LIST OF SUGGESTED PICKLEBALL RULE CHANGES FOR PREVIOUS YEARS
| Rule Submission Title | Ordinals to Report Server |
|---|---|
| USAP Board Voting Status | Failed |
| USAP Rules Committee Voting Status | Failed. We don't want to change rules for millions of existing players to accommodate new players. Beginners will eventually learn the specifics. Many players use 0-0-Start even today, with no consequence. |
| Existing Rule # | 4.J. Calling the Score in Doubles Matches. |
| Proposed Rule Change | Change the 3rd element of the score (which player on a team is serving) from cardinals (“1” or “2”) to ordinals (“first” or “second”), except the very first server would say “start”. |
| Original Rule Text | The score is called as three numbers in doubles matches. The proper sequence for calling the score is: serving team’s score – receiving team’s score – the server number (one or two), (e.g., “zero – one – one”). To start each game, the score will be called as “zero – zero – two.” |
| Reasoning Behind Suggested Change | • Early in a game, with scores like 1-2-1, it’s easy to lose track of which number meant what. Not for all you experienced players, but anyone who's just getting into the game it's a challenge. (I speak from multiple experiences.) • The very first server, standing on the right when the score is even (0), shouldn’t be claiming to be the second server. Besides being unintuitive, it’s inconsistent with the even-odd rubric. |
| Scenarios In Which the Rules Applies | All play. I spend most of my time working with beginning players, so the 4 changes I'm suggesting would be of most value to them (and people like me who are introducing them to pickleball). We grow the sport by making it easy to learn. And as non-confusing as possible. |
| Rule Book Year | 2023 |
| Rule Change ID | 291 |
| Date Created | March 23, 2022 |
| View Comments | View Comments |