HOW TO PLAY

SERVING

Pick a player. Have them take a shot from the outfield boundary, aiming for the center board. If they hit, they serve first. If they miss, the other team serves first.

The server stands in the middle of the field, two big steps back from the crease. The team serving is on offense to start, and can win a point on this rally. The other team is on defense, and must win the rally to gain possession, and serve on the next rally.

RALLY

A rally begins with the server's shot. A shot is any throw made by an offensive player with the intent to hit the board. After a shot hits the board, the opposing team must catch the ball before it lands in bounds. The team with the ball is allowed up to 2 passes, before having to take their own shot. A pass is any throw intended for one's teammate.

In general, the player with the ball is not allowed any steps, and can only move around a single pivot foot. That said, there are two scenarios in which the player with the ball may take some steps:

• A single step is allowed if stepping into a shot or pass. They may also step into a jump shot or pass, as long as they complete the throw before landing. This rule is important, because the best plays come from stepping into a jump shot.
• A player may take as many steps as necessary to complete a catch. A catch is completed when the player has gained full control of the ball (no more bobbles). Just beware that after first contact with the ball is made, opposing players are allowed to knock it down.

A player in the process of completing a catch is allowed to do so out of bounds. If they do, they may return to the field of play at the same point at which they exited. Or, they can shoot/pass from where they stand. Note that this rule only applies for catches of an opposing teams shot - not for passes. You must remain in bounds when catching a pass from your teammate.

The official rule is that you can only hold the ball for a max of 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, the player with the ball must shoot from where they stand. If you're playing seriously, we recommend you enforce this rule. If not, feel free to ignore it.

The team without the ball may knock down any pass the offense tries to make. They may also knock down any balls bobbled up by opposing player when they are attempting to complete a catch. Any legal knockdown ends the rally. The may not, however, block any clear shots. If it is not clear whether a blocked throw was a pass or shot, redo the point. If a player wants to make it clear they are going to shoot, rather than pass, they can say "shot" out loud. After a player announces their shot, they can no longer pass and the opposing team must offer a clear shot at the board.

You may find that allowing players to block shots adds a bit more intensity to game play, as it forces players to play more quickly. If intensity is what you're looking for, give this rule variation a shot! Though, to avoid stalemates, we recommend still allowing players to call "shot" to force the opposing team to offer them a clear shot at the board. This should also give the catching team time to get into better positions.

SCORING

The serving team is on offense. The opposing team is on defense. You can only score a point when it is your serve. This makes changes of possession important. A change of possession refers to a switch of the team that's serving.

The result of a rally depends on how it ends:

*If the block was unintentional, or if it was not clear if the throw was a shot or a pass, the rally should be restarted.

Games are played to 11, win by 2.

FOR CONSIDERATION

You may find you prefer rally scoring (in which a point is scored after each rally, regardless of serve). If you do choose rally scoring, consider playing games to 21.

Try playing three on three, or four on four. If you do increase the team size, try removing the outfield boundary.

If you are cool enough to have two Hunnyball sets, try playing with two boards facing one another. Join the two boundaries at the end of the sidelines. Both teams can use either board to score.

Note: We created these rules based on our favorite way to play Hunnyball. Feel free to follow them exactly, or adjust them slightly. Play however you like. That said, our goal is to eventually have tournaments, and at those tournaments our rules will reign supreme. Everyone knows you always play house rules.