Court Handball Has Rules for Broken Balls

In June 2006, the US Handball Association (USHA) issuesd changes to the rules regarding broken balls.

Under 4.3 A. Dead-ball Serves, change:
2.) Broken ball. If the ball is determined to have broken before the serve has become a legal serve, an approved ball must be put into play and the serve shall be replayed. (See Rule 4.6.J)

Under 4.6, change:
J. Broken ball. If there is any suspicion that a ball has broken on the serve or during a rally, play continues until the end of the rally. An official or any player may request that the ball be examined by the referee. If the referee decides the ball is broken, an approved ball must be put into play and the point replayed. Once a succeeding serve is attempted, the previous rally stands. (See Rule 4.3.A.2)

Under Part 4, Rule 4.6.J, change:
Interpretation No. 8. The ball does not have to be completely broken to warrant a replay. A ball this starting to crack will often have an erratic bounce. The referee should call for a replay only if he/she determines that a ball has cracked sufficiently to cause an erratic bounce. If a player suspects a ball has cracked, he/she should immediately toss it to the referee for inspection. No player shall make any physical effort to determine if the ball is cracked or otherwise unplayable without the express consent of the referee. This is solely the referee’s responsibility and he/she will make the replay call if necessary. At the referee’s discretion, if a ball is found to be unplayable due to the unauthorized physical efforts of any player, it shall be deemed to have been made unplayable by that player’s actions and not during the rally, and the preceding rally shall not be replayed.

References:
US Handball Association – www.ushandball.org
Photo – http://www.frankiemail.com/2012_05_01_archive.html

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