Rules Committee: Draft of IRF Rules
UPDATE: 10/21/2021 - IRF member NGBs approved the provisional rules presented in this article through a vote in our 2021 General Assembly.
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In June, the IRF board put together its first rules committee. The goal was to create a draft of competition rules that can be used by member NGBs to govern international play. The committee was composed of players and leaders from 5 different countries and 3 continental regions.
The objective of the committee was to help establish the IRF’s baseline ruleset. As such, the focus was not on introducing new rules, concepts, or formats. Instead, the work was about creating a clear, universally understood ruleset that could serve as a foundation for further development.
Scope of Work
Clarity - Identify areas of confusion that make the rules less effective as an international standard. (ie measurement lengths, colloquial idioms, unclear phrasing, etc.)
Evaluation - Determine any specific rules that need further evaluation (ie provisional rules) to understand their impact from an international context.
Opportunity - Look for any other opportunities to improve, simplify, or create greater shared understanding around the ruleset (formatting, examples, images, missing info, etc.).
Rules Draft
No rules will be official until a vote by the General Assembly. The draft attached here is presented now so that the international community can have a chance to review the rules, test them out, and make informed decisions.
By design, these rules do not introduce many new concepts or changes. In this iteration, the goal was not to transform, but rather to translate. We started with the SRA Rules since they are the most universally adopted ruleset and made revisions for clarity, conciseness, and cohesiveness for an international community.
From this draft, the committee determined a number of rules to be provisional.
Provisional Rules
What are provisional rules?
Provisional rules are rule changes that have been determined need more research, testing, or time before making them a permanent part of the ruleset. As a young sport provisional rules provide an important mechanism that allows the IRF to efficiently target areas of confusion, complexity, or imbalance in the sport.
Provisional rules are required to be used in all IRF sanctioned events. After a provisional rule is implemented it will at some point be accepted, rejected, or fine-tuned based on the results. Not all rule changes need to begin as a provisional rule. Rather, provisional rules are reserved for cases where there is an opportunity to positively impact the sport, but unknowns still exist that warrant further evaluation. In addition, labeling something as a provisional rule lets NGBs, players, and community leaders know that this is an area where experimentation, testing, and feedback are most needed.
Current Provisional Rules
Serving Height
This rule greatly reduces the subjectivity of evaluating serves. The question that remains is whether shoulder height is the right place to draw the line or whether a higher serving zone creates even more played points without creating too many aces. Using “athletic stance” has created an easier reference point for observers, however it comes with some subjectivity.
4.4.8. Serves may not be higher than a receiver's shoulder when in an athletic stance.
4.5.1.3. A receiver’s athletic stance establishes the serving zone. An athletic stance is defined by slightly bent knees, feet slightly wider than shoulder distance apart, and chest positioned over feet.
4.6.9. Every part of the ball is over the highest point of the receiver’s shoulders when they contact the ball or when the ball passes them. If, in the act of receiving, the receiver lowers their shoulders, the shoulder height will be judged off their prior athletic stance. If, in the act of receiving, the receiver raises their shoulders, the shoulder height will be judged off their new position.
No Hit Zone
This rule increases defensive opportunities, rallies, and athleticism in the sport. The questions that remain are appropriateness at different levels of play and reducing the risk of injuries.
5.6.1. The 90 cm (3 feet) area from the center of the net is the No Hit Zone. The final hit of all possessions must be initiated outside of this area.
5.6.2. It is a loss of point for the hitting team if on the final hit of the possession the hitting player makes contact on or within the No Hit Zone while in the act of hitting. This includes contacting a player who is on or within the No Hit Zone. (i.e. the hitter may not use another player inside the No Hit Zone to reestablish their bodily control.)
5.6.2.1. The act of hitting includes the swing, the follow-through, and the momentum from the action.
5.6.2.2. It is a loss of point if the player’s momentum causes the player to contact anything within the No Hit Zone, including another player.
5.6.2.3. It is a loss of point even if the ball is declared dead before the player makes contact within the No Hit Zone.
5.6.2.4. The hitter may only make contact within the No Hit Zone after demonstrating the momentum from the action has stopped and reestablishing bodily control.
5.6.2.5. If equipment inadvertently falls off a player’s body and lands in the No Hit Zone, it is not a violation. For example a hat falls off and lands in the No Hit Zone.
5.6.3. If a player has touched the No Hit Zone for any reason, that player cannot make the final hit of a possession until both feet have made contact with the playing surface completely outside the No Hit Zone.
5.6.4. A player may enter the No Hit Zone at any time except when that player is making the final hit of a possession.
Carries
Here the committee made a recommendation to change the rule around illegal contacts to allow much more leniency on first touches. It was a large change without significant testing in actual competition. Ultimately, this recommendation was beyond the scope of establishing a baseline for the rules. That said, the IRF board agreed with the direction and intention of the proposal and will promote getting the idea more testing. As such, this recommendation did not make its way into the Rule Draft, but we are including it here so the community can test it out and give feedback:
5.3.2. The ball must not be caught and/or carried. The ball can rebound in any direction. Exception see rule 5.3.2.2.1.
5.3.2.1. A catch happens if the ball comes to a rest on any part of the player.
5.3.2.2. A carry happens when contact with the ball is extended momentarily.
5.3.2.2.1. On the first hit of a possession, carries are legal.
Principles
As a final note, the rules committee discussed some high-level principles that rule changes should abide by:
Keep within the sound tradition of the sport
Create balance between all aspects of the game
Attract spectators and athletes
Promote player safety
A lot of work has been put into this process and we’d like to thank everyone who has contributed. If you have feedback on the rule draft, you can share it through this form.
We know this is just the start and are excited to continue work on this important step for the sport!
