Rim, pocket, no-hit zone, drop test: the Spikeball ABC explains every term from our guides in plain language – your starting point before technique guides.
## Introduction Reading your first Spikeball guide and tripping over words like "rim," "pocket," or "no-hit zone"? No worries – Roundnet (the official name behind the Spikeball brand) has a compact but very precise rulebook, and that's where most of the terminology comes from. This Spikeball ABC explains every important term in plain, easy language, so you can follow our technique guides right away – no more constant looking things up.
## Gear & Equipment Roundnet: The official sport name for what most people call "Spikeball" – Spikeball is actually just the best-known brand, like Kleenex for tissues. Official rules and the world federation both use Roundnet as the sport's name.
Net (Netz): The round, tightly strung trampoline in the middle you play around. Official dimensions: 91.4 cm diameter, 20.3 cm high. Too loose and the ball sinks in; too tight and receiving becomes uncontrollable.
Rim: The hard metal ring around the net. If the ball hits the rim directly, it's a fault – unlike a pocket (see below), where the ball only touches the netting.
PSI: The pressure unit for the ball – "pound-force per square inch." Target pressure is a tiny 0.3 to 0.5 PSI, much softer than a volleyball. The ball should give visibly under light thumb pressure.
Drop test (Drop-Test): The official check for whether your net is tensioned correctly. Drop a ball from 1.5 m height – it should bounce back about 50 cm. If the rebound is right, the whole session plays right.
IRF: Short for International Roundnet Federation, the world governing body that sets the official rules, dimensions, and tournaments – the basis for everything in this glossary.
## Rules & Scoring Rally scoring (Rally-Scoring): The scoring system where every single rally earns a point, regardless of who served. Games are usually played to 15 or 21, with a two-point winning margin.
Service line (Service-Linie): The imaginary circle 2.6 m from the center of the net, behind which the server must stand to serve. The receiver, standing opposite, can choose their position freely.
No-hit zone (No-Hit-Zone): A circle with a 100 cm radius around the net. A serve landing on or inside this zone counts as a fault – so nobody can smash the ball onto the net from point-blank range where it's unreturnable.
Three-touch rule (Drei-Berührungen-Regel): Your team gets a maximum of three touches per rally, and they must alternate between the two partners. Classically that's dig, set, spike – you can't touch the ball twice in a row.
Catch: If the ball comes to rest on your hand or arm for a moment instead of immediately continuing its flight, that's a catch – and a fault. The ball must always be struck, never carried or held.
Hinder: Blocking an opponent's path to the ball counts as a hinder. The point is simply replayed instead of being awarded to either side.
Rotation: The counter-clockwise position switch all four players make after points 3, 7, 11, and so on. This way, no team is stuck facing the sun or wind the whole game.
## Technique & Moves Athletic stance (Grundstellung): The base ready position – knees bent, feet a bit wider than shoulder-width, chest over your feet. From this posture you're instantly ready to move in any direction; it's even defined this way in the official rulebook.
Split-step: A small, two-footed hop just before your opponent hits the ball. It pre-loads your legs and makes you quicker in every direction – similar to the return-hop in tennis.
Dig (Annahme): The first of the three touches. You control the incoming ball and direct it high and central toward your partner instead of swatting it back wildly.
Set (Zuspiel): The second touch – a calm, accurate feed for the attack, usually placed at hip to chest height right next to the net so your partner can attack comfortably.
Spike / attack (Angriff): The third and usually decisive touch: a one-handed downward strike onto the net, often generated through body rotation. The power comes from your core and timing, not just your arm.
Pocket: When the ball hits the netting near the edge instead of the rim, it changes trajectory unpredictably – completely legal and a popular attacking weapon, as long as the rim itself isn't touched.
Roll-up: A ball that rolls over the net into the rim and comes back out. Sounds like a fault, but the rulebook counts it as a valid rally continuation.
## Pro Tip Remember the three-touch chain with a simple rhythm: control (dig), connect (set), crush (spike). If you briefly think through this order on every rally, you'll instantly know which term from this glossary applies – and you'll naturally play more controlled instead of just swinging wildly.
### What is a pocket in Spikeball? A pocket happens when the ball hits the netting close to the edge, changing its trajectory unpredictably without touching the rim. That's completely legal and a popular attacking weapon. Only direct contact with the rim itself counts as a fault.
### What is the no-hit zone in Spikeball? The no-hit zone is a circle with a 100 cm radius around the net. A serve that lands on or inside this zone is a fault. It prevents anyone from smashing the ball onto the net from point-blank range where it's unreturnable – a fair distance for both sides.
### What does rally scoring mean in Spikeball? Rally scoring means every single rally earns a point, no matter which team served. Games are usually played to 15 or 21 points with at least a two-point margin. Unlike classic side-out volleyball scoring, no rally ever goes by without a point.
### What counts as a catch in Spikeball? A catch happens when the ball rests on your hand or arm for a moment instead of continuing its flight immediately. That's a fault because you're effectively carrying or holding the ball rather than striking it. The fix: always hit or push the ball, never hold onto it.
### Why is Roundnet called Spikeball? Spikeball is the brand name of the most popular set manufacturer – like Kleenex for tissues. The official sport name used by the world federation IRF is Roundnet. In everyday speech both terms are used interchangeably, but rulebooks and tournaments usually say "Roundnet."
Spikeball: Getting Started Overview