Terminology:

Attackers (in the game known as the second line) - 2 players who most often throw the ripka towards the opponent’s goal.

Corner - when the ripka touched by players of the defending team goes out of boundaries over the sideline between the goal and control lines, a corner is awarded. In this case, a player of the attacking team rolls the ripka towards the goal of the defending team from behind the touchline, without crossing the touchline, through the side by which the ripka left the pitch.

Defenders (known as the front line) - 4 players stopping the ripka.

Gateway - a gate is placed on the goal line. It shall consist of one horizontal and two vertical posts equidistant from the corner flags and 7.32 m (measured internally) apart (football goals).

Goalkeeper - stands in the gate (the gate is the entire back line of the pitch).

Lithuanian “Ritinis” – it is an old Lithuanian team sports game, also known as the ripka, played using a circular wooden disc, which is thrown or rolled by two teams of players with their hands into the goal, passed to each other, and stopped with wooden sticks called “ritmusha”.

Markings - the pitch shall be marked by lines not less than 12 cm in width, running in the same plane as the surface of the pitch. The long lines bounding the pitch shall be called the sidelines and the short lines are called as the goal lines. Flags shall be placed at the corners of the pitch on the shafts of flagpoles not less than 1 m in length. A center line shall be drawn across the pitch and the front lines of the initial roll shall be marked on both sides within 10 m of the center line, parallel to the center line. At a distance of 20 m from the goal line, control lines shall be drawn parallel to them. The area between the goal lines and the control lines is called the goal area. The intersection of the control lines with the side lines shall be marked with flags. The goal area is also called the goalkeeper’s box. The width of the lines shall be included in the area of the pitch and the size of the pitches shall be limited by those lines.

Outskirts - an outskirt defines the condition when the ripka goes over the sideline and out of the pitch, regardless of where the player of the defending team was standing, in or off the pitch. If the ripka stops in, or even slightly touches the sideline, the ripka shall be counted as being in the pitch zone.

Pitch - the pitch is a field of a rectangle form, 80-110 m in length and 40-65 m in width. For the final match of the national championship, the pitch shall be at least 90 m in length.

Pitch referee – the main referee of a game. Before the start of the game, the referee must check if the pitch is prepared according to the rules, is correctly marked, the dimensions of the equipment are as stated in the rules, the clothing and footwear of the player comply with the rules, and that there are medical staff on duty. A referee is appointed for each match.

1. The referee shall enforce the rules of the game and shall rule on all disputes. The decision of the referee is final.
2. The authority of the referee to direct the game shall commence from the moment he signals the start of the game with the whistle. He may impose a penalty for offenses committed even when the game has been stopped or “the Ritinis” is not being played.
3. The referee shall have the right to suspend the game after any violation of the rules, and to suspend or terminate the game definitively in cases where he deems it necessary (bad weather, interference of spectators, and other reasons).
4. The referee has the right to remove a player from the pitch without prior warning, in case of unsportsmanlike conduct.

Ripka (definition) – shorter definition of Lithuanian “Ritinis” or the name of wooden/rubber disc.

Ripka (Eng. a disc) - the item with a diameter of 17 cm and a thickness of 2.5 cm (on the edges), which is used to play the game. In order to make it easier to hold, the ripka has circular cut-outs at both ends. The weight of the ripka is about 600-700 g. During the game, the ripka may only be replaced with the permission of the referee. Two ripkas may be selected for the game. When one rolls far out of boundaries, the other is played with. For women’s, children’s, and junior competitions, a smaller and lighter ripka with a diameter of 14 cm, a thickness of 2.2 cm, and a weight of 400-500 g may be used.

Ripka players - defenders, attackers, goalkeeper.

Ritmusha (eng. a stick for ripka) - a wooden stick with a curled end of not more than 150 cm. The stick shall not be wider than 10 cm at any point and the length of the curled end shall not exceed 40 cm. The goalkeeper’s stick may be up to 15 cm of width.

Rolling to the gate - when the referee awards a penalty - a rolling to the gate, the player of the attacking team shall take it from a distance of 16 meters. Only one goalkeeper may be in the goal area at the time of the penalty rolling. The throw-in shall be taken without running and without lifting the supporting leg off the ground. If the thrower violates the rules during the throwin, the goalkeeper shall start the game from the 20-metre control line.

Side referees - two side referees are appointed to assist the referee. Their duties are to signal any violation of the competition rules with a wave of the flag, when the ripka crosses the sideline, and to raise the flag when the ripka crosses the goal line (when a point is won).

