Wallyball
Encyclopedia
Wallyball is a fast-paced sport
that was created by Bill Dejonghe at The Calabasas Racquetball Club (Calabasas, CA), in 1979 . The idea was an attempt to help bring more business into the club in the summer months The club pro Joe Garcia then took the idea mainstream. However, the sport roots go back to as early as 1972. The game was called Deckerball. It is very similar to the game of wallyball and could be the predecessor to the game of what is now known as wallyball. In Kansas, IL, a high school physical education teacher and a couple of his students, including Mark Decker sat down to create a game that combined several skills from other games that would be used for indoor play during bad weather situations. By combining handball (racquetball with no racquet), tennis, and volleyball, they arrived at the game that is called Deckerball (after Mark Decker).
The word "wallyball" is a portmanteau of the words "wall
" and "volleyball
".
WIN! promotes wallyball throughout the world.
court which measures 40 feet long, 20 feet wide and 20 feet high. A center line divides the court in half. The net is hung above the center line, traversing the entire width of the court. The net is 3 feet tall and hung at no more than 8 feet above the floor for men's wallyball games and no more than 7 feet 6 inches above the floor for women. Two service areas are on each side, extending across the entire width of the court and 1 foot from each end wall. The ball is spherical, weighs between 9 and 10 ounces, and is 25 to 27 inches in circumference (the same size as a regular volleyball). The ball is made of rubber.
The side-out and unmodified rally scoring methods of volleyball are also commonly used.
While many tactics in volleyball are effective in wallyball, there are several that are almost entirely unique to wallyball and highly counterintuitive to the average volleyball player.
"Please keep in mind that Wallyball and Volleyball are two different games, with different rules" states Steve Fuhrman, a National Wallyball Rules Director of over 15 years, "Many facilities play with house rules which is great! When attending a sactioned wallyball tournament, these house rules probably do not exist. For example, any type of "paintbrush" hit is not allowed.....unless you are an intermediate player."
Players have been putting legal spin on serves, spikes, and placed hits in wallyball for over 30 years. Legal spin is done by contacting the ball off-center as it is struck. The ball must pop off the players hand (not roll on it) to be a good, clean hit with spin.
During the serve the ball can hit one side wall on either side of the net. It cannot hit the back wall or two walls. The ball also cannot hit the ceiling when it crosses the net. The same is true during the volley. The ball can hit any number of walls, including the back wall and ceiling during the course of your three hits on your side. Once the ball is crossing the net though, it must comply with the one wall, no ceiling requirement, or it is considered out of bounds. If you have hit a wall on your side, the ball cannot hit another after going over the net.
Both The New Oxford American Dictionary
(2001) and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
(4th ed. 2000) state, incorrectly , in their definitions of "wallyball," that the ball may contact the ceiling before crossing the net.
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
that was created by Bill Dejonghe at The Calabasas Racquetball Club (Calabasas, CA), in 1979 . The idea was an attempt to help bring more business into the club in the summer months The club pro Joe Garcia then took the idea mainstream. However, the sport roots go back to as early as 1972. The game was called Deckerball. It is very similar to the game of wallyball and could be the predecessor to the game of what is now known as wallyball. In Kansas, IL, a high school physical education teacher and a couple of his students, including Mark Decker sat down to create a game that combined several skills from other games that would be used for indoor play during bad weather situations. By combining handball (racquetball with no racquet), tennis, and volleyball, they arrived at the game that is called Deckerball (after Mark Decker).
The word "wallyball" is a portmanteau of the words "wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
" and "volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
".
Number of Players
Wallyball can be played with any number of players from 2 to 4 players a side, according to the official rules of the American Wallyball Association. The rules were expanded to include rules for 5 and 6 players per side by the Wallyball Information Network (WIN!).WIN! promotes wallyball throughout the world.
Court and Equipment
Wallyball is played in a racquetballRacquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
court which measures 40 feet long, 20 feet wide and 20 feet high. A center line divides the court in half. The net is hung above the center line, traversing the entire width of the court. The net is 3 feet tall and hung at no more than 8 feet above the floor for men's wallyball games and no more than 7 feet 6 inches above the floor for women. Two service areas are on each side, extending across the entire width of the court and 1 foot from each end wall. The ball is spherical, weighs between 9 and 10 ounces, and is 25 to 27 inches in circumference (the same size as a regular volleyball). The ball is made of rubber.
Scoring
Wallyball uses a modified form of rally scoring called speed scoring. A point is scored on every service up to the point where one team reaches the "freeze point." Once that occurs, a point is awarded on the next side-out and from that point on, each team must serve to score a point. The "freeze point" varies depending on the number of points needed to win a game. The freeze point is three points fewer than the number of points needed to win a game.The side-out and unmodified rally scoring methods of volleyball are also commonly used.
Strategy
Much of the strategy used in Wallyball is similar to that used in volleyball. In the traditional three person game it is advantageous to employ one blocker, one person to defend against the dink (short, soft) shots, and the last person to defend shots over the other players' heads but still in bounds. On offense, the widely accepted strategy is of designating one player to receive all second hits to allow for the other players on their team to prepare for the third hit. In addition, varying the number of touches before the ball is hit over the net is crucial.While many tactics in volleyball are effective in wallyball, there are several that are almost entirely unique to wallyball and highly counterintuitive to the average volleyball player.
"Please keep in mind that Wallyball and Volleyball are two different games, with different rules" states Steve Fuhrman, a National Wallyball Rules Director of over 15 years, "Many facilities play with house rules which is great! When attending a sactioned wallyball tournament, these house rules probably do not exist. For example, any type of "paintbrush" hit is not allowed.....unless you are an intermediate player."
Players have been putting legal spin on serves, spikes, and placed hits in wallyball for over 30 years. Legal spin is done by contacting the ball off-center as it is struck. The ball must pop off the players hand (not roll on it) to be a good, clean hit with spin.
Out of Bounds
It takes a lot of skill to hit hard and stay in bounds.During the serve the ball can hit one side wall on either side of the net. It cannot hit the back wall or two walls. The ball also cannot hit the ceiling when it crosses the net. The same is true during the volley. The ball can hit any number of walls, including the back wall and ceiling during the course of your three hits on your side. Once the ball is crossing the net though, it must comply with the one wall, no ceiling requirement, or it is considered out of bounds. If you have hit a wall on your side, the ball cannot hit another after going over the net.
Both The New Oxford American Dictionary
New Oxford American Dictionary
The New Oxford American Dictionary is a single-volume dictionary of American English compiled by American editors at the Oxford University Press....
(2001) and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is an American dictionary of the English language published by Boston publisher Houghton Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969...
(4th ed. 2000) state, incorrectly , in their definitions of "wallyball," that the ball may contact the ceiling before crossing the net.