Sportball

Objective

Sportball is played by two teams of three players each on a tennis court using a tennis ball (but no racquets). A team achieves victory by reaching 21 points and a minimum of a two point lead. (It is therefore possible for a team to exceed 21 points before winning.)

General Rules

1. The game begins with a casual volley for service. Normal play begins once the ball passes successfully over the net 3 times. Only the serving team is awarded points. Service is turned over following an error.
2. The ball is allowed only 4 bounces per side before it must be returned.
3. In-bounds includes the green of the court as well as the white borders.
4. Players are allowed to hit balls that are in the air out of bounds so long as it has not yet bounced out of bounds. (If the ball receives interference, such as bouncing off a court fence, or spectator, AND the teams continue to play the ball, the play is good.)
5. If the ball is touched by a player while standing above the serving line it may not be touched again by the same player until it has either touched another player, the net, or returned to the opposing team.
6. Dribbling (either into the air or off the ground) is not allowed.
7. Cupping, or scooping the ball is not allowed. Such plays can be ambiguous and their validity may be argued.
8. Players may not reach over the net.
9. Playing off the net is legal, even when the net causes the ball to come to a complete stop.
10. Any two players on the same team are not allowed to exceed two consecutive passes to each other.
11. You are allowed to use any part of your body to hit the ball. If the serving team makes a successful play that involves bouncing the ball off of the buttocks of one of their players they are awarded 10 points due to the extreme difficulty of this maneuver. A similar play involving testicles of the serving team counts as an automatic game win due to the extreme difficulty (and pain) of this maneuver.

Serving Rules

All Serves

1. All serves must begin at the center intersection of the serving line.
2. The server must call out the score before serving, placing the serving team's score first and the defending team's second. (Ex. "Six serving zero!")
3. With the exception of the Special Serve, serves are not allowed to hit the net or receive assistance from other players.
4. A fault occurs when a served ball does not make contact with a defending player and bounces less than twice on the defending side before going out of bounds. Teams are granted one fault per each win of the serve. Upon the second fault the defending team wins the serve. The "hands down" lingo of table-tennis is sometimes used.

Spike Serve (Tie Score)

Used for all tie-score serves, including 0-0 and volleys. Server stands at the serving intersection and spikes the ball down the middle of the court allowing one (no more, no less) bounce on the serving side of the net.

Special Serve (150%+)

If the serving team's score is 150% or more of the defending team's score, the serving team is allowed to serve the ball in whatever manner they like providing the serve follows the basic serving rules. Usually a team in this position simply opts for a Spike Serve.

Stork Serve

For all other scenarios, the server must employ the Stork Serve. The server stands at the serving intersection on one foot, the other foot must rest on or above the standing leg's knee. (The original intent was to make serving more difficult by affecting the balance of the server. This made general serves less powerful.) The ball is thrown up with one hand and hit with the palm of the other. It is not allowed to bounce on the serving side.

Game Point (20 && +1)

A game point serve is performed by the leading team when their score has reached 20 or above AND their score is at minimum one point higher than the defending team. The server is required to spin around the number of points difference between their score and the opposing team's score, then kick the ball off the foot. The ball may not bounce on the serving side.

Retired Rules

1. Servers are allowed to cheat by calling out an incorrect score. However, scores must be returned to their true values upon discovery of the counterfeit.
2. If a rule is broken by team A, but the ball continues to be played by team B, the game continues as if no rules were broken.

History

Birth of "Shat." Fall 1995

The game we play today had a very humble beginning as a musing of the Fairfield Prep Cross-Country Team. The nearby Fairfield University "RecPlex" tennis court supplied the X-Country team with easily loot-able tennis balls which were frequently swatted back and forth before afternoon practice. It wasn't long before Stewart and Tim, (and one or two forgotten others), started sneaking away from independent runs to a tennis court hidden in the woods by the Jesuit residences. They called the hand-ball game "Shat", as in a non-existent past-tense of "shit". Pseudo rules began to form, but nothing concrete emerged. The X-Country season ended and the game disappeared.

Resurrection. Spring 1996

Stewart passed the idea of Shat onto some friends at Fairfield High. The first games were played at Lt. Owen Fish Park on Stratfield Road, (Route 59). As Shat began to take shape, new and ever-stranger rules began to form. Apirat, Bill, John, Josh, Max, Seth, and Stewart were instrumental in forming those first concept games.

After six solid years Shat is better than ever. The rules have stabilized and game strategy has become paramount. Tournaments and MVP awards are now annual festivities.

Austin Annual. January 2009

Played our "annual" matches in Austin TX. We've decided Shat will now be called Sportball as it is hilarious. The game is over 13 years old now. Jessica notes this does not necessarily mean that we are old.