How to Play Wheelchair Rugby

Wheelchair rugby was developed in Canada during the late 1970's and it was originally called murderball. Today, it is a Paralympic sport and is played in over 20 countries. It's known as quad rugby in the United States where it is played by quadriplegics, who experience paralyisis in all four limbs, but may not experience total loss of function. An interesting feature about quad rugby is that it's played with both men and women on the same team. It's a cotact sport and wheelchairs do come in constant contact with each other. There are over 50 competitive teams in the U.S. and over 20 international teams.The official rules are governed by the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Ball
• Rgby bat
• Specialized wheelchair
• Team

1. The aim of the game is to score as many goals as possible by crossing the opposing team’s goal line while in possession of the ball. You may pass, throw, bat, rol, dribble, or carry the ball in any direction that's defined within the rules. The team with the most goals at the end of the game is the winner.

2. Wheelchair rugby is played on an indoor court measuring 15 meters by 28 meters. Boundary lines, a center line, a center circle and two key areas are marked appropriately. All lines on the court should be the same width and should be marked in the same color. A court which meets FIBA regulations for basketballis suitable to the IWRF court regulations.

3. When it comes to the boundary lines, the inside edges are considered in-bounds. If a ball lands on the boundary line it is considered out.

4. The wheelchair is considered to be part of the player. Each player's wheelchair needs to meet all specifications including:*There is no maximum width, however the wheelchair may not extend the width of the rims.*From the front-most part of the back wheel to the front-most part of the wheelchair, the length cannot exceed 46 centimeters* The height of the wheelchair is measured from the floor to the midpoint of the seat side rail tubing halfway between the front and back of the side rail and cannot exceed 53 centimeters.*The wheelchair must be fitted with an anti-tip device and a bumper in the front of the wheelchair.

5. Each team should have a maximum of 12 players and no more than four players from each team is allowed on the court at one time.

6. Wheelchair rugby is played in four segments that last eight minutes each. If the game goes into overtime, overtime lasts for three minutes.

7. The ball becomes live when the referee blows the whistle. It's dead when the referee blows the whistle to indicate a goal, a violation, a foul, a time-out, or any other stoppage in play. The game begins with a tip-off in the center when the referee blows the whistle and tosses the ball. One player from each team faces each other in the center and the surrounding team mates on the outer perimeter

8. The hands or forearms may be used to play the ball, or it can be carried on the lap or wheelchair. When the ball is carried on the lap, at least 75 percent of the ball must be visible. The ball may be passed, rolled, batted, tapped, dribbled, bounced, tossed, or advanced in any other manner. The ball may not be kicked or deliberately struck by any part of the leg below the knee.

9. A goal is only scored when both of a player's two wheels are touching the out-of-bounds area on the opposing team's goal line. The player must be in possession of the ball before either wheel crosses the goal line. The player cannot be sitting in the goal line and have another player pass the ball to him or her.

10. Violations are as follows:* A player in possession of the ball may not leave the goal line and then return to the court without scoring a goal.* A player may not hit the ball with any part of the leg that is below the knee.*The ball may not remain in a team's backcourt for longer than 15 seconds. It must be passed to the front court.* A player may not cause the ball to go out-of-bounds. If the ball touches a person or object that is out of bounds than the ball is dead. The player who last touched the ball is charged with the violation.A violation results in the loss of ball possession. The other team throws thte ball in.