| FIGURE 1: NET COURT DIMENSIONS |
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Footbag net is a court game played either one-on-one or two-on-two (singles or doubles) over a 5 ft. net. It combines basic kicks, serves, spikes and digs. Each player or team attempts to score points while serving. In singles play, two kicks are allowed per side. In doubles play, three kicks are allowed per side and players (teammates) must alternate contacts. The court is 20 ft. wide and a total of 44 ft. in length, with the net dividing the court into two 22 ft. deep courts. The court is also divided down the center to form four equal serving quadrants.
The purpose of the following rules is to provide guidelines to best describe how footbag net is played. Since its inception, footbag net has relied on good sportsmanship and fair play by all players. Therefore, the players have a basic responsibility to play within the regulations set forth and to have mutual respect for all opponents and fellow players. Violations of the player's basic responsibilities may result in penalties and disqualification by the tournament director.
| FIGURE 1: NET COURT DIMENSIONS |
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A. Choice of Footbag: Prior to the start of play, players (teams) shall decide which footbag will be used in the game (match). In case of disagreement, tournament officials will provide a footbag.
B. Footbag Dimensions: Footbags used in regulation footbag net play must fall within specifications set forth in Article 1, Section 106.01-D.
C. Coin Toss: A flip of the coin will be used before the first game (and third game if necessary ) to determine service or side. The player (team) who wins the coin flip has the option to serve first or defend a court side. The player (team) who does not make the call of the coin toss in the first game calls the coin toss in the third game, if necessary.
D. Ready for Service: Each person shall be in a ready position preparing for play by either standing in the proper receiving quadrant or standing behind the service line. Server must wait until receiver is ready.
E. Changing Sides. Players (teams) switch sides before the second game of a match. In the third game of a match, or in a match of only one game, players switch sides at 6 points for a game played to 11, and they switch at 8 points for a game played to 15.
A. Live Footbag: The footbag is considered "live" beginning with the moment of contact by the server, and is considered "dead" as soon as the footbag touches the ground or anything beyond the court perimeter, drops below the net without going over it after a player or team has used the maximum allowable number of kicks, or a foul accurs, whichever comes first. Note: A Net Equipment Foul supersedes all other fouls, and may occur after the footbag would otherwise be declared dead (see 303.08-C).
B. Legal Kicks: A kick is legal when the footbag is contacted with one continuous striking motion by a legal kicking surface. This includes double hits, rolls, and pushes, as long as a striking motion is used and the delay, double hit, or roll is clearly accidental.
C. Player Classification: No player will be allowed to move down in division in the same tournament (using singles net as the standard). For instance, after playing singles footbag net in an advanced division, a player may not play doubles footbag net in a beginner division.
D. Doubles: In doubles net play:
303.03. Service:
Each server has one chance to get a good serve into the proper receiving
court (beginner classification is allowed two serve attempts). The serve
is made from behind the service line of either the right-hand or left-hand
court (see Service Rotation). If the serve hits the net, but still falls
over the net and into the
proper receiving court (a let serve), the server will be allowed a second
serve. A let serve on the second attempt causes a side out.
A. Hand Toss: The server must drop or toss the footbag into the air before kicking it over the net.
B. Service Rotation: When the serving person's or team's score is zero or even, service is made from the right-hand court; when the serving person's or team's score is odd, service is made from the left-hand court. Service goes cross court, from server's left to receiver's left, or server's right to receiver's right. In doubles, the serving team switches courts as necessary for the server to be in the correct court. Receiving teams do not switch courts.
C. Server Rotation: In doubles play, for each game of a match, the first team to serve chooses which player will begin service. After the first side out, the other team is also allowed to choose which player will serve first. For each subsequent side out of the game, service will rotate to each player in turn. In the second game of a multi-game match, the losing player or team serves first. A coin toss determines which team serves first in a third game. When no scorekeeper is present and a team has served out of order, the team loses the serve and any points gained during the out of service foul. All players resume correct positions on the court.
D. Scoring: The server shall call the score before each serve.
E. Partner Position: In doubles net play, the server's partner is required to stand inside his respective quadrant during the service. Screening of the serve by the server's partner is a foul.
