Questions about "out" rules
Published: 19 Jan 2010 - 12:06 by Treppy
Updated: 20 Jan 2010 - 08:50
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New to the sport, I'm in an area where nobody's ever even heard of squash let alone knows the rules, so I had some questions which I couldn't find in the rulebook, or at least couldn't understand.
#1
The concept of the "out" line. Does being "out" only happen to balls before they legally hit the front wall, or at any time?
For example:
If I return a ball and it hits the front wall legally, then bounces off the front wall and hits a side wall above the out line, then bounces legally on the floor, is it out?
#2
Also, what happens when a ball is smashed off the front wall at a downward angle with such power that it hits the front wall legally, hits the floor legally, then flies out of the court entirely?
#3
And lastly, why do people bother building exhibition courts with "out" lines at all? Seems like the plexiglass walls could simply be built up to the point where the out line would begin. That is, the walls of the court would simply stop at the "out" line and anything that goes over them would be out. There would be no need for a ref to call it--if it goes out of the court, it's out. If it doesn't, it's not.
It's not like it would pose a big threat to spectators like a foul ball in baseball. In my opinion that would also make it easier for spectators to watch the game, since there isn't extra plexiglass above the bounds of the court, blocking spectators' view. It would also make the court look way cleaner, IMHO, because you wouldn't have a "stepped" look to the side walls, the actual plexiglass itself would slope down. It would look great.
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From mike - 20 Jan 2010 - 08:50
From rippa rit - 20 Jan 2010 - 06:52 - Updated: 20 Jan 2010 - 06:53
The WSF have a rules forum with Q & A covering many aspects of on court instances, take a look.
From KOFFA - 19 Jan 2010 - 23:58 - Updated: 19 Jan 2010 - 23:58
#2--why a LET? When the ball leaves the playing area, it is out.
From rippa rit - 19 Jan 2010 - 19:42
The Squash Library/Rules Spec (see the tab above) will give you good reading in the rules and their intrepretation.
From Treppy - 19 Jan 2010 - 18:48
Thanks for your reply and explanation. It seems that there are some courts that have already implemented my suggestion of having no 'out' line and sloped side walls. In my opinion this court looks great, no huge walls blocking the view (though the colors aren't exactly my style) :)
From mike - 19 Jan 2010 - 14:12
#1 - this is out, doesn't matter if the ball goes out before or after hitting the front wall. Similarly, with a drop shot if the ball hits the front wall above the tin, bounces off the front wall, but still catches the tin on the way to the floor it is down.
#2 - LET. Probably impossible with a double yellow dot ball, but Rule 13.2.4 defines it as a let.
#3 - That would look good, though possibly manufacturing or assembly constraints require square panels?
If you're unsure of where to find the rules go to worldsquash.co.uk and download the Singles Rules PDF. The abbreviated rules do a good job of covering the most common situations, but the complete rules should help you get the full picture.
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KOFFA - It's a let because rule 13.2.4 says it is. If you read that rule you'll see it explicitely covers the exact situation when the ball goes out after bouncing on the floor.
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