English Version - IFTA Rules

FOOTBALLTENNIS RULES
AS AMENDED BY THE IFTA CONGRESS - BRASOV 2002

0. Categories:
Men
Women
Boys and girls
-Juniors [age between 16 and 18]
-Youngsters [age between 13 and 15]
-Children [age up to 12]

I. Part of the rules common to all categories and disciplines
(singles, doubles and triples)

1. Playing court and playing area

1.1 Dimensions of the playing court
a) for singles: 8.2 x 12.8 m
b) for doubles and triples: 8.2(max 9.0)x 18.0 m

1.2 The playing court is split into two halves by a net.

1.3 Base and side lines are part of the playing court. The lines are 5+ 1 cm thick. The accuracy of the dimension given is + 5 cm.

1.4 The playing area which shall be available during the play has borders at least 3 m from the side lines and 3.5 m from the base lines of the playing court. A permissible deviation of the playing area from horizontal level is 1:100. Maximum unevenness of 2 cm without a sharp transition is permissible. The minimum height of free space above the playing area is 8 meters.

2. Net

2.1 Definition: only that part that is hung up over the playing
court between the side lines. The length of the net may be defined by two round poles of metal or plastic which support the net on the lines. The poles are part of the net.

2.2 The net is tensioned at both ends so that its top part
extends 110 cm over the playing court surface all the way across the playing court. The maximum permissible height deviation of the net is + 2 cm. The distance between the lowermost edge of the net and the playing court surface is not more than 20 cm. Should the net subside during the play (a supporting pole will fall or the tensioning cable will break) under the height limit permitted, the referee rules a new ball.

3. Ball

3.1 Official IFTA-ball parameters:
construction: glued, 32 panels, colour: black and white, material: synthetic (natural) leather, weight: 396-453 g,
circumference: 680-710 mm, height of rebound:660-720 mm, inflation: 60-65 kPa. The height of rebound is measured on the Kistler plate by having the ball fall from a height of one (1) metre with the valve facing up.

4. Start of play

4.1 The team (player) who wins the toss has the option to choose either the side or the service.

4.2 In case of drawn sets before the third set it is the option of that team (player) to choose the side or the service who - after adding up obtained points - possesses higher number of winning points. Only in case of equal number of winning points the toss is carried out.

4.3 If not stated otherwise by the Technical Commission of IFTA the time breaks are:
Between sets - one minute
Between matches - five minutes
The match is scratched if the team(s) is(are) not present in time at the playing court
5. Service

5.1 A service is executed by hitting the ball by any part of the body except for arm and hand from the zone behind the base-line, outside the playing court.

5.2 The way of serving: hitting the ball by any allowed part of the body on the volley, after only one ball rebound, drop-kick or right from the ground. Neither the ball nor the foot shall touch the playing court (including the lines) when a service is being executed. The ball shall be released from hand(s) or lay on the ground for servicing.

5.3 The service shall be carried out within 5 seconds from the
moment the referee gives the order to start the play.

5.4 The ball shall cross the net and land on the opponent's service zone.

5.5 If the ball during the service touches the net and then lands in the opponent's service zone, the service is valid.

5.6 The service is always carried out by the team (player) who
scores a point.

5.7 The players of the opponent's team shall not touch the ball
until it has touched their own half of the playing court.

6. Ball in play

6.1 The maximum number of ball drops on the ground:
singles: 1, doubles: 2, triples: 2. During the play, the player does not have to let the ball drop down onto the ground (except for the opponent's service).

6.2 The maximum number of ball touches by the player: singles: 2, doubles: 3, triples 3. The player may touch the ball with any part of his body except for arm and hand. With the exception of singles, the player is not allowed to touch the ball twice in succession. The minimum number of touches of the ball by player before the ball crosses the net is one (1).

6.3 If played correctly by the player, the ball shall touch the
ground in the playing court only.

6.4 The service is repeated ("new ball"), if a foreign object
touches the ball or the playing court.

6.5 None of the players is allowed to touch the net (even after the ball has been finished).

6.6 The ball is played correctly, only if it crosses the net to
land into the opponent's playing court (see Rule 2.1).

6.7 If two opposing players touch the ball over the net at the same time ("dead ball") and the ball ends out of the playing court, the service is repeated.

6.8 If two opposing players touch the ball over the net at the same time ("dead ball"), the play continues provided that the ball touches the ground within the playing court. In such a case, however, the ball may be also played by the player who played the dead ball.

6.9 The player may play the ball over the opponent's part of the
playing court, if standing or taking off and then landing in his own playing court.

6.10 The player may play the ball in his own half of the playing
area only.

6.11 The player may unintentionally touch the opponent's leg (its part under the knee) by his leg (its part under the knee) after he has played the ball.