F. Support Leg Position: The support foot of the server must remain completely behind the boundaries (within sideline and centerline extensions) of the proper service quadrant until contact with the footbag has been made.
A. Point: A point is awarded to the serving team only. A point is awarded when the receiving player or team fails to return the footbag over the net and in-bounds in the allotted number of kicks (2 for singles, 3 alternating kicks in doubles) or commits a foul (see 303.08).
B. Side Out: Service shifts to the other player or team (a side out) when the serving player or team fails to serve into the proper service court, subsequently fails to return the footbag over the net and in-bounds in the allotted number of kicks, or commits a foul.
C. Game: A game is the first player or team to score 15 points. At the tournament director's discretion, preliminary games may be to 11 points. Players must win by 2 points.
D. Match: A match is the winner of two out of three possible games, except in consolation rounds or losers' bracket in double elimination tournaments when one game to 15 points makes a match.
303.05. Scorekeeper
Responsibilities:
Players may request non-biased scorekeepers or judges in any footbag net
match. The responsibilities of the scorekeeper are as follows:
A. Number Allowed: Three time-outs are permitted per team per match. No more than two time-outs per game are allowed.
B. Duration: Maximum time-out allowed during a game is two minutes. Between games, a maximum time of three minutes is allowed.
C. Injury Time-Outs: Injury time-outs may be called by the scorekeeper if necessary.
D. Penalty: If any of the above time-out rules is violated, a foul will be assessed (see 303.08).
303.08. Fouls:
If a foul is committed by the serving team, the result is a side out. If
a foul is committed by the receiving team, the result is a point for the
serving team. Except for delay of game, a foul may only occur while the
footbag is still "live" (See 303.02-A).
A. Consecutive Foul: In singles net, when a player contacts the footbag more than two consecutive kicks. In doubles net, when a player contacts the footbag twice in a row.
B. Delay Foul: When the footbag is delayed or stalled on the foot.
C. Net Equipment Foul: When any part of the body touches the net, the guide wires of the stanchions, or the stanchions themselves. For the purposes of a Net Equipment Foul, a point lasts 3 seconds after the footbag has been declared dead (according to 303.02-A).
D. Net Plane Foul: When a player touches the opponent while breaking the plane of the net (above or below the net).
E. Receiving Foul: In doubles net, when a player receives the serve out-of-order, a point is awarded to the serving team.
F. Service Line Foul: When the support foot of the server touches the service line or beyond before contacting the footbag on the serve. When the support foot is outside the sideline or center line extension.
G. Total Kick Foul: In singles net, when the footbag is contacted more than twice or in doubles net when the footbag is contacted more than three times before it is returned over the net.
H. Upper Body Foul: When the footbag comes in contact with any part of the upper body or clothing. Upper body is defined as the kneecap and above.
I. Delay of Game Foul: When a time-out exceeds its allotted time (see 303.06-B).
J. Interference Under Net Foul: When player contacts the footbag under the net on the opponent's side of the net before the bag has been declared dead (303.02-A).
Comment: The tournament director is responsible for determining seeding, and defines the tournament format. The following guidelines are suggested:
304.01. Seeding:
Seeding will be used in all IFPA sanctioned events to categorize the top
players in singles and doubles net play.
A. Tournament contributions: Seeding for each category is based upon the number of people a player has finished above in the previous year in that category, plus the results of the previous two annual tournaments of the event that is currently being seeded.
B. Points accumulation: One point, plus 1 for singles or plus 2 for doubles, will be awarded for each person a player finishes above in each category. Example: If 14 people entered a singles net competition, 1st place would get 14 points, 2nd place 13 points, 3rd place 12 points, and so on until the last place finisher gets 1 point; If 5 teams entered a doubles net event, each 1st place player would get 10 points, each 2nd place 8 points, and so on.
C. Submission of results for seeding: Results from all IFPA-sanctioned events should be sent within two weeks after event to:
James Harley, Net Committee Member (see IFC Roster, pp. VI-VII)
and should include the following:
D. Timing: The rankings will be updated when results from sanctioned events that meet seeding requirements are received.
E. Availability of seedings: Tournament directors should request the latest seeding results 2 weeks before an event, to be sent free-of-charge. Anyone may request the latest copy of seeding/ranking points; a small fee will be charged to cover printing and mailing costs. Direct requests to James Harley (refer to the IFC Member list for information).
