PICKLEBALL Springboro Junior High

SERVING The serve must be underhand. Contact must be made below waist/navel level. The ball must be served to the person diagonal from the server One foot must be behind the end line when you are serving If the served ball hits the net and goes over it is called a let=redo. Both players on a team will serve before the ball goes to the other team unless it is the first serve of the game….. (*At the beginning of each new game only one partner on the serving team has the opportunity to serve before faulting, after which the service passes to the receiving team.)

DOUBLE BOUNCE RULE Double Bounce Rule : After a team serves, the receiving team must let it bounce once before they hit it back, and then the serving team must also let it bounce once before hitting it back. After those two bounces, players may choose to hit the ball out of the air…..but just like with tennis and table tennis the ball may not bounce twice on your side of the court!

NON-VOLLEY ZONE Non Volley Zone : This area is 7 feet away from the net on both sides. Players can only step into this area and hit a ball after it has bounced. They may not run into the non-volley zone and hit a ball out of the air.

SCORING POINTS ARE ONLY SCORED BY THE SERVING TEAM. (please note this is different from tennis and table tennis. If the other team is serving and you win the rally, you do not get a point for that…..you just cause the other team to lose their serve). Games are played to 11 points, and you must win by 2 points. A ball contacting any line, except the non-volley zone line on a serve, is considered “in.” A serve contacting the non-volley zone line is short and a fault. Players use a coin toss to determine who will serve first. The winner of the coin toss will have the option to choose side or to serve or receive……we will perform Rock, Paper, Scissors instead of a coin toss.

WHAT IS A FAULT?? A fault is any action that stops play because of a rule violation A fault occurs when: A serve does not land within the confines of the receiving court The ball is hit into the net on the serve or any return The ball is volleyed before a bounce has occurred on each side The ball is hit out of bounds A ball is volleyed from the non-volley zone A ball bounces twice before being struck by the receiver A player, player’s clothing, or any part of a player’s paddle touches the net or the net post when the ball is in play There is a violation of a service rule A ball in play strikes a player or anything the player is wearing or carrying A ball in play strikes any permanent object before bouncing on the court

WHAT DOES AN ACTUAL GAME LOOK LIKE?? This is a video of the men’s national pickleball championship. Watch about 5 min to get a better idea of how the game is played. Here is what the equipment looks like: