Cycle-ball rules

Court, goal and markings

The court measures 14 × 11 metres internationally; nationally it may be reduced to 12 × 9 metres. It is surrounded by boards 30 centimetres high, tilted outwards by 65 to 70 degrees, with a rounded top edge and not fixed to the floor. The ball rebounds from them into play – there is a side-out only when it flies over the boards. Behind the goals and along the sides a free zone of at least 60 centimetres is kept.

The goals are 2 × 2 metres inside, with a net and likewise not fixed to the floor. In front of each goal lies the penalty area: a semicircle of 2 metres radius around the middle of the goal. Four metres from the goal line are the penalty spot for the 4-metre penalty and the dotted 4-metre line beyond which the goalkeeper may not throw a caught ball. The corner points for corners lie two metres in front of the goal line and four metres to the side of the goal centre. In the middle of the court, centre point and centre circle mark the place for kick-off and neutral ball.

• Court: 14 × 11 m (nationally at least 12 × 9 m), free zone 0.60 m
• Boards: 0.30 m high, tilted 65–70°, rounded top edge
• Goal: 2 × 2 m inside, with net
• Penalty area: semicircle, radius 2 m
• Penalty spot and 4-metre line: 4 m from the goal line
• Corner points: 2 m in front of the goal line, 4 m beside the goal centre
• Lines 3–5 cm wide, points 10–15 cm in diameter

Ball, bike and clothing

The ball has a textile cover, a diameter of 17 to 18 centimetres and weighs 500 to 600 grams. It is stuffed with animal hair, usually horsehair, so it hardly bounces – shots still reach well over 60 km/h. The commissaire decides whether a ball is fit for play.

The cycle-ball bike is described in the regulations down to the millimetre: front and rear wheels of equal size, between 20 and 26 inches, with spokes – disc wheels are banned. The gearing must move the bike between 2.0 and 3.2 metres per turn of the cranks. The handlebar may be at most 38 centimetres wide, the saddle at most 30 × 20 centimetres and mounted directly above the seat tube; playing without a saddle is forbidden. The bottom bracket sits at least 22 centimetres above the floor, the pedals carry rubber or plastic caps, and axle ends and chain tensioners are secured with closed nuts. The fixed gear without freewheel makes riding backwards and standing in goal possible; braking is done through the pedals.

Clothing: jersey, shorts, high-top sports shoes or ankle protection and knee-high socks; helmet, gloves and sweatband are allowed, jewellery and piercings are not. Both players of a team wear the same jersey; if both teams are dressed alike, one of them changes.

Team, playing time and scoring

A team consists of two players. There are no fixed positions: the goalkeeper is whoever is in their own penalty area at the moment, and both may defend the goal. A substitute may replace an injured or suspended player.

The playing time depends on the age category: elite and U23 play two halves of 7 minutes, juniors (U19) two of 6, all younger categories two of 5 minutes. In between there is a break of at most 2 minutes with a change of ends; at tournaments the playing time may be shortened to two halves of 5 minutes. The clock keeps running during bike defects and is stopped for warnings, injuries and unclear situations. Time-wasting is punished: after the commissaire’s hand signal a team has about 20 seconds to attack, otherwise a free hit is awarded at the centre point.

A win is worth 3 points, a draw 1, a defeat 0. If teams are level on points, goal difference decides, then the number of goals scored. Where a title, promotion or relegation is at stake, a deciding game over a single half follows (7, 6 or 5 minutes, starting with a neutral ball) and then the penalty shoot-out: each player takes two penalties, then the teams continue alternately until a winner is found.

Age categories: U15, U17, U19, U23 and elite (from 19); the year of birth is decisive.

Kick-off, neutral ball and advantage

A coin is tossed before the match: the winner takes the kick-off in the first half, the loser in the second. After each goal the team that conceded it restarts. The ball lies on the centre point; before the whistle nobody may be in the centre circle or in the opponents’ penalty area. After the whistle the attacker rides into the circle and may touch the ball more than once; the defenders may enter only after the first touch. A defender who is in the circle too early concedes a free hit on the centre line.

