Tchoukball is a team sport where you shoot the ball at a rebound frame so it bounces back somewhere no defender can catch it before it hits the floor. Each team has 7 players on court and can make at most 3 consecutive passes before shooting, and a shot that misses the frame gives the point to the other team.
This page follows the official rules of the Federation Internationale de Tchoukball: FITB rules as hosted in 2026, document ER-01 dated 2009, as of November 2026. Dr Hermann Brandt first officially introduced the game in 1970, and this version came out of FITB committee meetings held between 2000 and 2009. It covers the seven-a-side game only. Beach tchoukball, played five a side on roughly 21 m x 12 m, has its own rules, and so do juniors.
How tchoukball works in a paragraph
Two teams share one court with a rebound frame at each end. You can't steal the ball: the team in possession keeps it until it shoots or commits a fault, and defenders aren't allowed to intercept or break up the passing. Their only job is to read where the rebound will go and catch it before it lands. The rules say this prevents aggressive behaviour and violent contact. Control passes to the other team after every shot at the frame and after every fault. Have more points than the other side when the time runs out and you've won.
Court, frames and ball sizes
The rule book gives ranges rather than one fixed size. Here's what it sets out for the seven-a-side game:
| What | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Playing area | A rectangle 26 to 29 m long and 15 to 17 m wide, split in two by a median line |
| Usual indoor surface | Approximately 27 m x 16 m, wooden or synthetic |
| Forbidden zone | A D-shaped semi-circle with a 3 m radius, measured from the centre of each back line |
| Lines | Clearly visible and at least 5 cm wide |
| Space around the court | 1 m clear is mandatory, 2 m is recommended |
| Men's ball | 58 to 60 cm round, weighing 425 to 475 grams |
| Women's and mixed ball | 54 to 56 cm round, weighing 325 to 400 grams |
One detail people miss: the forbidden zone's lines belong to the forbidden zone, so standing on that line counts as being in it. And in a sports hall the ceiling is out of play, as is any equipment hanging higher than 7 m.
The frame and its net have to meet FITB standards. The frame must be fixed firmly enough that the rebound isn't affected, yet still able to move if a player crashes into it.
Squads, substitutes and officials
A squad has up to 12 players. Only 7 can be on court at once, and the other 5 are substitutes. If a team gets down to 4 players or fewer on the playing area, it forfeits with an imposed score of 0-30.
Substitutions are unlimited, but the timing is strict. They only happen after a point has been scored and before the game restarts, in front of the official table within 4.5 m of the median line, and the clock keeps running. Sub at the wrong moment and the referee gives a breakdown to the other team and cancels the swap. Even an injured player's replacement has to wait for the next point.
International matches use 3 referees, one main referee on the side line and two field referees near the frames, plus a timekeeper and a scorekeeper at the official table. Referees carry a yellow card for a warning and a red card for expulsion, and two yellow cards to the same person mean expulsion.
The 3-pass limit and how a shot works
- The game starts with a throw from fully outside the court, behind the back line beside a frame. A coin toss decides who takes the opening start. After that, the team that conceded the last point restarts beside the frame where it was scored.
- That first throw is called pass zero and doesn't count towards the limit.
- The attacking team then has up to three passes to set up a shooter. A deflection from one player to another counts as a pass, so a fumbled catch can use one up.
- After a start or restart, nobody can shoot until the ball has crossed the median line. Passes before it crosses are allowed, and the first shot can go at either frame.
- The shooter throws at a frame and the defenders try to catch the rebound before it lands. Whatever happens, control then passes to the other team.
Two more limits apply to whoever has the ball: you can't hold it for more than 3 seconds, and you can't make more than 3 contacts with your feet on the ground while holding it. You also can't touch it below the knee, though the knee itself or a kneepad is allowed.
There's a shot limit too. A team can't make a fourth consecutive shot at one frame after three in a row on it. A breakdown or a restart resets that count to zero.
