How to Play Spikeball
In the mood for some friendly competition? Head to the backyard with your three closest pals and enjoy a fun game of Spikeball. The game is a lot like volleyball in terms of both rules and scoring, but the equipment is much different. It doesn’t take long to learn how to play Spikeball, and once you know, it translates into hours of fun!
To play Spikeball, you need a “spikeball:” a small, plastic bouncy ball. You also need a “net,” which is basically a small trampoline that’s raised 8 inches above the ground.
When you have your equipment set up, stand next to your teammate on one side of the net, just like in volleyball. Once everything and everyone is in place, you can start serving.
Rules of Spikeball
Like in volleyball, one team will start by serving the ball to the other team. The ball must bounce on the net, then the receiving team has 3 hits to volley and spike the ball back to the serving team.
How many players?
Spikeball is always played with an even number of players. Ideally, you’ll have 4 players—2 teams of 2. If you have a little bit larger of a group, that’s fine, too. Six players can play Spikeball, but the room around the net can get a bit crowded.
Scoring in Spikeball
The interesting thing about Spikeball is that you can earn points by “rally scoring”—you can earn points if you’re on the serving or receiving team. Games are usually played to a score of 11, 15 or 21, and as a general rule, games must be won by two points. When an opposing player causes the following actions, you earn points in Spikeball:
- The ball hits the ground
- The ball hits the rim of the net
- The ball rolls, instead of bouncing, across the net
- The same player hits the ball more than one time during a volley
- A player catches or throws the ball—it must always be a clean hit
- The ball bounces back and hits the net
- The server faults twice in a row
Learning how to play Spikeball is a bit complex, but once you get the hang of this action-packed game, you’ll feel a surge in your competitive spirit. With a little bit of effort, the challenging game of Spikeball might just become the go-to backyard activity for you and your friends.