These two guys show you how boxball is done This movie requires QuickTime. Each player serves, volleys, and defends his square.
Players choose or volley for first serve.
Depending on the neighborhood, serve is maintained by winner of the volley or rotated every five points. Twenty-one is usually the winning score, with the requirement of winning by two points. The ball is slapped back and forth between boxes with an open palm. If you step into the playing court, fail to return a shot, or if your return shot's first bounce lands out of your opponents box, you lose the volley. Reverse shots aren't easy to control, since the back of the palm is not as flat or flexible as the front, but they're sometimes necessary in order to protect the full box.