Hexball scoring: the rules and a free score keeper
Hexball is a two-a-side ball game played on a six-sided court with a volleyball and an adjustable net. It is quick to learn and suits all ages, genders and body types. The scoring is simple, but the serve does not work like volleyball: it changes on a fixed pattern, whoever wins the rally, and the server alternates inside each team too. Our free Hexball scorer keeps track of all of it on a phone at the side of the court.
The court, net and ball
- The court is a regular hexagon with sides of 4.5 m. A level area of about 10 m by 10 m is enough, indoors or outdoors, on grass, sand or a hard floor.
- The net runs between two opposite corners of the hexagon, so each team defends half of the hexagon.
- The net height is adjusted to the reach of the shortest player on the court.
- A standard volleyball is used: 65–67 cm around and 260–280 g.
Teams
- Each team has two players on court. There is also a one-player version with adapted rules.
- No substitutes are allowed.
- Players do not have to rotate positions. When the ball is served, the non-serving players must be inside their own court.
Points, sets and the match
- Every rally scores a point. You score when the opponents cannot return the ball into your court within their allowed touches.
- A set is won by the first team to 11 points with a lead of at least two. There is no cap: at 10–10 play goes on until one team is two ahead (12–10, 13–11 and so on).
- A match is the best of three sets. At higher levels and in the final stages of a competition it may be the best of five.
- If the sets are one-all, a deciding third set is played.
The app offers sets to 7, 11, 15 or 21 and one set, best of three or best of five, so you can shorten matches for juniors or long event days.
The serve: who serves next
This is the part most new players and scorers get wrong. In Hexball the serve does not go to the team that won the rally. It follows the score:
- The first team serves one point. After that, the serve changes to the other team every second point. In practice the serve changes whenever the total number of points played is odd: after 1, 3, 5, 7… points.
- When both teams are within two points of winning the set, for example 9–9 in a set to 11, the serve changes after every point until the set ends.
- Inside each team the two players take turns: a team-mate serves the team's next serve.
- The serving order is decided at the start of the match and stays the same for the whole match.
A worked example
Thabo and Lindiwe play Sipho and Anika in a set to 11. Thabo wins the toss and serves first; Sipho will serve first for his team.
| Score before the serve | Server | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0–0 | Thabo | He serves the first point. |
| 1–0 | Sipho | One point played (odd), so the serve changes, even though Thabo's team won the rally. |
| 1–1 | Anika | Two points played (even): same team, but the team-mate serves. |
| 2–1 | Lindiwe | Three points played (odd): the serve changes, and it is Lindiwe's turn in her team. |
| 2–2 | Thabo | Even total: Thabo and Lindiwe keep the serve and take turns. |
| … | ||
| 8–8 | Thabo | Normal pattern. |
| 8–9 | Sipho | Odd total: the serve changes. |
| 9–9 | Lindiwe | Both teams are two points from 11, so from here the serve changes every point. |
| 10–9 | Anika | Every point now. Set point to Thabo and Lindiwe. |
| 11–9 | Set to Thabo and Lindiwe. | |
The app shows who serves on every point, who in the other team serves next, and a "serve changes every point" reminder once the end of the set is near. It treats "within two points of winning" as both teams on 9 or more in a set to 11 (or the same two points short in other set lengths), as in the Hexball SA example. In the next set the other team serves first, and each team carries on its own turn order.
Serving rules
- The server stands behind the end line that runs parallel to the net, and may only step into the court after hitting the ball.
- The serve must be hit cleanly, with any part of the body.
- A serve that touches the net is good as long as it lands in the opponents' court.
- The serve must be made within 12 seconds of the end of the previous rally. The app can show a 12-second serve clock after each rally.
- A serve that does not cross the net is a fault. A serve cannot be blocked.
Playing the ball
- Each team has up to three touches to return the ball over the net.
- On suitable surfaces a team may let the ball bounce once, but the bounce counts as one of the three touches.
- A player may not hit the ball twice in a row, unless they have no team-mate.
- No catching, holding or throwing. Any part of the body may be used, as long as the contact is clean and quick.
- A double touch (changing the ball's direction twice in one contact) is not allowed, except when bringing a hard-driven spike under control.
Blocking and spikes
- The ball may be blocked at the net, except on the serve. A block does not count as one of the three touches.
- If the blocker touches the ball and it stays on the blocker's side, play continues.
- The blocker may not interfere with the attacker's shot before the attacker has hit the ball.
