Fifteen pages for the first week with a net. How to put it up, how hard the ball should be, how the game works, and the arguments you are about to have with whoever you are playing against.
Most people arrive at this sport through a box with the word Spikeball on it and no idea that there is a sport underneath. That is the normal way in. Nobody here will correct you for using the brand name.
Written by Jakub Popluhar, roundnet coach since 2019, 1,000+ coaching hours, former national coach of Belgium. Rule references come from the International Roundnet Federation ruleset dated 17 July 2026.
What is roundnet?
Roundnet is the sport, Spikeball is the brand. The difference, the format, and who plays.
How do you play?
Serve, three touches, back onto the net. Everything you need for the first game.
The complete rules
The whole IRF ruleset in summary, with every detail page linked from it.
Setting up the net
Two minutes of assembly, and the tension test almost nobody knows about.
How hard should the ball be?
0.3 to 0.5 PSI, which is below what most pumps can read. How to judge it by hand.
Where can you play?
Grass, sand, hall or dirt. How much space, what about wind, and which shoes.
Did I buy a good set?
Three measurements tell you what you have. Plus spare parts, care and transport.
How the score works
Rally scoring, win by two, and what a hard cap is.
The three touch rule
Alternating touches, what counts as one hit, and the exception nobody knows.
When is the ball dead?
Rim, pocket, roll-up and the no hit zone. Two of these are legal.
Who decides when nobody agrees?
There is no referee at any level. How self-refereeing actually works.
Two, three or five players
Officially 2v2. In practice a net absorbs any number.
Teaching children
Softer ball, longer rallies. Children quit when nothing comes back.
Is it dangerous?
Jammed fingers, grass burn and partner collisions. What removes most of it.
Other games with the set
Winners stay on, one against one, catch and throw, solo serve practice.
If you only read one of these tonight, read the setup page and do the tension test. More first games are ruined by a slack net than by anything anyone does wrong.