Pickleball Scoring Rules Made Easy

 

Pickleball terminology can be confusing, as well as the endless debates about the best pickleball pails. Pickleball’s scoring rules can be confusing when you first start playing. This is especially true when scoring doubles games. It will make picking up pickleball easier than ever once you have mastered the rules. Promise! This article will cover all you need to know to be a pickleball scorer so you don’t feel lost on the court.

How The Pickleball Scoring System Works

The rules for scoring pickleball are quite simple, even though they may sound complicated to a new player.

The player serving should announce the current score before each turn. This score has three components:

  • A score of the serving team
  • A score of the opposing team
  • The “number” of the server

This could look like this.

2-5 – 1 (The serving team has two points, while the opponents have five. The player serving is the one who serves the most during the service. The serving team is currently losing.

4 – 1 2 The serving team wins because they have four points to their name compared to the opponent’s one. The serving player is the one who serves during the service. (The other member of the team has served.) Nobody has yet scored and the serving player will be the first to serve on a team.

How to Break Down a Pickleball Score

While the first two numbers are fairly straightforward, the third can be confusing. Many pickleball players think that they must keep their server number during the game. This is not true. The courtside you are on at the time your team starts their service determines which server number you have.Serving as Server #1, the player on the right side always serves first.Thus, the server is the player who starts the service on the left side of the court. Check out our guide to the pickleball serving rules for a full explanation of how this works. It’s not just common courtesy to call out the score before every turn – it’s in the pickleball rules. Pickleball is fast-paced and the score can change quickly. By calling out the score prior to each turn, everyone is on the same page and reduces unnecessary arguments.

What You Need to Know About Pickleball Scoring

Pickleball scoring is pretty easy compared to many sports. However, there are a few quirks to the pickleball scoring system that you will need to be aware of. Is that true for all pickleball games?

Scoring Pickleball Singles Games Is Easy

This 3-part pickleball scoring system applies to pickleball doubles scoring. However, scoring pickleball singles is much easier. If you are playing singles, the server number can be skipped entirely – there is only one server on each side! Serving is simple: Your score – Their score

You Always Start With Your Own Score

Many sports have a score order that remains constant throughout the game (or changes after half-time). It changes depending on who serves pickleball. Servers are always the ones who call out the score and always start with their own score. Pickleball games can be scored as follows: 2-3-2 in one round and 3-2-1 in the next. If the serving team fails to score, service is given to the opposing side.

Make Sure Everybody Hears The Score

You must call the score before serving, but not in any other way. It’s not a good idea to look away from the court while muttering the score so no one can hear it – this could even be considered deceitful. So that everyone can hear the score, make sure you announce it clearly. If you don’t understand the score, ask the server for clarification and repeat it.

You Can Only Score When You Are Serving

This is one of the most important rules in pickleball! Pickleball can only be scored by the team in service. You can be found guilty of a crime and the other team will not receive a point. The play continues without any points.

This post was written by Kristian D’an, a pickle pall specialist with Pickleball Connection. Pickleball Connections is a private club offering the latest news, training, sportswear, supplements, and more. For exclusive deals, and to stay up to date on everything Pickleball click here for more information.