Pickleball Rules
General Information
Tournament format: Team Doubles
Approximately 200 participants
Games are played to 7 points OR 7 minutes, whichever comes first.
At the conclusion of each game, teams must report their score immediately.
Teams must clear the court promptly so the next match can begin
Tournament Director has final authority on all rulings.
Closed toe shoes are required to play in the tournament.
1. Sportsmanship
All players are expected to:
Treat opponents, referees, and volunteers respectfully.
Call their own lines honestly.
Avoid profanity or unsportsmanlike conduct.
Shake hands or paddle tap after each match.
The Tournament Director may:
Issue warnings.
Deduct points.
Remove players from the tournament for misconduct.
Check-In
Teams must check in at least 30 minutes before play begins.
Teams not present within 2 minutes of their scheduled start time may forfeit the match.
Warm-up is limited to 2 minutes.
Match Format
Pool Play
Each team will play a set number of games to be announced soon.
Teams will be assigned to a court, and that will be your group stage
The top 2-4 teams in each group depends on record will move to the playoffs
Playoffs will have 32 teams
Winner receives:
1 Match Win
Playoff Bracket
Single Elimination
The winner advances.
Losers are eliminated.
Scoring
First team to 7 points wins.
If neither team reaches 7 points before 7 minutes, the team with the higher score wins.
If tied when time expires: Play one sudden-death point. Winner of that rally wins the match.
Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone)
Players may not:
Volley while touching the kitchen line.
Volley while standing in the kitchen.
Step into the kitchen because of momentum after volleying.
Players may enter the kitchen only after the ball bounces.
Faults
A fault occurs when:
The ball lands out.
The ball hits the net and does not cross.
The ball bounces twice.
Double hit (unless continuous).
Volley in the kitchen.
Serve lands outside the correct service box.
Wrong server serves.
The ball hits a player before bouncing.
The opponent receives the point.
Line Calls
Players call their own side.
"Out" must be called immediately.
If the ball is on the line it is considered in.
If players disagree, please ask for a ref for ruling.
Tournament officials may make the final ruling if available.
Serving & Scoring Rules (Traditional Pickleball)
Serving
Matches will follow standard serving rules.
The first serve of each rally must be made underhand, with the paddle contacting the ball below the server's waist.
At least one foot must remain behind the baseline and not touch the court until after the ball is struck.
The serve must land in the opponent's diagonally opposite service court, beyond the non-volley zone (kitchen).
Serving Order
At the beginning of each game, the first serving team has one server only.
After the first side-out, each team will have two servers per turn, following standard pickleball rules.
Both teammates serve before the serve passes to the opposing team, unless the serving team commits a fault.
Players continue serving until their team commits a fault.
The serve rotates between partners before a side-out occurs.
Two-Bounce Rule
After the serve, the receiving team must allow the ball to bounce once before returning it.
The serving team must also allow the return of serve to bounce once before hitting it.
After these two required bounces (one on each side of the net), either team may hit the ball before or after it bounces, including volleys, provided they do not violate the non-volley zone (kitchen) rules.
Scoring
Only the serving team may score points.
The receiving team cannot score a point; they can only win the serve.
Games are played to 7 points or until the 7-minute time limit expires, whichever comes first.
If time expires during a rally, that rally will be completed before the match ends.
If the score is tied when time expires, one sudden-death rally will be played. The winner of that rally wins the match.
Games do not require a two-point margin to win.