Rules of the Game

When I am learning a game, I frequently check the rules, to make sure I am playing it correctly. The rulebooks usually have handy section titles so you can look up the type of rule you are seeking. For my favorite games these usually include names like "the serve," "scoring," and "rallies."

In addition to answering rule questions, these little section titles can tell you a lot about the experience you're going to have while playing. For example, I found this in an online rulebook for Squash:

HITTING AN OPPONENT WITH THE BALL (Rule 9)

Followed shortly by:

BLEEDING, INJURY AND ILLNESS (Rule 16)

Now THAT'S a fun game!

Squash also uses some great terminology. In some circles, a player who chases down back court shots (instead of hitting them on the fly as they go by him) is called a "lab." (As in Labrador - because he's a "retriever"...)

Squash players also say that a bad return was "not up." I agree with this terminology completely - it's no good if it's not up. Am I right ladies?

I decided to check the other rulebooks for section titles. In Handball I found:

I. DRY BALLS. (Sounds itchy.)

J. BROKEN BALLS. (That's got to be a penalty, right?)

And Racquetball is just plain scary:

X. DEAD BALLS

Nothing like that in the Badminton rules, but there is a racquet terminology section that goes into great detail on "head," "throat," and "shaft"...