How To Play

What are the rules?

The basic rules (no volley, no downplay) should be followed by all and by new forms of playing as this is essential to the concept of successful sports and education development. And all the other positive aspects we include in the concept will be promoted much more effectively by sticking to the characteristic rules!"

Play Street Racket

Serve & return:

You can play the ball directly out of your hand or after one bounce on the ground (this option also helps to create good rallies from the start as the personal preference on how to start a rally changes from player to player). The ball is then hit with the racket from the first square to the opposite side (over the middle zone into the third square). After leaving the racket, the ball must move in a upward motion or horizontally at least briefly (no downplay / no smashing!). The winner of a rally has the right to serve in the subsequent rally. The winner of a set opens the following set. After each set played, the sides are changed.

Positioning:

Street Racket wants to make racket sports accessible for all with as little complications as possible, and therefore the least possible amount of set rules. This is also the case with footwork/positioning. A player can stand wherever he likes during the rallies. There is only one exception: When serving (first shot of each rally) the player mustn't touch the middle section / middle square or the line thereof.

Valid point:

A valid point is described below as an example for a single game (1 player per side). Player A tries to score in the square of player B and vice versa. If the ball played by player A lands outside the target area /square of player B (and thus, for example, also in the middle zone), player B wins the point.

The ball has to bounce on the floor / in the opponents' square once (and only once!) before it is played back (no direct hitting / volley!). The ball can only bounce once, two consecutive bounces off the ground result in a mistake. If the ball touches the lines of a target zone, the ball is in and the game continues. For all shots / hits, the ball must first move upwards or horizontally after contact with the racket (no downplay / no smashing!). If the ball moves in a downward motion when changing directions (upon contact with the racket), the point is awarded to the opponent.

Important: The two rules "no downplay" and "no volley" are the heart of the Street Racket concept. These rules ensure that the game becomes more controlled and the actions become more successful. The focus of Street Racket is set on ball control, long rallies and the promoting of motor skills (hand eye coordination foremost) and successful racket sports in general. A player should be able to place the ball the way he wants at any given moment or the way the situation requires him to act. The basic rules ensure that there is enough time to do so and that no player can dominate a game or a rally (for example with force / power and hard hitting) and ALL can play. Street Racket is a game for everyone, including beginners WITH professionals, young WITH old, women WITH men. The Street Racket rules ensure a very social, benevolent and motivating atmosphere and do not exclude anyone! The concept therefore also promotes INCLUSION and INTEGRATION. It's suited for all playing levels and age groups.

Counting:

The winner of a rally gets one point. The player who wins 11 points first wins the set. There is no extension at 10:10, each set ends at 11 points. Normally the game is played "best of five", until one player has won three sets.

NOTE: Street Racket puts the focus mainly on cooperation before competition - and when played in groups the competition takes places as a team-challenge. Whichever team (or single player or pair) gets the longest rally / the most consecutive shots for any given exercises in a certain time frame wins the challenge.

Court(s):

The characteristic court (consisting of squares) can either be drawn on the floor (for example with chalk or paint) or marked in another way on the surface (for example with adhesive tape, masking tape or sports markers). Alternatively, the court can also be marked with flat objects. A street racket court consists of three squares of the same size arranged in a row and can be scaled (basic recommendation and tournament size: 2m per square - overall size 6x18ft for a single court). Thus, the movement game adapts flexibly to any available space and makes ideal use of the respective setting. The courts can really be used anywhere! Larger courts mean more and bigger movement / intensity, smaller courts increasingly train fine motor skills and ball control. Ideally players use different sizes to promote their motor skills even more and work on their differentiation skills. The middle squares replaces the net, which separates the parties in most racket sports. This also means: No purchase of a net, no setting up of a net, no maintenance, no poles, no holes. Just draw the court and play!

Street Racket ball:

The official Street Racket ball was specifically designed for the best results and for feelings of success and quick progress. The ball is soft, has a diameter of approx. 2.75inch and is bouncing just the right way to go with the rackets and the court system. The official Street Racket equipment is ideally suited for the various game forms and has been intensively developed and tested with thousands of players. Among other things, a Street Racket ball should not be too small and not too light, so it's not too difficult to play on uneven grounds and is not affected too much by the wind. It is also important that the ball cannot cause any damage to people and the environment and has to ideal rebound on the corresponding racket! Also, it should not soak up moisture as the ball would get too heavy and it would also leave marks when used indoors and outdoors.

Street Racket:

The wooden racket has a very nice feel to it and making contact with the ball is pleasant. The sound and the impact are both very soft. The ball can be hit easily by everyone from the very start.The light rackets have an enlarged face for a better hitting rate and the texture of the wood makes sure the racket / grip doesn't slip even with sweaty palms. Our rackets can also be self made! A lot of schools that work with Street Racket are making Rackets with/for their kids.