Hinders in Racquetball: When the Rally Is Replayed and When You Lose It

Two players, four walls, one ball and no net between you. The rules expect players to get in each other's way. The word hinder is their basic term for it. Here is the difference between a hinder that replays the rally and a hinder that loses you the rally, per the international IRF rules 2026–2028. For the basics of scoring, see racquetball rules.

When a rally ends

Under rule 1.3 a rally ends in three ways: a player fails to reach the ball before its second bounce on the floor, fails to get it to the front wall before it touches the floor, or a hinder is called. That third way is what we cover below.

Dead-ball hinder: the rally is replayed

A dead-ball hinder is interference after which the rally is replayed without penalty. Under rule 3.13 the rally is replayed and the server gets a first serve again. Rule 3.13a lists six situations:

1. Court hinder: an obstruction caused by the court itself.
2. The ball hits an opponent in flight. But if the ball lacked the speed and direction to reach the front wall, no hinder is called and the player who hit it loses the rally (3.13a2).
3. Body contact between players that prevents play.
4. Backswing hinder: you hit your opponent on the backswing, or they hit you.
5. Safety holdup: you hold up your swing because you could hit your opponent.
6. Other interference.

The backswing hinder and the safety holdup are a matter of fair play. If you would probably hit your opponent with the ball or the racquet, you can stop play and ask for a hinder. The request must come immediately and the referee must approve it (3.13a5).

Who has to move

This is the core of the whole rule and the biggest source of arguments. Rule 3.13c says that the side that has just hit the ball must move so that the receiver can go straight to the ball and has an unobstructed view. At the same time, though, the receiver must make a genuine effort to play the ball. A hinder is not a right to a replay whenever you do not feel like running.

In practice it means: you have hit the ball, now immediately look where it is going and make room for your opponent. Standing still and waiting to see where the ball lands is exactly what gets you into the next section.

Avoidable hinder: loss of the rally

An avoidable hinder, interference that could have been prevented, means loss of the rally under rule 3.14. The other side gets the point and intent is not required. The rule lists nine situations:

• failure to move out of the opponent's way,
• stroke interference,
• blocking the path to the ball,
• moving into the ball, that is putting yourself in its path,
• pushing the opponent,
• intentional distraction,
• view obstruction,
• wetting the ball,
• loss of equipment that interferes with play (eyewear and the wrist cord are always an avoidable hinder).

A wet ball not corrected before the serve is an avoidable hinder against the server (3.14h).

So the difference between the two kinds of hinder is not what happened, but whether you could have avoided it. An opponent hit by your ball in flight has caused a dead-ball hinder. Whoever puts themselves in the path of a ball the opponent has just hit, or stands in front of your racquet, commits an avoidable hinder (3.14c, 3.14d).

Appeals

When a match is officiated by line judges as well as the referee, under rule 5.7 you may appeal every call except the referee's technical penalties and a match forfeit. There is a limit: in each game you have at most two unsuccessful appeals (5.7a). If, on the other hand, your appeal succeeds and the call is changed in your favour, you get the point and the appeal is not counted. A denied appeal costs an appeal and the opponent gets the point (5.7).

Mind the word "unsuccessful". What counts is not how many times you appeal, but how many times it fails. Two denied appeals in one game and you have none left.

How it shows in the score

Under IRF rule 1.4 both the serving and the receiving side score points. Loss of serve in singles is a side out, in doubles first a handout and then a side out. A match is the best of five games, all to 11 with a two-point margin, no cap. An avoidable hinder means loss of the rally and a point for the other side (3.14).

Did you know?

• Under the IRF the receiver scores too (1.4).
• All surfaces are in play, including the ceiling and the back wall, except gallery openings and the back wall above 3.66 m (12 ft) (2.1a).
• The racquet's wrist cord must be on your wrist at all times (2.4c) and protective eyewear is compulsory (2.5).
• The racquet may be at most 55.9 cm (22 in) long (2.4a); the ball is 5.7 cm (2 ¼ in) in diameter and weighs about 40 g (2.2a).

What a correct serve looks like and what a screen serve is are covered in the racquetball serve.