- Downward attacking shots (spikes) are limited for a taller side against a shorter one (60 mm or more difference), men against women, seniors against juniors and veterans, and higher-tier against lower-tier players. Spiking directly onto a player in one of these match-ups loses the rally. A looped ball, hit upwards, is not a spike.
You can mark one team as spike-limited when you set up a match, and the app shows the reminder on that team's side.
Faults: what loses the rally
| Situation | Result | In the app |
|---|---|---|
| An attacking ball lands outside the opponents' court without an opponent touching it | Point to the opponents | Tap the other team |
| The serve does not cross the net | Point to the receiving team | Tap the receiving team |
| The ball does not cross the net within three touches (a bounce counts as a touch) | Point to the opponents | Tap the other team |
| A player touches the net during play (hair does not count) | Point to the opponents | Tap the other team |
| A player crosses the line under the net and interferes with the opponents | Point to the opponents | Tap the other team |
| A double hit, a catch or throw, or a spike onto a player by a spike-limited team | Point to the opponents | Tap the other team |
| The serve is not made within 12 seconds | As the referee rules | Tap the team the referee awards the rally to |
Changing sides, time-outs and intervals
- The teams change sides after every set.
- In the deciding set, they also change sides when the first team reaches 5 points in a set to 11. The score and the server stay the same.
- Each team may call one 30-second time-out per set.
- The interval between sets is 1 minute.
The app reminds you when to change sides and counts down time-outs and the interval between sets.
Cards and penalty points
| Card | Meaning | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Warning | 1 point to the opponents |
| Red | Player sent off for the rest of the set | 2 points to the opponents |
| Red and yellow together | Player sent off for the rest of the match | 3 points to the opponents, carried over into the next set if the set ends first |
In the app, tap Card for the team and choose the player and card. The penalty points are added for you, the player is marked off, and a team-mate carries on alone. If a team has nobody left, it loses the set (after red cards) or the match.
When a player has to leave
Because there are no substitutes, a team-mate may choose to carry on alone if their partner has to leave the court. The remaining player may then play all three of the team's touches, and while they play against two opponents a bounce no longer counts as a touch on their side. Use Player leaves in the app: it updates the touches reminder, keeps the serve with the remaining player, and ends the match if the team cannot continue.
Officials
A referee runs the match. At tier 3 events and higher there must also be an assistant referee, who keeps the score. That is exactly what the app is for: the assistant referee taps the team that wins each rally and calls out the server, while the referee watches the play.
Hexball in South Africa
Hexball is organised by Hexball SA, with clubs registering players for the season. Events are run in five tiers: Local club events, Local Legends, provincial Opens, Invitationals and the National Championships, and players are ranked provincially and nationally from their first event. Divisions include boys, girls and mixed juniors, men's, women's and mixed seniors, and veterans' men's, women's and mixed. See hexball.africa for clubs, events and the official rules. Club events are easy to run with our free tournament manager, and a run of club nights can feed a series ranking.
Scorer's checklist
- Agree the format: points per set (11 is standard), the number of sets, and whether the surface allows a bounce.
- Toss, and enter who serves first in each team. The order stays the same for the whole match.
- Tap the team that wins each rally. Faults count as a rally won by the other team.
- Call the server before each serve. Remember that winning a rally does not win the serve.
- Watch for "serve changes every point" near the end of each set, and the change of sides at 5 in the deciding set.
- After the last rally, read out the set scores, for example "11–7, 9–11, 11–8", and save the result.
Glossary
- Dig: the first touch, controlling the opponents' attack.
- Set: the second touch, placing the ball for a team-mate to attack. Also a game to 11 points.
- Spike: a downward attacking hit.
- Looped ball: an attacking hit angled upwards. It is not a spike.
- Block: stopping the ball at the net. It does not count as a touch.
- Line and cross: the two channels a blocker can cover, straight down the side and diagonally across the court.
How to use the Hexball scorer
- Choose two against two or the one-player version, enter the names, and pick the points per set and the number of sets. Tick the bounce option if the surface allows a bounce, mark a spike-limited team if there is one, and switch on the 12-second serve clock if you want it.
- Select who serves first in each team. If you got it wrong, use Swap server before the first point.
- Tap the team that wins each rally. The server, who serves next, set and match points, the change of sides and the end of each set are worked out for you.
- Use Undo if you tap the wrong team, the time-out buttons when a team calls one, and Card or Player leaves when needed.
- The finished match is saved under My results and can be shared. In a tournament, enter the match code and the result goes straight into the draw. Tap Scoreboard to show the score on a TV for spectators.
These notes summarise the Hexball SA official rules (2024 update) for club play. For tournaments, follow the current official rules at hexball.africa and your event's regulations.