Tchoukball faults that hand over the ball
A fault doesn't give away a point. It gives the other team a breakdown, taken where the fault happened or at the nearest spot inside the field of play. The player taking it picks up the ball with both hands, touches it to the floor and keeps both hands on it as it comes up. After a breakdown, at least one pass has to be made before anyone shoots.
- Holding the ball for more than 3 seconds.
- More than 3 foot contacts with the ground while holding it.
- Touching the ball below the knee.
- A fourth pass in a row.
- Dropping the ball during a pass.
- Touching the area outside the field of play while holding the ball.
- Stepping on the forbidden zone line with the ball, or landing in the forbidden zone before you throw.
- Obstructing an opponent who's about to receive, shoot, pass or get into position.
- Touching an opponent's pass or shot before it reaches the frame.
- Shooting after a restart before the ball has crossed the median line.
That interception rule is the one newcomers from netball struggle with most. In tchoukball, getting a hand to an opponent's pass isn't a turnover won. It's a fault.
Points won and points given away
This is where tchoukball differs most from other team sports, and it's the rule people most often get wrong. The shooter isn't only trying to score: a bad shot gives the point straight to the defending side.
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| What happens after the shot | Who gets the point |
|---|---|
| The rebound touches the field of play before a defender catches it | Shooting team |
| A defender touches the rebound but can't control it, and it falls or is knocked out | Shooting team |
| The rebound hits a defender below the knee | Shooting team |
| The rebound touches a defender who's in the forbidden zone or outside the field | Shooting team |
| The shot misses the frame | Defending team |
| The rebound lands out of the field of play or in the forbidden zone | Defending team |
| The rebound comes straight back onto the shooter | Defending team |
| A team mate in the forbidden zone or outside the field touches the rebound | Defending team |
So a wild shot isn't just a lost chance. It's a point for the opposition, and then the team that conceded restarts. If you've played volleyball, the idea of the ball touching the floor deciding the point will feel familiar, only here the attackers want it to land and the defenders are the ones diving.
One awkward case: the faulty rebound. If the ball clips the frame's metal edge, or bounces off a bungee cord, hook or ring at an odd angle, the defenders can play on if they catch it cleanly. If they can't control it, the referee stops play and gives them a breakdown. The give-away rules for rebounds landing out of the field or in the forbidden zone still apply.
Periods, restarts and extra time
A match is three periods of 15 minutes, with a maximum interval of 5 minutes between periods. The clock runs continuously and there's no technical time-out. Referees only stop it for things like a serious injury, a wet floor, or a defective ball or frame. When the final whistle or siren goes, play ends at once and anything in progress doesn't count.
The period restarts follow a pattern. The team that didn't take the opening start gets the restart for the second period. The team with the lowest score restarts the third, and on a tied score that's the team that started the match. After every point, the team that conceded restarts.
The team with the highest score at the end wins. If the teams are tied and the match can't end in a draw, they play an extra period of 5 minutes, then another, and so on until one side is ahead at the end of a period.
Where I'd start as a beginner
I'd learn three things before stepping on court: you can't intercept, you've got three passes, and a shot that misses the frame or bounces into the forbidden zone hands the other side a point. Those three explain most of what happens in a rally. I'd also practise the breakdown routine, two hands, ball to the floor, at least one pass, because it comes up after every fault.
I'd skip the substitution zone, the restart order for each period and the card system until you're playing in a club or league with officials. A casual session doesn't need them. And if you want to compare it with a game that does let defenders go for the ball, the handball rules make a useful contrast.
Frequently asked questions
How many players are in a tchoukball team?
A squad has up to 12 players, with 7 on court at a time and 5 substitutes in the seven-a-side game.
How many passes are allowed in tchoukball?
At most three consecutive passes before a shot. The opening throw, called pass zero, doesn't count, but a deflection does.
How do you score in tchoukball?
Shoot at the frame so the rebound touches the field of play before a defender can catch it.
How long is a tchoukball match?
Three periods of 15 minutes, with a maximum interval of 5 minutes between periods.
What happens if you miss the frame in tchoukball?
The point goes to the defending team, and the team that conceded it restarts the game.
