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 Rule Change ID Submitted From Comment
1214May 16, 2023Jo

Rally scoring to 15 not 11
1214May 17, 2023Michael

Favor making rally scoring as a "scoring option".
1214May 18, 2023Anthony

Rally scoring should not be considered unless the following is addressed. Currently, the rally favors the side who is receiving at all times as the server must wait back for the ball to bounce in their court before being able to volley. Rally scoring formats should not disadvantage the server nor receiving side.
1214May 23, 2023Pamella

I would favor rally scoring to be an "option" available for TD to use for events.
1214May 23, 2023Pamella

I would favor rally scoring to be an "available option" - determined by TD for events such as singles.
1214May 28, 2023Tim

The rules of pickleball should not sell out the character of the sport to placate the TV networks' desire for predictable match duration. Nearly every sport that is televised has variability in the length of it's game or match and it hasn't prevented them be telecasted. Creates the possibility of more drama. As most of us know, the length of a cornhole match on ESPN forced the delay of the Jack Sock mixed doubles final, but cornhole running long hasn't prevented it from being a televised sport.
1214May 28, 2023Steve

I support retention of traditional (side-out) scoring in the official rules of Pickleball and the USA Pickleball Rulebook. Worst of all would be making rally scoring for doubles an official rule. Traditional scoring insures the unique "flavor" of pickleball as we know and love it, and we have to consider it may be critically important to the rapid growth in popularity of the game. Rally scoring feels lie a "watered-down" form of pickleball. There are so many subtleties as to how traditional scoring enhances the attraction to playing pickleball that a detailed thesis could be written, but suffice to just focus on the importance it lends to momentum of one team vs. the other, hot-cold streaks, intense focus on winning points when most disadvantaged (two-bounce rule), the ability to overcome some unusually lucky streaks (that would otherwise all be points for the lucky players), the second-chance at winning, the comeback win and excitement of playing/watching a comeback in progress, regardless the final outcome. Before serious consideration of changing the traditional scoring method in formal USA Pickleball play, some very thorough study, documenting and player interviewing and input (and knowledgeable spectators such as player-spectators as well) should be conducted over a several year period. This sport is raging in popularity; don't wreck a good thing through knee-jerk rule changes for reasons like more regimented game-duration, which are not as important as the fun and attraction of playing and watching pickleball. Lastly I would say, there are a variety of methods of Rally scoring, the proposed one here is not the one I have seen experimented with locally in rec play. How do you know what the best of the rally scoring protocols is? I don't accept that the one described is the best one out there.
1214May 30, 2023Robert

I am not advocating for wholesale “remove and replace” of side-out scoring, simply incorporation into pickleball the use of rally scoring as an “official” option for players to use as many players already do… unofficially. Interestingly, PB is the only major net-court sport using a ball and racquet or paddle to still use sideout scoring. Also, interesting is the fact that each net-court sport that used sideout scoring in 1965, doesn’t use it today, and hasn’t for over 20 years.

The recent McEnroe/Agassi/Roddick/Chang exhibition match was the writing on the wall for the future of Pickleball scoring AND serve rotation; clearly demonstrating practically how it well it works by these great players. Whoever came up with the scoring was very clever to incorporate the benefits of rally scoring and eliminate the ills of sideout scoring. Even before that match, I witnessed rally scoring used at a national senior pro singles tournament final on You Tube both linked below.

https://youtu.be/21WNY92WmWs

https://youtu.be/t-hAl6P3Fik

The exhibition example of rally scoring, won’t require countless YouTube videos explaining to new players what “side-out” scoring is or calling out “3” numbers or wearing bracelets to keep track of the serve rotation! Rally scoring is simple, easy to understand and most players already get-it if they’ve ever played Ping-Pong (actually a trade name similar to “Kleenex” for tissue) in their lives; but most importantly… exudes game logic, historical perspective and fairness.

The “McEnroe” (as a term of distinction) rally scoring system as described results in 1 point awarded to the team/player who win a rally regardless of the server. Games are won by the first team/player to score 15 or 21 points depending on the match format whether best of multiple games or round robin play. For both singles and doubles, should the score tie at 15 or 21 points, only one serve per player or team is allowed in alternating sequence until a 2 point advantage is achieved.

The starting game server will be determined by chance, ie coin toss or any other method decided upon; there is actually a coin flip app if no one has any change!

For doubles… a player from the serving team will then begin to serve and if they win the rally will be awarded 1 point, the second player of the team will then serve for the second point; should they win the second rally, they will then keep serving alternating between team players, until at some point they lose a rally; their opponents will then be awarded 1 point, and that team will begin the same serve rotation.

For singles… rally scoring will be used as per doubles however the service order will only be 2 serve opportunities per player in alternating sequen0ce, starting from the right then left, much like table tennis and similar to tennis. The game logic toward serve rotation has already been established by both sports for over a century of play affording for equality of service chances over the game. Again, nothing new to net-court sports and all preexisting 1965.

What all other sports of the genre realize concerning rally scoring is, the equal reward to all players uniformly with “points” for successful offense AND defensive play and effort. The result is ALL points are of equal “risk or reward” ALL the time to ALL players.
1214May 31, 2023Robert

Please attach these comments to my previous entry. After replaying the recent “McEnroe” exhibition match… multiple times, suggest adoption in total (everything) of the rally scoring and service order format as an option to players, tournaments etc, to the current sideout format.

Including but not limited to, replay of a service net cord that lands in the service box, which is defined as ALL 4 sides of the service box, currently only 3 of the 4 lines are “in” and one line out (?), both which appeared to happen on one of Andy Roddick's serves.

The official rightly called a “let” on Roddick’s serve stating… for that match a let or “do over” of the service net cord was the rule in play, alluding that is not the norm for the rest of Pickleball.

The funny part was when the official seemed to explain to Roddick what a “let” was! To which Roddick, a former world number one tennis player, joked back in complete deadpan, “I think I know what a let is,” resulting in the entire audience breaking out in muted laughter!

Further, the service box seemed to include ALL “4” lines that identified the service box, based on the phase of the game at that moment, that being the Serve.

The primary premise of all net-court sports is All lines are “in.” The application then is to “what phase” of the game are the lines “in” for.

The intended purpose for the NVZ has no application during the “serve” only that the served ball may not land in it.

Therefore the notion that only 3 of the 4 sides of the service box are “in” and one side, the line shared by the NVZ is out, violates game logic and game uniformity during the service phase. We endorse that all “4” lines of the service box are “in” during the serve as seemed to be the case for the exhibition match.
1214May 31, 2023Melody

I am opposed to rally scoring. IF this proposed rule change is accepted please only apply it to singles. In doubles it would significantly change the essence of how the game of Pickleball is played.
 Rule Change ID Submitted From Comment