F. Criteria: The ranking system will be used only to advise tournament directors in seeding. It should not be the only criteria used in seeding. Other criteria should include:
G. Usage of seeding: All players/teams shall be ranked and assigned a seeding number before competition begins. This seeding number will be referred to as their initial seeding and will be based on the best information available to the Tournament Director. Players will be distributed into the appropriate seed slots in brackets or pools based upon thier seed.
304.02. Double-Elimination Competitive Format: (see bracket examples, pp. 22-23)
A. Movement in Brackets: In a double elimination format, a player's first loss puts a player into the "losers' bracket". Such a player can continue to advance until his next loss. Ultimately, the winner in the losers' bracket faces the winner of the winners' bracket in the finals. The winners' bracket finalist has the advantage because he has not lost, and can win the event in one match. If the losers' bracket finalist wins the match, then the two players or teams are tied and another match is played to determine the winner of the event.
B. Game Length: In a double elimination format, the winners' bracket is normally played with matches being the best 2 out of 3 games to 11 points. However, the final four matches in an event (finals, finals of the winners' bracket, and the last two matches in the losers' bracket) are played best 2 out of 3 games to 15 points. In the losers' bracket, matches are a single game to 15 points, except for the last two as noted above. This shorter game length expedites the losers' bracket, which has more matches and can take longer to play. The tie-breaking match of the event (in case the losers' bracket finalist wins the first match against the winners' bracket finalist), may also be a single game to 15 points.
C. Consolation Brackets: In a consolation bracket format, the loser(s) in the first (and perhaps second) round go into a consolation bracket. They can advance in this bracket until their next loss. The winner of the consolation bracket, however, does not face the winner of the winners' bracket. Instead, they are simply the winner of the consolation bracket.
A. Movement in Pools: In pool format, players/teams are divided into pools, and tournament play consists of a number of rounds where the top 2 players /teams advance to the next round (or, more commonly, single-elimination playoff brackets). Play within a pool is round-robin; each player/team plays each other player/team. Pools should be run as follows:
B. Distribution in pools: Players will be distributed into pools based on their initial seeding. Pool sizes should be limited to 3, 4, and 5 with 4 being the optimal number. Pool sizes of 3 should only be used when there are more than 5 and less than 8 players/teams. See examples on p. 21.
C. Game Length: All matches within a pool will be best two-out-of-three games to 11 points.
D. Subsequent round(s): A player's/team's match record shall determine her/their seeding in the next round of play. Where there is a tie, initial seeding will determine who gets seeded higher in the next round (or bracket play). The following stipulations apply:
E. Consolation Brackets: In a consolation pool/bracket format, the loser(s) of the second or subsequent (usually single-elimination) round go into a consolation bracket to determine relative placement and future seeding of those players. They can advance in this bracket until their next loss. The winner of the consolation bracket, however, does not face the winner of any other bracket. Instead, they are simply the winner of that consolation bracket.
Center Line
Coin Toss
Fault:
Let Serve
Quadrant
Receiving Player or Team
Receiving Rotation
Screening
Seeding
Serve
Service Ace
Service Line
Serving Team
Side Line
Side Out
306. Double-Elimination Bracket
Examples:
Shown on the following pages are
5 to 8 person and 9 to 16 person brackets, with placements for each seed. If there
are fewer players than bracket slots, fill the lowest seeds (highest numbers)
with byes, and move the byes as you would a player that loses. If a division has
more than 16 players, pool format is highly recommended.
| Figure 2: 5-8 person bracket |
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| Figure 3: 9-to-16 Person Double-Elimination Bracket |
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307. Pool Format (round robin) Worksheet
Examples:
If the number of players is not
evenly divisible by 4, create as many 5-person pools as necessary (dotted lines
and gray numbers) to accomodate the extras.
Pool Competition Worksheet For 3 & 5 person pools, the game rotation is as follows: Example not currently available; check back!