Objective:
Two (2) opposing players battle for ball-possession and attempt to throw it at the wall, catch their rebound, and successfully get to the top of the court.
Rules:
1. Start of game:
The game begins by the toss of the ball towards the wall by the referee and the two opposing players (starting behind the top line facing the wall) scrambling for possession of the ball, once it makes contact with the wall. The player winning possession, after successfully reaching the top line (clearing) can then attempt to score.
2. Scoring:
After a clear, the player with possession must attempt to strike one of three targets positioned equidistance across the upper portion of the wall. The defender may not enter the region beyond the top line. The player on offense can advance as far as the bottom line to score, however, once the player on offense has entered the region towards the wall, below the top line, they may not retreat back into the top line safe region unless they lose possession, and regain it and are attempting to clear the ball.
3. Play objectives:
The objective of each player is to score 1 point to end the game. A point is scored by a player, after gaining possession and successfully clearing, hitting a target (must be thrown from behind the bottom line on the court), catching the rebounding ball on-the-fly and returning with the ball to any point beyond the top line. Bounce shots are permitted, as long as the shooter is behind the bottom line and the shot has no more than one bounce before hitting the target.
The attempt to return with the ball to the top line can be met with reasonable defense (poke-checks, front or broad-side body checks, wrap-around checks, over-head checks, etc.) A push from behind with possession, slash to the head with a stick, or any act of unnecessary roughness is considered a foul and gives the offended player the opportunity for 2 free-throws. If BOTH free-throws are made, the match is over and won by the player who made the free-throws.
A free-throw is defined as an unguarded attempt to hit a target and catch the rebounded ball on-the-fly. If, on the 1st attempt, the player does not hit the target, live-play resumes. If the target is hit, the player proceeds to attempt to catch the rebound. If the rebound is missed, live-play resumes. If it is caught, the player attempts the 2nd free-throw.
Out-of-bounds is considered any area outside of the bounds of the wall-ball lines. If a player is “checked” out of bounds, the opposing player gets the ball and, after clearing the ball, can shoot for a target, as long as they are behind the bottom line of the court.
4. Game winning and Match winning:
A match is a defined as the series of games played throughout a full contest. The player who wins a game will continue to play subsequent opponents in 1-point games, until losing. The match is won when any player reaches 10 points (has won 10 games).
5. If a throw hits a target, and an attempt is made by the throwing player to catch the rebounding ball, but fails, as long as the ball stays in-bounds, the game is in-play and active. If the ball goes out of bounds, the defending player gains possession at the top line and must resume play from there. If a defender attempts to catch the rebounding or in-flight ball of the offensive player and misses, the game remains in-play, unless the ball goes out of bounds. In that case, and the same rules apply and the non-offending player receives possession at the top line.