Rules of Play

Rules used in Vancouver (and at almost all tournaments played on Tornado tables) are the US Tournament Soccer Association (USTSA) rules.

The rules may appear complex, but it doesn't take long to get used to them and the local players are happy to explain them!

The current rules (released in June 2003) are posted on the USTSA web site. Once there, click on "USTSA Rules of Play" near the bottom left of the page.

Revisions Since 2000

The revisions made since the July 2000 edition are indicated in red following:

Rule 1.1: "Once athe home team has chosen either the table side or the first serve, they may not change their decision."

Rule 2.4: "Spinning the ball shall be allowed in order to influence the serve, however, no point shall be scored by the serving team, directly or as a result of the serve, unless the ball is struck by one of the serving team's figures."

Rule 6.5: "A ball that is intentionally made dead in order to advance the ball or reset the time limits shall be given to the opposing team for a re-serve (example: the two-man placing the ball just out of reach in order to re-serve the ball).pushing the ball from the bottom until out of reach)."

Rule 12.1: "Either team may switch positions during a time out, between points, between games, orand before and/or after a technical foul shot. If both teams wish to switch positions at the same time, the offensive team must first decide their positions allowing the defensive team to have the last option to switch."

Rule 15: "If a player has the ball set up to shoot or pass, and the ball is unintentionally moved due to jarring by the opponent,If a player exerts sufficient force on the table to impair the opponent's ability to execute a shot or pass, but the opponent's possession of the ball has not been jeopardized, the official present will call "reset" and he/she will reset all time limits.the time of possession shall be reset."

Rule 15.1: "Any movement of the ball, no matter how slight, may be considered grounds for a reset (example. a ball rocking in place).A reset can be called whether the ball is moving, pinned, or stationary."

Rule 21.1b: "Changing the lateral speed or direction of the ball from the front or back of the man prior to passing the ball is considered to be an adjustment and is illegal. However, if the ball is played off the front or back of the man on the initial contact from another rod, it will be legal to pass the ball with the same man."

Rule 23.3 "Official time outs do not count against the total amount of time left to play."

There were also various attempted corrections to grammar and spelling where the intent was clear before and after the correction, so they have not been included here.