The Rules of Pickleball

There are many benefits to obtaining a pickleball court in your backyard. The primary benefit is, of course, the ability to play pickleball extremely conveniently. Understanding the rules of pickleball can help you to obtain all of these benefits and enjoy bonding time while playing pickleball. At Utah Court Surfacing, we are dedicated to providing you with all of the various services that you need to obtain the ideal pickleball court for your yard. Here are a few of the rules of pickleball, to help you get a basic understanding of how to play the game. This will help you to obtain all of the benefits that playing pickleball can provide.

Winning in Pickleball

In general, you will want to know how you can win in pickleball before you play. After all, it is useful to understand the entire goal of pickleball! In most cases, the winner of the pickleball game will be the first person to score 11 points. However, they must also be leading by 2 points in order to conclusively win the game. So, for example, if both sides are tied at 10 points each, the winner will have to score more than 11 points so that they are still leading by 2 points. At this point, the winner will be whomever gets ahead by 2 points first.

Pickleball Tournaments

In most pickleball tournaments, the winner of a match is determined by winning two out of three games. Each game will be won by the individual that got to 11 points first, unless, as previously mentioned, each team is tied 10-10. During a pickleball tournament, the teams will switch sides after the first game has concluded. If a third game is required to identify the winner of the match, the teams will switch sides again between the second and third game. If you intend to play in a tournament, it will be important to understand the differences between playing casually and playing in a tournament.

Serving

In pickleball, points can only be scored during a serve. All serves are supposed to be served diagonally. When you serve the pickleball, you will want to perform an underhand serve with the paddle below the waist level. The serving individual is also required to keep both of their feet behind the back line. Previously, individuals could move one foot over the line, but this rule has been amended. Serving requires both feet behind the back line of the court.

Volleys

The rules regarding volleys are important when you are playing pickleball. Before you are allowed to volley the pickleball, you will have to let the ball bounce once. It is also important to pay attention to the no-volley zone of the court. This is an important component of playing pickleball if you intend to follow the specific rules of pickleball.

Scoring

Getting points during pickleball can only be done while the individual is serving. The original side that is serving will continue to serve until a fault is made on the serving side. After this point, the serving sides will switch, which will enable the other team to potentially score. This period is the only time in which points can be scored.

Faults

There are many ways in which a fault may occur during the play of pickleball. If the ball goes out of the designated bounds, the individual will have faulted. The same thing occurs if the ball touches part of the no-volley zone during the serve. When the ball doesn’t clear the net, it will result in a fault and the serving side will switch. Volleys can also result in a fault. For example, if the ball is volleyed from the no-volley zone or before the ball has bounced once on each side, it will generally be considered a fault.

The No-Volley Zone

Since the no-volley zone results in many faults or other rules, it will be important to ensure that you understand where the no-volley zone is located. On a typical pickleball court, the no-volley zone will be the area that is within 7 feet of the net on each side. These lines are often marked on the court. We provide thorough line striping and court marking services to ensure that your court can meet all of your specific needs.

At Utah Court Surfacing, we are passionate about providing you with the various services that are necessary in obtaining the ideal court to meet your specific needs. Pickleball is a great sport and is particularly beneficial during this particular time. You can often still play pickleball while remaining socially distant, which enables you to get physical activity to improve your health. These rules of pickleball can help you to enjoy your time playing the game. To learn more about the various services that we offer and how you can obtain the ideal pickleball court to meet your specific needs, contact us at Utah Court Surfacing today!