USAP Pickleball Serving Rules: Pickleball is a fast-growing sport that combines elements from tennis, ping pong, and badminton. Played either as singles or doubles, it follows a set of rules that remain consistent across both formats. Doubles are the most popular format, but the same court dimensions and basic rules apply to both types of play.
The Pickleball Serve: Essential Guidelines
The serve is one of the most important facets of pickleball, and USA Pickleball has set specific guidelines for how it should be executed. The server must strike the ball with an upward arc, and the paddle must remain below the waist when making contact with the ball. Additionally, the head of the paddle should never be above the highest part of the wrist during the serve.
Pickleball allows for a unique “drop serve,” where the server drops the ball before striking it. This variation doesn’t require the paddle to stay below the waist, offering more flexibility in serving. However, one thing remains constant: the server’s feet must remain behind the baseline, and they must not step outside the imaginary lines of the court when serving.
The pickleball serves must be hit diagonally across the court and land within the opposite diagonal area. Only one serve attempt is allowed per server. If a fault occurs, the serve is lost.
Serving Sequence: The Flow of Play
In pickleball doubles play, both members of the serving team get a chance to serve and score points until a fault is committed (except for the first service sequence of each new game). The first serve of each side-out must be made from the right (even) court. If the server scores, they switch to the left (odd) court to serve the next point.
This sequence continues, with players switching sides after each point until a fault is made, at which point the first server loses the serve. When the first server loses their serve, the second player on the team takes over, serving from their appropriate courtside.
The service rotates to the opposing team after two faults—one from each player on the serving team. In singles play, the server serves from the right/even court when their score is even and from the left/odd court when the score is odd.
Beginning the Game: The First Service Sequence
At the start of each game, only one player on the serving team gets the chance to serve before the service passes to the receiving team. After this initial service, the serve alternates between pickleball players as per the regular serving sequence.
News in Brief: USAP Pickleball Serving Rules
Pickleball, governed by USA Pickleball rules, is typically played in doubles, with each player serving until a fault is made. The server must strike the ball with an upward motion and keep the paddle below the waist.
The pickleball service sequence alternates between the two players of the serving team until two faults are committed, and the serve moves to the other team. In singles, the server alternates courts based on their score—right for even, left for odd.
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