About Fives Vault
The front door this sport never had: one place to learn the game, master the shots and find somewhere to play. Fives Vault is a free site about the game of Fives: how to play it, all 31 shots on film, the laws made readable, and every court and club we know of.
Two people made it. A coach who has spent thirty years in the game, and the designer who built the site around his knowledge. Every page is written for the person meeting Fives for the first time.
The people
The coach: Anthony Theodossi
Fives coach and author of the Shot Handbook. In his own words:
I have been involved in the world of Fives for 30+ years and have been coaching the sport for 20+ of those.
In that time I have worked with over 15 schools, including Stoke Newington, Harrow, Emanuel, City of London, St Olave’s Grammar, St Bartholomew’s Newbury, Cranleigh, RGS High Wycombe, Queen Elizabeth’s Barnet and Wellington College. I was also able to work at the Westway Sports Centre in Shepherd’s Bush on the then new Fives courts development.
I had the privilege of representing England in 1-Wall Ball in 2008, in Ireland and Valencia, in its infancy as a new sport in the UK.
In 2014 I travelled to Malay College in Malaysia to restart the Fives programme there after a 50-year hiatus.
Most recently I was at Berkhamsted School for 14 years, which became the top Fives-playing school in the country.
I am always looking at new and innovative ways to develop the game through new techniques and technology.
The builder: Joshua
Grimsdale Web Design; built and maintains the site. In his own words:
I look after everything you’re looking at. I run Grimsdale Web Design, a small Hertfordshire studio, and Fives Vault is the kind of project it exists for: a sport with nearly two centuries of history and no proper front door on the internet.
I designed and built the site end to end. The pages, the interactive 3D court, the browser minigame, and the search work that helps people find a traditional game in 2026 all came off my desk. I also filmed and edited the coaching library, turning 31 shots’ worth of knowledge into short, captioned films with technique notes.
I can remember being new to Fives, and every page here is built for the person meeting the game for the first time. The rule I set myself was simple: treat a traditional game with modern care, keep every page fast and clear, and never use three paragraphs where two sentences and a video will do.
Where the material comes from
Technique. Every shot note on the site comes from the Shot Handbook, Anthony Theodossi’s written record of all 31 shots of the game, and from his coaching notes. The Shot Vault is that handbook, on film.
Films. The shot library and the tutorial films were filmed and edited by Joshua at Berkhamsted Prep School. The voice on the Shot Vault films is Martin Pett’s, with thanks.
Courts and clubs. The court and club directories are checked against the governing associations’ published records. Listings change, so a line from you keeps them right.
The governing body. The three-wall game this site covers, which most people know as Eton Fives, is governed by the Eton Fives Association. The laws on the laws page appear courtesy of the association, and its coaching courses are listed with our own material on the coaching resources page.
Corrections. Spotted something out of date, or a court we have missed? Email hello@fivesvault.com and it gets fixed.