If the ball gets stuck on a bike or a body, hits the ceiling, or the game is interrupted without any offence, there is a neutral ball on the centre point: everyone waits outside the centre circle, and after the whistle anyone may go for it. The commissaire may play advantage (“Go on”) and withdraw it if it does not pay off in the same phase of play.

Playing the ball

The ball is played with the bike – front or rear wheel, standing, jumping, riding backwards – or with the head. A ball rebounding from a bike or a body counts as played. One hand must be on the handlebar and one foot on a pedal; otherwise a goal does not count and the action can lead neither to a corner nor to a penalty – play resumes with the ball on the right corner point. Hands and feet are off limits (hand play); the only exception is the goalkeeper in the penalty area.

Only the ball may be tackled, never the opponent or their bike, and only from the ball side (challenge). Blocking and barging, holding, leaning on the goal, the boards or an opponent, obstructing the path to the ball, blocking the ball against the boards without pressure from an opponent, loud shouting and protesting are all forbidden. Jumping off the bike to reach an unreachable ball is not allowed either.

Foot down: whoever touches the floor must ride behind their own goal line

Whoever falls, touches the floor with a foot or leans on the boards, the goal, the ball, a team-mate or an opponent is no longer eligible to play (foot down). To rejoin the game, the player immediately rides or walks behind their own goal line and returns on the same side; at least one wheel must cross the goal line outside the penalty area. If it happens inside their own penalty area, the player must leave the area with both wheels and cross the goal line.

If an ineligible player still interferes – holds an opponent, touches the ball, blocks the way – a free hit is awarded; inside their own penalty area a 4-metre penalty. A defender who stays in the penalty area after a foot down and touches the ball or impedes the attacker also concedes a 4-metre penalty.

When a goal counts

A goal is scored when the ball has completely crossed the goal line between the posts – on the floor as in the air, the centre of the ball must be behind the line. The goal still counts if the shooter falls after the shot, and an own goal counts for the opponents. If the goal has been moved, the imaginary line between the posts applies. After a disallowed goal the commissaire places the ball on the right corner point and the defending team plays on. A goal thrown directly from the goalkeeper’s hand is not possible.

Out ball, goal throw and corner

If the ball flies over the side boards, the commissaire places it one metre from the boards; the team that did not put it out plays it. The opponents keep 2 metres away, play resumes without a whistle, and the serving player may touch the ball several times. If the attacking team plays the ball over the goal line beside the goal, it is placed on the corner point of that side and the defending team plays on without a whistle – the equivalent of a goal kick. After the final signal no out ball is taken.

A corner is awarded when a defender plays the ball – even unintentionally, off the bike or the body – over their own goal line. It is taken from the corner point after the whistle and may be touched only once; if it rebounds from the goal or the boards, the taker may play it again only after another player has touched it. The goalkeeper stands with both wheels in the penalty area, the partner behind the centre line on the side opposite the corner point, outside the 4-metre line and at least 4 metres from the ball. The second attacker may be neither in the penalty area nor on the other side between the penalty area and the 4-metre line; until the corner is taken, the imaginary line between the penalty spot and the middle of the penalty area is a “wall” for both sides. Corners are still taken after time has run out (“last kick”) – a goal then counts only if scored directly or through a defensive error.

Goalkeeper and penalty area

The goalkeeper is whoever is in their own penalty area. Both players may defend the goal, but never at the same time: only one player may be in their own penalty area. A player is in the penalty area as soon as bike or body touches the floor inside it. The goalkeeper may fend off the ball with one or both hands provided both wheels are in the penalty area, both feet are on the pedals and the player is eligible. Offences by the goalkeeper inside the penalty area are punished with a 4-metre penalty.

