Roundnet
When first watching roundnet, one may wonder what exactly is going on. Four people running and diving around a kind of trampoline, trying in every possible way to hit a ball into the trampoline. It is somewhat akin to volleyball, but in Roundnet the ball actually has to be hit ín the net. For many people, however, those initial question marks soon turn into enthusiasm to join in.
Roundnet, also known as Spikeball, was first introduced in 1989. But since 2008 the sport has really started to take off, especially in America where in that year Spikeball Inc. was founded (hence ‘Spikeball’ as a synonym for ‘roundnet’). This organisation is responsible for the enormous growth in America and beyond. More than 4 million people worldwide now play the sport and there is continued growth in games and tournaments. A great example of the global growth is the organisation of the first roundnet world championship in 2021, not in America, but just around the corner in Belgium.
But how do you play roundnet? Read the description below, or check this video! For the complete set of rules, check https://www.usaroundnet.org/rules.
The sport is played in teams of 2 v 2 and the ball is put into play by a service on one player of the other team. All players stand ready at the service as shown here:
It is then the task of the receiving team to play the ball back to the net within up to three contacts. When this succeeds, the other may start performing this and this continues until one team fails in this. Then the rally is over, and the winning team of the rally gets to serve.
Rallies are incredibly dynamic because the game has no fixed formation after the service, and all players are allowed to move 360 degrees around the net.