Spikeball Rules 2026: Serving, Rim Hits, Pockets and Scoring

This page follows the official rules on the Spikeball website as of November 2026. The page itself makes the distinction: Spikeball is the brand, roundnet is the sport. Other roundnet organisations publish their own rules, so where your group plays differently, that's why. What's below is what the Spikeball rules page says.

Before the first serve: net and positions

Start with the net. The tension should be the same all the way round, and the test is simple: drop a ball from 3 feet above the net and it should bounce up about 12-18 inches. The rules page suggests beginners keep it nice and bouncy, because a livelier net makes rallies easier.

• Teams of two set up in a cross formation around the net.
• Agree a serving order before you start, for example player 1, then 3, then 2, then 4, and keep it for the whole game.
• The receiving team sets its positions first.
• The server stands 180 degrees across the net from the designated receiver, who is the only player allowed to field the serve.
• Everyone except the receiver starts the point at least 7 feet from the net. If you're new, you can stand closer.

Serving, step by step

1. Toss the ball into the air.
2. Hit it down onto the net, with any amount of force. Short serves are allowed.
3. The serve has to come cleanly off the net. A serve that hits a pocket or the rim is a fault.
4. If your first serve is a fault, you get a second serve.
5. Two faults in a row and the receiving team wins the point.

The toss is where people lose points without realising. If you toss the ball, you must hit it. Dropping it, catching it, or swinging and missing all count as a fault. So a bad toss you catch and restart isn't a do-over under these rules; it's a fault.

Who serves next, worked through

The rotation trips up most new groups, so here's how the rule plays out with four players: Amy and Ben on one team, Cat and Dan on the other, with a serving order of Amy, Cat, Ben, Dan.

1. Amy serves to Cat, who stands directly across the net from her.
2. Amy's team wins the point. Amy keeps serving, but she switches places with Ben and now serves to Dan, the other receiver.
3. Amy's team wins again. She switches back and serves to Cat.
4. Cat and Dan win the point. The serve moves to the next player in the order, which is Cat.
5. When Cat's team eventually loses a point, the serve passes to Ben, then later to Dan, and back round to Amy.

If sun or wind favours one side, the rules page offers an option: rotate everyone's starting positions 90 degrees counter-clockwise every 5 points.

Rallies: three touches, alternating

Once the serve is returned, the game opens up. Players can move and hit in any direction around the net, which is the 360 degree play the rules page describes. Each team has up to three touches to get the ball back onto the net, and those touches must alternate between teammates. The rules page sums it up as bump, set, spike.

• One player touching the ball twice in a row loses the point, unless it's a soft-touch.
• The ball must be hit cleanly. No catching, no throwing.
• You can use any part of your body.
• After the serve, any odd bounce that doesn't touch the rim is legal and playable.

Rim, pocket, roll-up and soft-touch

Term	What it means	Legal?
Rim	The ball hits the bar around the outside of the net	No, it's a fault at any point in a game
Pocket	The ball hits the spot between the net and the rim and deviates	Not on a serve; yes during a rally
Roll-up	The ball hits a pocket and rolls up over the rim	Yes, and it's played as a pocket, not a rim hit
Soft-touch	The ball is still travelling upwards off the net when it hits you	Yes: you may touch it again, and your partner must then play it onto the net

The soft-touch is the only exception to the no-double-touch rule, and it's the one most backyard players have never heard of.

How a rally ends and how you win

Spikeball uses rally scoring: every rally ends with a point to someone, whether they served or received. A point is awarded when:

• the ball hits the ground, or isn't returned onto the net within 3 touches;
• the ball is hit directly into the rim, unless it's the first serve, where a rim hit is a fault and you get your second serve;
• the ball bounces and falls back onto the net or the rim;
• the ball clearly rolls across the net.

Games are usually played to 11, 15 or 21. In tournaments, the tournament director sets the winning score. Either way, you have to win by two clear points unless you've agreed otherwise.

Hinders and replays

Defenders must make an effort not to get in the way of the attacking team's play on the ball. If an attacker collides with a defender, or a defender's position stops a makeable play, the player who was blocked can call 'hinder' and the point is replayed. And if the two teams can't agree whether a hit was legal, the rules say to replay the point.

My verdict for a first game

I'd teach the serve and the three alternating touches first, then say 'rim is always bad, pockets are fine in a rally' before the first point. I'd skip the 7 foot rule and the counter-clockwise rotation for complete beginners, which the rules page itself allows, and bring them in once rallies last more than a couple of touches. Agree whether you're playing to 11, 15 or 21 before you start. If you're building a garden afternoon around it, my party games roundup has more ideas, and padel vs pickleball is worth a read if the group gets hooked on net games.

Frequently asked questions

How many points do you play to in Spikeball?

Games are typically played to 11, 15 or 21, and you must win by two clear points unless you've agreed otherwise.

How many touches do you get in Spikeball?

Each team gets up to three touches, and they must alternate between teammates.

Is the rim a fault in Spikeball?

Yes. If the ball hits the rim at any point in a game, it's a fault. On a first serve, that means you take your second serve.

What is a hinder in Spikeball?

A hinder is a call that forces a replay of the point when a defender collides with an attacker or blocks a makeable play on the ball.