A caught ball may be bounced once and caught again; then it must be thrown or kicked. The throw may not go beyond the 4-metre line – the ball must touch the floor within 3 seconds – and not to the team-mate while they are outside the line. Beating the ball away with the hands, even twice, is allowed, and a beaten-off ball may roll over the line; a goal directly from the hand is not possible.

Only one attacker may be in the opponents’ penalty area, and only while the ball is there. If the ball is cleared, the attacker may stay in the area as long as the goalkeeper is not hindered – if their team wins the ball back, they are considered “offside” and must first leave the area. Offences bring a free hit from the offside point, the edge of the penalty area on the centre axis. If both attackers are in the opponents’ penalty area, a free hit from the offside point is awarded as well, taken by a defender with a single touch.

Free hit

Offences outside the penalty area are punished with a free hit from the spot of the offence, at least one metre from the boards. The defender moves 4 metres away, then the commissaire whistles; closing the distance before the ball is hit is a new offence. A free hit may go directly at goal and may be played only once – the taker may touch the ball again only after another player has touched it; posts and boards do not count. If the ball lies less than 4 metres from the goalkeeper, the goalkeeper stays parallel to the goal line and at most 15 centimetres in front of it until the ball has been hit.

A free hit that is due is still taken after the final signal (“last kick”): a goal counts only if scored directly or through a defensive error, there is no further corner, and the other players may not interfere – not even by feinting. Offences against the defensive rules bring a 4-metre penalty.

4-metre penalty

The 4-metre penalty punishes offences inside a team’s own penalty area – it is enough that the defender’s bike or body touches the floor inside it – as well as serious offences outside: a professional foul on an attacker who can no longer be reached at the ball; interference by a player with a foot down who walks, runs, jumps or uses the bike; deliberate hand play outside the penalty area; moving the goal by a defender or coach; holding or deflecting the ball without the bike in hand; obstructing a shot at an empty goal; a second defender in the own penalty area.

Execution: the ball lies on the penalty spot, 4 metres from the goal. Everyone except taker and goalkeeper stands behind the spot; the second defender keeps 4 metres away on the side opposite the run-up. The goalkeeper stands with both wheels parallel to the goal line, at most 15 centimetres in front of it, and may move only once the ball has been hit. After the whistle the taker must shoot directly at goal – without stopping, braking or riding past the ball; one shot only, no rebound off the post or goalkeeper. If the goalkeeper moves too early the penalty is retaken; if the taker offends, the opponents get a free hit. A 4-metre penalty is still taken after time has run out.

Feel it for yourself in our penalty shoot-out in the browser: 20 shots against the keeper, with a leaderboard.

Warnings, yellow and red cards

At least two commissaires act as referees on the court, with a timekeeper and a secretary. For improper behaviour the commissaire warns verbally or with a yellow card: repeated criticism of decisions, arguing with the opponent, partner, jury or spectators, repeated protests with a raised hand, deliberate offences, leaving the court without reason. The game is interrupted and the clock stopped for this.

A second yellow card means red: the player leaves the court and the match is recorded as 0–5 against the team, unless the opponents already lead by more. Gross unsporting behaviour – violence, insulting the commissaire, throwing the ball at them, riding into or pushing them – draws a straight red card. Coaches can be shown yellow or red as well; on red they must leave the hall. A team that does not appear loses 0–5. There are no time penalties in two-a-side cycle-ball.

Five-a-side and grass cycle-ball

In five-a-side cycle-ball (national rules of the German federation BDR) five play against five on a handball court with handball goals and boards along the sides, two halves of 15 minutes, with rolling substitutions. A designated goalkeeper may use the hands in the penalty area, at most three players of a team may be in the penalty area at once, and the penalty is taken from seven metres. A player who touches the floor only has to move four metres from the ball instead of riding behind the goal line; free hits inside the penalty area are indirect, outside direct; a yellow card brings a two-minute penalty.

Grass cycle-ball is played in summer, six against six on half a football pitch with a size 5 football – the oldest form of the game, with its own world championships from 1930 to 1935.

Frequently asked questions