South Delhi Pickleball Tournament Season 5.

RULES & REGULATIONS

1. General Rules
○ Games will be decided by best two (2) out of three (3) games.
○ A winner must score 11 points before the opponent.
○ Games are set to a hard cap of 20 minutes. i. At the end of the 20, sets that have
been completed will be scored
○ If the current set is tied there will be a “next point” tiebreaker ○ Only the serving
team can score.
2. RULES- Singles Matches
○ The winner of a coin toss has the option of selecting one of the following: serving,
receiving, or choosing the side of the court. The loser of the toss shall have a
choice of the remaining alternatives.
3. RULES- Doubles Matches
○ Once the first server loses or commits a fault, the second server begins serving
until they lose or commit a fault.
○ After the serving team has retired both serve attempts the opposing team will being
their services rounds
4. The Serve
○ The serve must be made underhand.
○ Paddle contact with the ball must be below the server’s waist (navel level).
○ The serve is initiated with at least one foot behind the baseline; neither foot may
contact the baseline or court until after the ball is struck.
○ The serve is made diagonally crosscourt and must land within the confines of the
opposite diagonal court.
○ Only one serve attempt is allowed, except in the event of a let (the ball touches the
net on the serve and lands on the proper service court; let serves are replayed).
5. Service Sequence
 ○ Both players on the serving doubles team have the opportunity to serve and score
points until they commit a fault
○ The first serve of each side-out is made from the right/even court.
○ If a point is scored, the server switches sides and the server initiates the next serve
from the left/odd court.
○ As subsequent points are scored, the server continues switching back and forth
until a fault is committed and the first server loses the serve.
○ When the first server loses the serve the partner then serves from their correct side
of the court (except for the first service sequence of the game*).
○ The second server continues serving until his team commits a fault and loses the
serve to the opposing team. - Doubles only
○ Once the service goes to the opposition (at side out), the first serve is from the
right/even court and both players on that team have the opportunity to serve and
score points until their team commits two faults.
○ In singles the server serves from the right/even court when his or her score is even
and from the left/odd when the score is odd. - Singles only
6. Two-Bounce Rule
○ When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning,
and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning, thus two bounces.
○ After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley
the ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it off a bounce (ground stroke).
○ The two-bounce rule eliminates the serve and volley advantage and extends rallies.
7. Non-Volley Zone
○ The non-volley zone is the court area within 7 feet on both sides of the net.
○ Volleying is prohibited within the non-volley zone. This rule prevents players from
executing smashes from a position within the zone.
○ It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player steps on the non-volley zone,
including the line and/or when the player’s momentum causes them or anything
they are wearing or carrying to touch the non-volley zone including the associated
lines.
○ It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by momentum into or touches the
non-volley zone, even if the volleyed ball is declared dead before this happens.
○ A player may legally be in the non-volley zone any time other than when volleying a
ball.
○ The non-volley zone is commonly referred to as “the kitchen.” 8.
Line Calls
 ○ 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.
9. Faults
○ A fault is any action that stops play because of a rule violation.
○ A fault by the receiving team results in a point for the serving team.
○ A fault by the serving team results in the server’s loss of serve or side out.
10. How to play Pickleball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvPYdKZqO0
11. Singles Play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJVySp51xeY
12. Each match will last 20 minutes, regardless of the score. After 20 minutes, the player
leading at that time will be declared the winner of the match.