7. Scoring a point, winning a set and the match

7.1 The team (player) wins a point if the opponent commits a fault, each such a fault being one point.

7.2 All the disciplines (singles, doubles and triplets) are played up to two (2) winning set. A set is won by the team (player) who first scores 11 points with a minimum lead of two (2) points (11:9). Otherwise the play is continued until the lead of two points is achieved (12:10, 13:11, etc.).

8. Time-out and player substitution

8.1 Each team (doubles, triplets)) is entitled to one (1) 30-second time out per set, after the coach (player) has requested that from the referee.

8.2 Each player (singl) is entitled to 2 (two) 30-seconds time outs per set after the coach (player) has requested that from the referee.

8.3 Each team is entitled - except for singles - to substitute players twice per set.

8.4 The referee is entitled at any time in the course of the set to declare "referee's time out" to remove obstacles of any nature.

8.5 During the time-out the players must be present in the own half of playing area
9. Faults resulting in loss of point

9.1 The team (player) loses a point if the ball touches its court
twice in sequence without being touched by player.

9.2 The team (player) loses a point, if the ball bounced off the
court surface and crossed the net to the opponent's court without having been touched by the player.

9.3 The team (player) loses a point, if they (he) did not allow the ball served by the opponent to land in their (his) own service zone (i.e., if they played the ball on the volley).

9.4 The team (player) loses a point, if a (the) player touches the net by any part of his body. The service is repeated if the net is touched by both opponents simultaneously.

9.5 The team loses a point, if a player has made one of the
following faults when the ball is being served:

a) he touches either the base line or a side line extended backwards with the ball or his foot supporting the weight of his body when a service is being executed,

b) the ball being served and flying to the opponent's court is touched by a co-player,

c) the ball lands outside the service zone on the opponent's court.

9.6 A player touches the ball with hand or arm (loss of point).

9.7 The ball played by a player travels to the opponent outside the net (loss of point).

9.8 The ball played by a player lands outside the opponent's
playing court (loss of point).

9.9 The ball is played by a player over the opponent's playing court and the player does not stand or takes off and does not land within his own court (loss of point).

9.10 When played in a hall: if the ball touches a part of the hall
or its equipment (ceiling, walls, rings, etc.), it is a fault
made by the player who touched the ball last (loss of point).

9.11 A player holds or pushes his opponent with his hand(s).

9.12 A player plays the ball twice in sequence (loss of point;
applies to doubles and triplets).

9.13 A player plays the ball on the opponent's playing court (loss
of point).

9.14 The opponent's player touches the ball before the ball is
touched by a player in whose playing court the ball has touched the court surface (a loss of point in favour of the opponent).

9.15 A player touches an opponent player (with the exception of 6.11) by his leg that is put out over the net.

10. Misconduct and sanctions

10.1 If a player exceeded the limit of 5 seconds for serving:
- first delay : warning
- second delay: loss of point.

10.2 Unsportsmanlike conduct (protests, claims, deliberate playing
the ball to hit the referee, kicking the ball away, delaying the play, holding and pushing the opponent, abusive language, improper gesturing, etc. by players, coaches, team leaders):
- for the first time : warning
- for the second time: loss of point.

10.3 Depending on how rude the misconduct is (Rule 10.2), a player
is sanctioned by yellow or red car, the third warning results
in expulsion. After receiving the red card the player must immediately leave the playing area.

10.4 An expelled player may be substituted by another player
(doubles, triplets). With singles, the opponent wins the
match 2:0 (11:0, 11:0) by default or all the matches in the group are cancelled. When the player is injured in such a way that he can not continue to play and his team has no more substitution to utilize, the set is scratched in favour of the opponent team.
10.5 If the referee is insulted by player(s) or member(s) of the official delegation the match is scratched in favour of the opponent team.

11. Player's equipment and protests

11.1 Players of one team shall use uniform playing suits; if not
they are not allowed to play by the referee.

11.2 When the play is interrupted, the team captain or coach has
the right to raise hand to deliver their protest(s) to the referee and ask a question about the interpretation of the rules. The referee's decision is final.

11.3 Protests, if any, are dealt with in compliance with the
competition schedule, when the match is over. A final decision is up to IFTA's court of arbitration.

12. Miscellaneous

12.1 Other disputable issues are dealt with by the respective
control authority of IFTA competitions.

II. Special characteristics: singles

1. Playing court and playing area

1.1 The two halves of the playing court 8.2 x 6.4 m are divided by a middle line into two halves of the same size (service zone 4.1 x 6.4 m).

5. Service

5.1 A service may be executed only from the space behind the base
line, between the middle and side lines. A service shall be executed diagonally from the right or left, depending on the own number of points scored: from the right, if the number is even (0:0, 2:1, 4:6, etc.), from the left if the number is odd (1:0, 1:1, 1:2, 3:2, etc.). The ball shall land in the opponent's service zone.

