ECLIPSE BALL STUDY GUIDE

The game of Eclipse ball is a combination of volleyball, badminton and tennis.

PLAYERS: Six players are on the court at a time, with the remaining players rotating in at the serving position.

COURT: An official volleyball court is used inside with a net height of 7’4”.

GAMES: Played to 21 or when time is called. Win by two points.

SERVE: All serves must be made underhand from ¾ court or further back. The server only has one chance to get the ball over the net and in bounds. The serve is good if it hits the net on the serve and goes over the net.

VOLLEY FOR SERVE: The winning team serves, thereafter the team that lost the previous game serves first.

SERVICE RETURN: The ball must be contacted with the racket. It is against the rules to catch and throw the ball. The front row must let the ball bounce once on the serve; the back row may hit it on the fly or let it bounce.

PLAYING THE BALL:

1. Players can not hit the ball two times in a row.

2. Teamwork and passing the ball between players is encouraged.

3. During play, the ball is allowed to bounce once between hits. The ball may also be hit on a fly.

4. You may get up to 3 hits (racquet or body) on a side before you hit the ball over. Block is not considered a hit.

5. When returning the ball, a player may not cross over the net (or under, inside), either themselves or with the racket.

6. Bounces off the wall and bleachers are allowed. Bounces off the ceiling are not allowed.

“PLAY-IT”: may be called by a team member, who decides to keep the ball in play, when the opposing team is at fault. The player calls “play it” before the ball is hit. The team winning the volley scores the points regardless of who served. “Play it” points are worth 2 points instead of 1 and can accumulate by multiples of 2 each time there is a fault and “play it” is called.

SUMMARY OF RULES AND SCORING:

1. The serve is made from ¾ court or further back. The serve is always underhand.

2. Only the serving team can score, except in a “play-it” situation.

3. A ball that lands on the line is always in bounds.

4. Balls that hit the net and go over while serving or during play are ALWAYS good.

5. Player rotation is like that in volleyball, clockwise. You may decide on the placement of players according to your strategy.

6. A player must not enter another team’s court in any way to play the ball. You may go out of bounds to play a ball that come from your team’s side of the court.

7. The ball hitting the ceiling is out of bounds.