As in sand handball, there are four players in each one of the teams, with four back-ups, and a total of 8 players for each team.

The game is played in two periods of 10 minutes each, and a 5 minutes break.

In each set is counted the number of goals independently, and the final result of each set time points a winner (in the beginning of second set time, the score board is zeroed). 

In case of ties up, the two teams will play an overtime, called "golden goal". In case of victory of different teams in the first and second set time, an extra time of 10 minutes will be given, so they can dispute it and finally find the winner. 

Any of the players in court can be the goalkeeper, if it observed that only one player can be inside of the goalkeeper area. If this restriction is violated, a 7 meter throw will be applied against the team that made the infraction. In recidive case, besides the infraction, the faulty athlete will be punished with exclusion. 

The goal made in special conditions (after a turn of 360º, for example) must be registered as being valid two goals.  

Exclusion: when the player commits an unsportive attitude, they have to be excluded of the game until his team recovers the ball ownership.

Each athlete can be excluded only once in each set.

In the second exclusion the athlete is hindered to return to court in this set, having to be substituted after their team recovers the ball ownership. The punishment is signaled with the negative signal (thumb pointed dawn). 

Expulsion: If the player makes an unsportive attitude (aggression or violent attitude), they must be banished, not being allowed to return to the game. They also have that to abandon the bank of reserves, being subject to discipline sanctions in posterior judgment.   

The court must have the dimensions of the 16m X 32m meters of game, measures required for competitions of the IWHF.

The court must be delimited by lines, observing the same distribution of the official court of Hall Handball. 

The goal must have it height reduced in 40 centimeters, in order to make possible that the goalkeeper plays in wheelchair.

It is suggested the confection of a plate to reduct the height of the goal, and in this plate the sponsors of the competitions can be advertised. 

The wheelchair must adjust certain standards to guarantee security and competitiveness.

The chair can have 3 or 4 wheels, being two great wheels in the side, one or two in back part and two in the frontal part.

The back tires must have the maximum diameter of 66 cm and must have a support for the hands in each back wheel.

The maximum height of the seat cannot exceed 53cm from the floor, and the support for the feet cannot have more than 11cm from the floor when the front wheels are directed frontally.

The low part of the supports must be appropriate to prevent damages to the surface of the court.

The player will be able to use a cushion of flexible material, where the tips must be touched when forced.

It must have the same dimensions of the seat and it cannot have more than 10cm of thickness, except for classroom players of 3,5, 4,0 4,5 and 5,0 points, where the thickness will have to be in the maximum 5 cm.

The players must use bands and supports that fix them in the chair or bands to fix the legs together.

The orthopaedics and prosthetic devices cannot be used.

The players classification card  must inform the use of similar bands and indicate all the position and adaptations of the player in the chair.

Black tires, direction devices and brakes are forbidden.

The referees must check, at the beginning of the game, the chairs of the players, to confer if these chairs are in accordance with the established norms.

Handball in wheelchair is a game for people in physical deficiency conditions.

The system classifies the players, based in the comment of its movements during a performance of abilities of Wheelchair handball as: to give propulsion to the chair, to dribble, to pass, to receive and to  hurl.

The classes are: 1,0 - 1,5 - 2,0 - 2,5 - 3,0 - 3,5 - 4,0 -4.5 and 5,0.

To each player a value in points is attributed that represents their classification. The points of the four players who will be in court are added to form a team that reaches a certain amount of points.

For the official events of the Handball, the teams cannot exceed 14 points. 

Each player has a classification card that must be used during the game. The card shows the classification of the player, also indicating any modifications in their wheelchair and the use of bands.

In Brazil, the WCH4 has a new category, that is disputed only by athletes with low scores (0.5 to 2.5 points). The sum of four players on the court can reach a maximum of 7 points.

Violations are infractions to the rules, and the team that commits it loses the ball ownership for the other team, through the free shot from the place where the infraction was committed.

1 Violations out the court

If a player throws the ball in an opponent intentionally, and it goes out of the court, the opponent  will have the ball ownership.

The player can push the chair for, in the maximum, three times before dribbling, passing or launching the ball. They are not allowed to lead the ball on the legs.

A player cannot remain for more than three seconds with the ball in his hand. The referees can be tolerant with players whose kind of deficiency makes it difficult the accomplishment of the pass and the reception of the ball. 

Faults are infractions to the rules, involving physical contact with the opponent and/or unsportive behavior. The faults are marked against the other team and the punishments are applied using the same criteria of the Hall Handball (verbal admonition, warning, exclusion and disqualification).

The frontals and laterals contacts are tolerated, but the contact of the front of a chair with the lateral or back of another one must be punished. For all these faults, the chair is considered as part of the player, and the accidental contact between chairs also constitutes a fault.

Touch the chair of the adversary with the hands will be considered a fault. 

 

Lateral Shot: A part of the wheel chair has to be above the lateral line from where the ball left. 

Initial throw-in Shot: Only the shots that set the beginning of the game time are beaten in the center of court.
To the replacement of the ball after the goal, the ball will have to be provided by the goalkeeper.

Free shot: Aggressors must be at least a meter of the ball, in the same way that the defenders.

The seven meters shot: they observe the same rules of the sand Handball and must be beaten next the area to 6 meters.