6. Ball in play

6.1 The player may touch the ball twice in sequence before the ball crosses the net.

8. Time-out and substitution

8.1 No substitution is allowed in singles matches.

III. Special characteristics: doubles

1. Playing court and playing area

1.1 One half of the playing court is 8.2(max 9) x 9 m in dimensions. None of the two service zones is divided - its dimensions are 8.2 x 6.4 m.

5. Service

5.1 A service may be executed only from the space behind the base line, between the side lines, by any player serving the ball into the opponent's whole service zone.

6. Ball in play

6.1 There shall be one touch of the ball by the player between two drops of the ball on the ground.

8. Time-out and substitution

8.1 The team consists of three players of whom two shall be
always playing and one is their substitute. The players in play may be substituted by the third one.

IV. Special characteristics: triples

1. Playing court and playing area

1.1 One half of the playing court is 8.2(max 9) x 9 m in dimensions. None of the two service zones is divided - its dimensions are 8.2 x 6.4 m.

5. Service

5.1 A service may be executed only from the space behind the base
line, between the side lines, by any player serving the ball into the opponent's whole service zone.

6. Ball in play

6.1 There shall be one touch of the ball by the player between two drops of the ball on the ground.

8. Time-out and substitution

8.1 The team consists of five players of whom three shall be
always playing and two are their substitutes. Substitution can be carried out twice in a set, one substitution may involve two players at the same time.

V. Special characteristics: women, boys and girls

2 Net

2.2 The height of the net for children up to 12 is 100 cm.

3 Ball

3.2 A lighter ball (e.g. for volleyball) can be used for Children's category (age up to 12)

6. Ball in play

6.1 One ball drop more for each discipline (single, double, triple) in Children's category might be introduced.

12. Miscellaneous

12.1 In the year of a championship only the player, who achieved the right age (including lower and upper age limit) stated for his (her) category, is allowed to take part in the championship. Younger players can start in upper category only with written permission of a physician (doctor). Youngsters and Children are allowed to play in not more than two disciplines during one IFTA's event (championship, tournament). It is forbidden to start simultaneously in two categories if their competitions are held at the same time.

Enclosure to the Footballtennis Rules

13. Referees

13.1 Number of referees: The match (game) is arbitrated by two referees (1st referee, 2nd referee). Another number of referees can be stated by IFTA's Technical Committee controlling the competition. The support by linesmen is welcome.

13.2 Rights of both referees: All members of the team (players, coach, team leader, etc.) in the playing area are obliged to keep the instructions of referees.

13.3 Duties of both referees

- make opening toss,
- give instructions for start of the play and for interruption of the play,
- judge the faults in play and decide (arbitrate) which team receives a point,
- direct a new ball having different judgement on fault that has happened,
- control the score of the match,
- give instructions to arrange dress, lines, playing area etc.,
- judge the players' and others' behaviour and give them penalties,
- permit and control the substitutions of players and time-outs,
- measure and keep time limits,
- use a whistle and official signals,
- order a new ball of a referee when needed,
- arbitrate the match according to the Footballtennis Rules valid in time of the competition.

13.4 Complementary duties of the first referee

- decide if current conditions (weather, visibility, etc.) for the game are satisfied,
- decide which (first or second) referee will be directing the game.

13.5 Complementary duties of the second referee

- decide if technical conditions (size of the playing court, ball, net, lines etc.) are o.k. for start of the game,
- fill in the match record,
- adhere to instructions of the first referee except judgement about faults in the game.

13.6 Standing point of referees: The referees should stand behind the pile (pole) on both sides of the net except the situation when the ball is moving to them or played next to them.

13.7 The referees have to use uniform suits.

13.8 Referee official signals

Game situation Signal/Action
New ball (playover) Raise the thumbs of both hands (hands held close together)
Time-out Place the palm of one hand over the other hand in a vertical position, forming the letter "T". Indicate the team requesting the time-out
Doubledrop Point two fingers to the attacked area of playing court
Tripledrop Point three fingers to the attacked area of playing court
Doubletouch Raise forearm vertically with two fingers extended
Service footfault Point to line with finger
Player(s) substitution Make a circular motion of open hands around each other at shoulder height
Net touch Touch the net and indicate the player committing the fault
"Hand play" Extend one arm and tap its wrist with the other arm's fingers
Keep playing! Extend arms sideways
Ball outside the net (not going above the net) Extend both arms above the head and wave
Ball in Point to attacked area of court with open hand
Ball out Raise the forearms in a vertical position with hands open, palms facing away from court
Ball out after contact with a player Brush fingers of opposite hand once over palm of vertical hand
Interfering foreign object (person, animal, second ball,…)on playing court Stop the play (whistle) and use the "new ball" signal
Touch of the ball by blocking player Raise the thumb of the right hand vertically and hold by the time the opponent player touches the ball