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Rules

Racquetball: rules

Racquetball is played by two or four players in an enclosed court where every wall and the ceiling can be used: each shot must reach the front wall before it touches the floor, and the ball may bounce only once before it is returned. Under IRF rules both sides can score, every game goes to 11 with a two-point lead, and a match is the best of five games.

Importance 3 out of 5Importance rating
RacketWiki EditorsVerified 25 October 20261 source

Serve

  • The server bounces the ball on the floor inside the service zone and strikes it before it bounces again; the ball must hit the front wall first and then land beyond the back edge of the short line, with or without touching one side wallSource: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rule 3.3 · tier 1
  • The server has two attempts to put the ball in play; two fault serves in a row end that server's turn (a side-out in singles)Source: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rules 3.1, 3.6(b) and 3.11(a) · tier 1
  • Fault serves include a short serve (landing on or in front of the short line), a serve that hits both side walls, the ceiling or the back wall before the floor, and starting the serve without both feet in the service zoneSource: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rule 3.8 · tier 1
  • Some serves are an immediate out, with no second attempt: missing the ball completely, a serve that first hits anything other than the front wall, or a serve that rebounds and touches the serverSource: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rule 3.9 · tier 1
  • The receiver must not enter the safety zone behind the short line until the served ball bounces or crosses the receiving lineSource: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rule 3.10(b) · tier 1

Scoring

Rally

  • A return must be hit before the ball bounces twice and must reach the front wall before touching the floor; on the way it may touch the side walls, the ceiling or the back wall below the out-of-court lineSource: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rules 1.3 and 3.10(c) · tier 1
  • Only the head of the racquet may be used to hit the ball, held in one or both hands, and the ball may be struck only once per returnSource: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rules 3.12(a) and 3.12(b) · tier 1

Losing the rally

  • A player fails to make a legal return, and loses the rally, if the ball bounces twice, does not reach the front wall on the fly, or touches their body or clothingSource: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rule 3.12(c) · tier 1
  • Switching hands during a rally, or playing without the racquet's wrist safety cord, also loses the rallySource: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rules 3.12(a) and 3.12(c) · tier 1
  • If the serving side loses a rally it loses the serve and the receivers score a point; if the receiving side loses it, the servers scoreSource: IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, IRF Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026), Rule 3.12(d) · tier 1

Sources

  1. IRF Official Rules of Racquetball, International Racquetball Federation, Official Rules 2026-2028 (March 2026)internationalracquetball.comOfficial rulebook or governing body (tier 1 of 5)