Game rules

Handtennis is a ball game played with a regular tennis ball, maintained for decades by TSC Eintracht. It is a return game without physical contact between opponents.

Game Concept
On a playing field (12 m x 6 m or 16 m x 6 m) divided in the middle by a 30 cm high beam, two teams of two players each face each other. The goal of each team is to bounce the ball exclusively with the hand onto the ground of their own side of the field so that it goes over the beam into the opponent’s field. Each player should aim to hit the ball in a way that makes it difficult for the opponent to return it.

Scoring
Each new round begins with a serve and ends with the first error. Every error counts as a point for the opposing team. The first team to score 21 points wins, provided there is a minimum difference of 2 points. If the score exceeds 21 points, the game continues with alternating serves until this condition is met.

Game Rules
The serving obligation for the first round is determined by playing it out. The team that loses this first round starts with the serve.
Following table tennis rules, the serve alternates to the opposing team every 5 rounds. The serve begins with the right-hand player, then alternates diagonally to the opponent and subsequently switches to the opposing team (changing whenever the total score is divisible by 5). Therefore, the initial player positions must be maintained throughout the game.
The server stands directly at the beam and drops the tennis ball into their own field so that it bounces once and then jumps directly over the beam into the opponent’s field. If the ball touches the beam, it is counted as an error for the server. The serve must be perpendicular to the beam, not angled. In doubles, the serving area is limited to a 3 m zone of the serving player.
The opponent can return the ball either directly from the air or after letting it bounce once on the ground before returning it. The ball must bounce in the server’s field before crossing the beam. Touching the beam during exchanges is not counted as an error. Multiple bounces on the beam are also not considered an error; the decisive factor is in which field the ball bounces afterward. Any ball touches at the base of the beam count in favor of the opponent.
If a player is outside the field and is hit by the ball, which has not bounced in their field, it is considered an error for the opposing player. All other body contacts with the ball count as an error for the player who was hit. This also applies to double or multiple touches during serving or returning. During a return, the ball may only be touched briefly by the hand; longer ball handling results in an error.
If a ball located outside the field is returned, it can also bounce outside the player’s own field before crossing the beam or its imaginary extension at beam height.