PICKLE BALL HANDOUT
2005
BASIC SKILLS
Grip:
Underhand serve:
Volley:
Forehand:
Backhand:
-handshake grip
-ball must be hit out of the air (no bounce), mostly a sidearm action
-ball hit directly out of the air (no bounce), and sent immediately back to the
opponent
-contact is made with the racquet hand on the racquet side
-contact is made with the racquet hand across the body using the backside of
the racquet
RULES
Scoring:
-Matches are best of three games, and a game consists of 11 points. -To win
a team must be ahead by 2 points.
-A team can score a point only when serving.
Serving:
-Service must be delivered with an underhand motion
-Server must hit the ball from out of her hand.
-Serves must be diagonally to the receiver
-Serves must land in the service area to be considered IN
-The ball can hit the net on the serve so long as it goes over and lands IN the
service area
-For doubles: At the beginning of the game the team serving first
is allowed only one fault before turning over the serve to the
opposition. Thereafter two faults will be required before turning
the serve over to the opposition.
-When the receiving team wins the serve, the player in the right
hand court will always start serving first.
-One player will continue to serve until a fault is made by the
serving team.
Double Bounce Rule: - Once a serve has been made, the receiving team must let the ball bounce
once before hitting the return. The serving team must also allow the
return to bounce once before hitting the ball back. After this bounce rule
is adhered to “anything goes” during the remainder of the rally.
In play:
-a ball landing on the line is IN
Faults:
Results in a loss of serve – 2 faults in doubles results in serve turning over to
opposition
-hitting the ball out of bounds
-hitting the ball into the net
-volley the ball in a rally before it has bounced once on each side of the net.
-hitting the serve outside of the serve receive area
-first serve is made from the left side of the court
-serve is not underhand
-serve is not out of the air
Singles:
The same basic rules apply, except that:
-one fault results in a loss of service
-each player serves diagonally from the right-hand court to start or whenever
the server’s score is zero or an even number. When the player’s score is an
odd number, the service takes place in the left-hand court.
ETIQUETTE
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To decide who serves first, paper-rock-scissors, spin the racquet, or a coin toss can be used.
Call out the score on every serve to avoid confusion
A player should fairly call the violations and out of bounds on his/her side of the court.
If a player(s) cannot decide if a shot is in or out, the preferred practice is to replay the point.
Shake hands at the end of the game
Know the rules
Be courteous to your teammate and opponent
With matches going on in adjoning courts, extend the same courtesies to those players you
would want
Return the ball to the server in the manner that makes it easy for them to receive
Avoid wasting time between points
Encourage good sportsmanship by being fair to your opponent with your calls
Refrain from leaning on or pulling the net
As a server, wait until your opponent is ready before beginning play.
STRATEGIES
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When playing doubles, use front to back staggered positioning rather than playing side by
side to avoid hitting racquets/people!
Place the ball away from your opponent
Place the ball to your opponent’s weakness (i.e.: hit ball to opponent’s backhand)
COURT DIMENSIONS
Baseline
NET
Service Line
Center line
Service Area
Sideline