Scoring in pickleball is in fact quite simple once you understand the rules. Below, we will talk you through the game play and the scoring process, so you can keep score correctly and easily. Let’s start with basics.
Pickleball Scoring System
The winning team in a game of pickleball – or, if it is a singles match the winning player – is the team that reaches 11 points first. However, they must also be two points clear. To put that simply, a team will win if they score 11, and their opponents have 9 or fewer points.
If there is not a clear two-point lead, the play continues until there is. It is important to understand that you can only score points when you are serving. Also, the rules – and the court – are the same for singles and doubles games (we will refer to ‘the team’ throughout as it is usually played as doubles).
The Serving Routine
Pickleball is unusual in that both players on a team serve before the opposing team gets a chance to do so. The only exception to this is during the very first serve, in which the serve will pass to the opposing team after the first player faults. Following this, when a fault is played – or made by foot fault or other rule infringement – the serve passes to the other player on that team, and then to the opposing team when the next fault is called.
Before each serve, the score must be called out loud, along with the number – or name – of the server. For example, if the serving team is on 6 points, and the opposing team on 2, the scorer or umpire will call ‘6-2’ plus the name or number of the server who is about to serve. So, if the serve remains with the first server on the team, the scorer calls ‘6-2-1’.
Reading this, it looks far more complex than it actually is! Once you get used to the routine of play, you will begin to understand the scoring better. Unlike in tennis, ever score is a single point, which is somewhat easier to get to grips with!
Scoring Faults
Points are scored – remember, only the serving team can score – when the opposing team loses a rally by way of a fault. This can include hitting the ball out of court, failing to return the ball, or playing an illegal shot in the ‘no volley zone’ which is also known as the ‘kitchen’. This is an area signified by a line 7-feet from the net on each side. Inside this area, volleys – shots played while the ball is in the air – are not permitted. If a player hits a ball outside the zone, he or she cannot then enter the zone while that shot is in play – to do so is a fault.
One further part of play that is important is the ‘double bounce rule’. This is something the scorer needs to be aware of and to watch for at all times. When a ball is served, it must be allowed to bounce once by the opposing team before it is returned. It must then bounce once before the serving team can also return it. Only then can the ball be intercepted before it bounces, and of course, never in the No Volley Zone!
Summary
Put simply, the following facts are to be remembered:
- Only the serving team can score
- Both players on the serving team get to serve before the serve is passed, apart from the following exception:
- On the first serve in any game, just one player serves before the serve is passed.
- Observe the No Volley Zone and Double Bounce rules at all times.
- Winner is first to 11 with a two point advantage
That’s about it, so enjoy your pickleball!