Timekeeper - the timekeeper shall keep tracking the time of the game and shall announce it to the referee with a whistle, at the end of the game. The timekeeper writes the match report, noting how many points the players of each team have scored, the substitutions of players, and the time spent by players sent off the pitch.

Preparation & Equipment

Number of Players: 7 to 7 (14 people in total); Defenders: 4 players; Attackers: 2 players; Goalkeeper: 1 player

Number of Game: 2 sets

Keeping Time: 20 minutes

Break: 1 break - 10 minutes

Location: Football Pitch/Stadium/Artificial Surface

Ripka - Hard Rubber Disc: 14-18 cm (diameter), 2.2-2.5 cm (width), 400-700 gr (weight). For women/children or junior competitions, a smaller and lighter disc with a diameter of 14
cm may be used.

Ritmusha - A Wooden Stick With A Curved End: The length shall not be more than 150 cm, the length of the curled end shall not exceed 40 cm and the width shall not exceed 10 cm (up to 15 cm for a goalkeeper)

Sportwear: Comfortable clothing similar to the outfit for football or volleyball

Source: https://www.lse.lt/ritinis/

Aim of the game:
The aim of the game is to roll the ripka over the opponent’s defensive end line (1 point) or to roll the ripka into the net (3 points).

Shortened rules of Lithuanian “Ritinis”:

1. The game is played on a football pitch (or other stadium) (dimensions of which are a rectangle of 80-110 m in length and 40-65 m in width); the playing area must be marked with flags (at least 1 m long) which are placed at the corners of the pitch, the center line is marked across the middle of the pitch and the lines of the initial roll are marked on both sides of the field 10 m from the center line, running parallel to the center line. At a distance of 20 m from the goal lines, the control lines parallel to the goal lines shall be marked across the square. The area between the goal line and the control line (line is 20 m long) is called the goalkeeper’s box. On the goal line, equidistant from the corner flags, are the goal zone (inside 7.32 m - football goals).
2. Played with a rubber ripka with a diameter of 17-18 cm, a thickness of 2.5 cm and a weight of about 600-700 g. For women’s, children’s and junior competitions, a smaller and lighter rubber ripka with a diameter of 14 cm, a thickness of 2.2 cm and a weight of about 400-500 g may be used. Each player shall carry a ritmusha with a curled end of not more than 150 cm. The length of the stick shall not exceed 40 cm and the width shall not exceed 10 cm (the width of the goalkeeper’s stick shall not exceed 15 cm).
3. Two teams of seven players (including the goalkeeper) line up in front of each other 15-20 meters apart. The aim of the game is to roll the ripka over the back-goal line (one point) or into the goal (three points).
4. Each team takes turns rolling the ripka (except when the rules are broken). The ripka shall be rolled by hand in any way, so that it rolls on the ground, and the players of the opposing team shall not be interfered with. The ripka may only be stopped by the ritmusha and not thrown out of the player’s hand.
5. The ripka that is touched by the ritmusha stick but not stopped, may be stopped in any other way (hands, feet, etc.). The goalkeeper, being in the goalkeeper’s box, may stop the ripka in any way (in another part of the pitch as a regular player).
6. The ripka can be rolled from the point at which it stops. The ripka may be carried, thrown or passed to another player of the team, but the ripka must be rolled towards the opposing team within 10 seconds of stopping and from the stopping point (the line across the pitch). In all cases, violations of the rules for rolling or stopping the ripka shall be penalized by the team passing the ripka to the opposing team and rolling it from the place of violation.
7. Only players of the defending team may be in the goalkeeper’s box. If the team players break the rules in the goalkeeper’s box, that team shall be penalized with a 16 m penalty shot on goal (two points), taken without acceleration.
8. Played in two rounds of 20 minutes each. A 10-minute break between rounds. The game starts with one of the teams (determined by lot) rolling the ripka from the baseline (10 m from the center line). During the initial roll, neither team may cross the lines of the initial roll (10 m from the center line). The team conceding a goal shall start the game from the baseline. A deliberate, flagrant violation of the rules or unsportsmanlike conduct during the match may result in a warning or exclusion from the field for 2 minutes, 5 minutes or until the end of the match.
9. The team with the highest score wins the match. 4 points are awarded for a win, 2 points for a draw and 1 - for a loss. The teams meet for 2 times, then the points are counted and the winner is declared.