Racquetball Serve Rules [Don’t Cross THIS Line!!]

Photo of author
Written By Dan Kaplan

Page Editor and Racquetball player

Dan Ocala Racquetball


In racquetball, the serve is an essential and very important part of the game. This is the only time a player has “ball in hand” and is able to drop the racquetball so after it bounces, it is at their ideal place to hit the serve they want to the best of their ability. This gives the server an opportunity to score an ace serve which results in a point earned or to force their opponent into hitting a bad shot so the server controls center court.  There are specific rules the server must follow. They can become complex, but below is the basic racquetball serve rules:

 

Getting Low

 

 

Table Of Contents show

The Service Area:  

The server must stay within the service area, which is the five-foot area behind the service line and in front of the short line. These are the solid red lines that extend from side wall to side wall.

The service line is fifteen feet from the front wall. Many servers will start their serve at or near the back of the service area. The server’s feet must not cross over the short line.

The servers’ feet can be on the line but must not touch behind the line. During the motion of the serve, players usually take a few steps toward the front of the court.

This is where the service line comes into play. The purpose of the service line is to keep play fair. The service line functions as the furthest place forward a player’s feet can go when serving the ball.

It is also the furthest point forward the server can bounce the ball during a serve.

The most significant difference between this line from the short line is that the server can step on the line and part their foot or the majority of their can go over this line as long as the entire foot does not cross it.

To read more about the lines in a racquetball court, click the link.

 

 

Serve Motion:  

The server’s motion to serve the ball must be fluid and not used to hide the ball or deceive the returner. This would be a Fault Serve. This is a very complicated rule to call and would probably only be called during a refereed match.

 

 

Ball Contact:  

The server must strike the ball after it bounces once within the service area. The ball must be hit on the first bounce and directly off the front wall.

After hitting the front wall, the ball can touch the side walls, but it must hit the front wall first. If the ball contacts both side walls on a serve, it must bounce between hitting the first side wall and the second side wall. If not, this is a fault serve.

The ball must also touch the floor {bounce) before contacting the back wall. In all these scenarios, the ball must cross the short line and not bounce on the short line or that is also a fault serve.

 

SERVE

 

Serve Order:  

In singles play, the server is determined by the rally-ending system.

The player who won the last rally serves. In doubles play, serve is also determined by the rally-ending system, but each player on the doubles team gets an opportunity to serve before a side-out and the other team has their opportunity to serve.

 

 

Faults:  

A fault occurs when the server fails to comply with any of the above rules or commits other violations.

Common faults include foot faults, a screen serve, and serving the ball long or a short serve. A fault results in a loss of serve or side out on the server’s second serve attempt, and the returner becomes the server in singles play.

In doubles, if the first server double faults, it’s the second server’s turn.

 

 

Second Serve:  

If the server commits a fault on the first serve, they get a second serve attempt. If a fault occurs on the second serve, it results in a side-out, and the opponent becomes the server. In doubles team play, it would be the second server’s turn.

 

 

Screen Serve:  

A screen serve happens when the ball passes too close to the server’s body or any obstruction (e.g., the server’s partner) after hitting the front wall.

If the opponent believes a screen serve occurred, they can request a hinder (also known as a “do-over”) from the referee or opponent in recreational play.

 

 

Drive serve setup

 

Short Serve: 

A short serve is an attempt at a serve that does not cross the short line. The short line splits the court in back from front to back and twenty feet. If the ball bounces directly on the short line, it is considered a fault called a short serve.

  

 

Long Serve: 

A long serve is an attempt at a serve that contacts the back wall before the racquetball contacts the floor. This fault is called a long Serve.

 

 

3-Wall Serve: 

When a server is attempting a drive z serve or a lob z serve, the ball must contact the floor before contacting the second wall on the fly. If the ball contacts both side walls without bouncing on the floor, this is a fault called a 3-wall serve.

 

Drive Serve

 

 

These are the basic rules regarding a racquetball serve. It’s important to note that different organizations and tournaments may have slight variations in the rules and scoring, so it’s always a good idea to consult the specific ruleset being used in a particular event. 

For more information on the basics of racquetball, the rules, and scoring, click here.

Racquetball Court Dimensions and Court Lines [What About the Ceiling!]

Basic Racquetball Rules [What is a Good Serve?]

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