Pickleball Rules

League Basics

Schedule

• All games are played at the time, date, and place on the schedule.
• If you know of dates that won't work for your team, tell your captain before the season begins.
• Captains may submit schedule requests, for an additional fee, through the FSS website.

Rosters

• Each team must have at least 4 players (no maximum).
• Rosters are final after Week 3. No roster changes are allowed after that except injury replacements.
• Each team may make no more than two (2) injury replacements per season.
• A replacement player must play at least one (1) regular season match to be eligible for the playoffs.
• Send all roster updates to fredericksocialsports@gmail.com.

Forfeits

• Game time is forfeit time. Teams are encouraged to arrive 10 minutes early.
• The League Coordinator may allow a 10-minute grace period, but the game clock starts at the scheduled time.
• A team needs at least 2 players to start a game.
• A forfeit is scored as a 3–0 match.
• No-shows and same-day cancellations are charged a $20 team forfeit fee. The fee must be paid before the team's next scheduled game for the team to play.
• A team with two (2) forfeits automatically loses its playoff eligibility.
• No refunds are given for forfeits.

Equipment

• Teams may use their own paddles. FSS provides a set of paddles for each court.
• FSS supplies the game balls.

Officials

All matches are self-officiated. Players use the honor system when making calls. An on-site coordinator is available to help with any issues during a game. Please stay courteous, fair, and sportsmanlike.

Sportsmanship

• The League Coordinator may remove any player who is excessively competitive or overly aggressive.
• If a player's conduct creates unsafe conditions, their team may be disqualified from the match (automatic forfeit).

Matches and Scoring

Match Format

• Matches are best 2 out of 3 games.
• Each game is played to 15 points, win by 2.
• Games are played to a point total, not a time limit.
• There is a 2-minute rest between games.
• Each team gets one 30-second timeout per game.
• There is no mercy rule.

Scoring Points

• Points are scored only on your own serve.
• A point is scored when the returning team fails to return the ball or commits a fault.
• Rally scoring starts at the 10-minute warning before the next round, signaled by a whistle.

Game Play

Starting a Game

Teams play rock-paper-scissors to decide who serves first.

Serving

• Serve underhand and diagonally into the opponent's service court.
• The serve must be made below the waist with your feet behind the baseline.
• The serve must clear the non-volley line. A serve that lands on the line or in the non-volley zone is a fault.
• Player A serves first. If team A/B wins the point, A and B switch positions and keep serving until they fail to score.
• Teams with more than 2 players must rotate after each player has served once.
• Let serves are not called (per USA Pickleball rules, 2021). If a team stops play for a "let," that team loses the point.

Double Bounce Rule

• The receiving team must let the serve bounce once before hitting it.
• The serving team must let the return bounce once before hitting it.
• After these two bounces, teams may volley or play the ball off the bounce.

Faults

A fault stops play and awards the point to the other team. Common faults:

• The ball lands out of bounds or in the net.
• The ball is volleyed before the required bounce on each side.
• A player volleys from the non-volley zone ("the kitchen").
• The ball bounces twice before it is hit.
• A player, their clothing, or their paddle touches the net.
• A service violation.
• The ball hits a player or object before bouncing in play.
• The ball hits a permanent object before bouncing on the court.

A ball that lands on the line is in.

The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone)

• The non-volley zone extends 10 feet from the net on each side.
• Players may not volley (hit the ball before it bounces) while standing in or touching the zone.
• Stepping into the zone from the momentum of a volley is a fault, even after the ball is dead.
• Players may enter the kitchen at any other time, such as to play a ball after it bounces.

Playoffs

Format

• Playoffs begin right after the regular season. Regular season rules apply.
• The top four (4) teams by record advance.
• The League Coordinator checks IDs before playoff matches.

Tiebreakers

1. Total wins
2. Head-to-head record
3. Points scored differential