One team may not have more than one consecutive possession of the Slappyball without the ball at least touching a member of the opposing team. *The only exception to this rule is when a defensive penalty is committed.

A possession is defined as being in complete control of the ball; simply making contact with the ball does not constitute a possession.

A team's possession terminates when: 1) an errantly passed or carelessly dropped ball strikes the ground without being deflected or touched in any way by an opposing player 2) a shot is attempted 3) the ball exits the playing area without being deflected or touched in any way by an opposing player 4) an offensive penalty is committed If a team's possession ends as a result of #1, the other team gains immediate possession of the ball at the approximate spot where it touched the ground.

Once a passed, shot, or held ball comes into contact with a member of the opposing team, it becomes "a live ball," meaning that either team may pick up the ball and, thus, gain possession of it.

The ball may only be advanced offensively by passing or shooting it, or through defensive penalties. Running or walking while in possession of the ball may not be used as a means of ball movement and will result in an offensive penalty. However, if a player's momentum causes him or her to take more than the allowed number of steps, no penalty should be enforced provided that the player has made an honest attempt to stop in as few steps as possible.

While in possession of the ball, a player may use a planted foot to pivot into better passing or shooting positions. Any defending player must allow approximately three feet of space between himself and the player in possession of the ball. However, defensive players not defending the player in possession of the ball may play the other offensive player as closely as possible without foul.

-------------Shooting-------------

A shot is defined as an intentional slap with the hand of the ball toward the goal by an offensive player who may have possession but must not have control of the ball at the time it is released. In other words, a single instant must exist just before the ball is shot in which it is not in contact with any player on the field, including the shooter. Also, a shot must have intent. A pass or a live ball that accidentally caroms off of an offensive player does not count as a shot and, if it goes into the goal, does not count as a goal.

Throwing, kicking, passing, etc. of the ball into the goal will result in an "illegal shot" penalty. The ball must be slapped with an open hand; a closed hand or fist shot will also result in an illegal shot penalty. A shot on the goal may be deflected by a different player on the offensive team before it reaches the goal or comes into contact with a defensive player. However, the ball may not be picked up or gained control of in any way, but simply slapped, or redirected, at the goal. This option may be repeated infinitely until the ball goes into the goal, exits the playing area, or is picked up by a member of the opposing team, provided that a single player on the offensive team does not redirect the shot more than one consecutive time.

The ball may be shot from the held position, from a pass, during a live ball, or during a teammate's shot (redirection). However, a ball slapped during a live ball is not considered a shot until it enters the goal, and a ball slapped from a pass, presuming that it has the intent of entering the goal, is not considered a shot until it either goes into the goal or hits the ground. NOTE: This rule allows for a pass to be tipped into the air to oneself or to a teammate before it is caught. Realize that an intended "tip-pass" that strikes the ground is counted as a dropped pass, not a shot.

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A goal is worth one point, unless it is scored beyond the mid-field line, in which case it is worth two points. Games are played to 6 points, with 3 or more points by one team designating the end of the first half. All games are played using an official regulation size, 6 inch diameter, inflatable rubber ball, known as a Slappyball. All games should be played on a regulation size field, 120 feet in length by 50 feet in width, with a goal of width 5 Banny feet, or approximately 5' 4", and an approximate height of 2 feet 6 inches being placed at the center of each end line. The field should be of well-groomed grass, with some form of identification denoting the center of the field, known as "mid-field." All boundaries should be marked by lines, cones, or any other appropriate boundary markers.

Goals may be guarded by either member of the defending team at any time, but at no instant during the game should a goal area be occupied by more than one defensive player.

Each game begins with a jump ball, or a live ball tossed directly overhead of two players, one from each team, at the center of the field. The jump ball can not be caught, but must be tipped out of the center to another player on either team. The ball may be tossed by another player or by an impartial bystander.

A ball that crosses either side boundary of the playing area must re-enter the field as a pass from the approximate spot where it went out of bounds by the appropriate team. A ball that crosses an end boundary of the playing area, if last touched by the team trying to score at that goal, must also re-enter the field as a pass from the approximate spot where it went out of bounds by the team defending that goal. If the ball crosses an end boundary and is last touched by the team defending the goal at that end, the ball must re-enter the field by means of a "corner slap," a slap of the ball into the playing area that may count as a shot, a pass, or a live ball, from the corner of the field closest to where the ball went out of bounds by the team trying to score at that end.

At the conclusion of the first half, the teams trade ends, with the team that has just scored beginning on defense, and the team that has last been scored upon beginning on offense. The first team to score six points, using any combination of 1 or 2 point goals, wins the game. A Slappyball match is defined as a best-of-three game series between two teams. To win a match, a team must simply win two of the three games.

Uniforms should consist of a short sleeve or sleeveless tee shirt bearing a recognizable form of player identification, most commonly a player's name, number, or a combination of both. A competitor's shorts should be loose and comfortable, not restrictive. Hats or other head coverings are permitted but not required. All players should wear tennis shoes; sandals, shoes containing cleats, boots, etc. are not allowed.

A Slappyball team must be composed of two players, either or both of whom may be male or female.

Slappyball is a sport that was invented by average, hard-working, fun-loving, insignificant Americans. It is a simple sport created by the people for the people amidst the hardships, strains, and complexities of modern day society, and to this day, its ultimate goal remains to please and entertain the masses. As a result, it does not, in any way, discriminate against anyone on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, age, religion, or physical handicap.