How a RUSH works
RUSH RULES
Fast team tennis with a running score. No sets or games: seven HEATs combine into one result.
Format
One RUSH — seven HEATs
The first four HEATs are Singles and the final three are Doubles. Each HEAT lasts 10 minutes.
The score never resets: points count toward both the current HEAT and the overall RUSH score.
Scoring
+1 or +2 per rally
+1A point won by a player or an opponent's error.
+2A clean winner — the opponent does not touch the ball.
In Singles, the player on court receives the points. In Doubles, points are split equally between the current pair; for +2, the clean-winner author is recorded separately. No individual scorer is assigned for an opponent error.Serve and timing
14 seconds to serve
The first serving team is decided by a coin toss at the start of the RUSH. After every rally, the team that scored serves next.
A new HEAT starts with the team leading the overall score serving first. If the score is tied, another coin toss decides.
The 14-second clock starts at the beginning of a HEAT and after each rally is recorded. If the team does not serve in time, the opponent receives +1 and takes the next serve.
One ball toss means one serve. A let that lands in counts as a completed serve; a let that lands out is an error.
Pauses
Timeouts and ending a HEAT
Each team has five timeouts per RUSH, with no more than two in a single HEAT. A team timeout lasts up to one minute and pauses the HEAT and serve clocks.
A technical timeout pauses every clock, including the overall RUSH clock, until play is resumed manually.
If the 10 minutes expire during a rally, the rally is completed and scored. The organizer can also end a HEAT early. Breaks between HEATs last up to two minutes, but the next HEAT can start sooner.
Teams
Flexible rosters with no gender restrictions
Each team has three to eight players. One may be the captain, but the role is optional. Captains can play rallies just like everyone else.
Singles and Doubles have no gender restrictions. The on-court lineup can change between rallies. The operator records substitutions so court time and stats reflect what actually happened.
Winning
The team with the higher total after seven HEATs wins
If the score is tied after HEAT 7, play continues until the next point gives one team the lead.
I want to play