receiver(s) may hit any combination of walls as long as the ball contacts the front wall before bouncing. The Rally The rally begins when a legally served ball is legally returned by the receiver. During the rally, there are no line restrictions. A player may not switch hands during the rally. He or she may use both hands, but the racket cannot be transferred to the other hand. An individual or team may contact the ball once before the opponents are entitled to an attempt. Once one teammate contacts the ball, both teammates must wait until an opponent contacts the ball. If a player swings at but misses the ball in play, the player (or his or her teammate) may repeat his or her attempt to return the ball until it touches the floor for the second time.
Defective Serves Dead Ball Serves (Result: The point is replayed without penalty.) o Dead ball serves occur during legal serves. o Dead ball serves do not cancel any previous illegal serve. o Examples of dead ball serves: Court Hinders The ball takes an irregular bounce after striking the court or a wet spot. Broken Ball The ball breaks during the serve. Out-of-Court Service A legally served ball travels out of the court or out of bounds. Fault Serves (Result: Two consecutive fault serves result in a Sideout or Handout.) o Foot Faults The server leaves the service zone before the served ball passes the short line. The server's partner leaves the service box before the served ball passes the short line. The server steps over the service or short line. o Short Serve A served ball that first hits the front wall and lands in front of the short line. o Three-Wall Serve A served ball that first hits the front wall and hits two walls on the fly before bouncing. o Ceiling Serve A served ball that contacts the ceiling after hitting the front wall. o Long Serve A long serve is any served ball that first hits the front wall and contacts the back wall before bouncing. Out Serves (Result: One out serve results in a Sideout or Handout.) o Failure of Server The server does not put the ball into play within ten seconds of the calling of the score. o Missed Ball The server whiffs on his or her attempt. o Non-Front Serve Any served ball that strikes the server's partner, the ceiling, floor or side wall before striking the front wall. o Touched Serve Any served ball that contacts the server or touches the server's partner while any part of his or her body is out of the service box. A touched serve also occurs when the server's partner intentionally catches the served ball on the fly. o Out-of-Order Serve In doubles, when either partner serves out-of-order. Any points which may have been scored during an out-of-order serve will automatically void with the score reverting to the score prior to the out-of-order serve. o Crotch Serve The served ball hits any of the crotches formed by the front wall. A crotch serve into the back wall is good and in play. A served ball hitting the side wall crotches beyond the short line is good and in play. o Fake or Balk Serve A server simulates the start of a serve to deceive an opponent or stops in the middle of the motion.
Hinders Dead Ball Hinders (Result: The point is replayed without penalty). o Court Hinder. The ball takes an irregular bounce after hitting a part of the court. o Hitting Opponent. Any returned ball that touches an opponent on the fly before it returns to the front wall. o Body Contact. Any contact with an opponent that interferes with seeing or returning the ball. o Screen Ball The ball rebounds from the front wall and passes closely to the body of the opponent, and the player is unable to legitimately see and/or play the ball. o Wet Ball The ball is found to be wet during or after the point. o Busted Ball The ball breaks during the serve, return, or the rally. o Other Interference Any other unintentional interference which prevents an opponent from having a fair chance to see or return the ball. Avoidable Hinders (Result: A point is awarded to the non-offending player or team) o It is incumbent upon the players to give their opponents a direct path and a free, uninhibited swing at the ball. It is not a hinder when one player interferes with their teammate. o Examples of Avoidable Hinders Failure to Move A player does not move sufficiently to allow an opponent a shot straight to the front wall or moves in such a direction that it prevents an opponent from attempting a legitimate shot. Stroke Interference Blocking A player moves, or fails to move, so that the opponent returning the ball does not have a free, unimpeded swing. A player moves into a position which blocks the opponent from getting to, or returning, the ball. In doubles, the offensive player who is not returning the ball hinders or impedes either defensive player s ability to move into a position to cover the pending shot that comes into play. Moving into the Ball A player moves in the way and is struck by the ball just played by the opponent. The ball must have a chance of hitting the front wall. Pushing A player deliberately pushes or shoves the opponent during a rally. Intentional Distractions Deliberate shouting, stamping of feet, waving of racquet, or any other manner of disrupting one's opponent. View Obstruction A player moves across an opponent's line of vision just before the opponent strikes the ball. Apparel or Equipment Loss A player loses any piece of apparel, equipment, or other article that interferes with the shot of the opponent.