How to Score In Pickleball: And Love It!

You might’ve seen your friends playing pickleball and might be wondering how it even works. The last thing you want is your friends calling you in for a game, and you struggle to understand the rules. Luckily though, the rules for Pickleball are easy to follow, which makes it a fantastic introductory sport. The USA Pickleball Association even made a claim saying Pickleball is a “highly contagious” sport.

How To Score In Pickleball: Basic Rules

The rules of this sport are relatively simple and easy to remember. However, beginners sometimes struggle to keep track of them in their minds. It isn’t uncommon for the players to forget that they even have to score and not just keep playing. 

Scoring and memorizing the basic rules of Pickleball is essential to the game. Without learning the basic rules of Pickleball, playing the game would be uncomfortably complex. To gain the full experience of Pickleball, you should be aware of these base rules. Most of these are mandatory in any game you play, except there are one or two exceptions that set Pickleball apart from varying sports in the world. These base rules include:

• Scoring is tracked in a sequence.
• The winning team needs to win by at least 2 points. Essentially this means that if you are at a draw of 10 by 10 score, then you need to gain two more points in order to win.
• Only the serving team can gain points.
• Except at the beginning of the game, each team gets to serve at least twice, once per player.
• The ball should stay in bounds at all times.
• The ball can only bounce once per side.
• The player needs to serve behind the baseline.
• Don’t let the serve veer off to the no-volley zone.
• The game ends at either 11 or 15 points. 

If you keep these instructions in mind, you can have fun time playing this sport. Who knows, you could end up liking it so much that you become a competitive player. Pickleball offers something to anyone who tries it out, which is why it’s become a favorite in the US.

How To Score In Pickleball: Basic Scoring

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States because of its short learning curve. People usually played on a rectangular court with dimensions of 44 feet by 20 feet. A low net sections and separates the court into two sides. Now, the court has two baselines, two sidelines, a central line on both sides, and two non-volley lines. These non-volley zones are also referred to as the “kitchen.” The central line creates a section on each side called the left and right service courts. 

There are numerous aspects to remember when scoring in Pickleball and so without further ado let’s break down these aspects and get a comprehensive understanding of how to score in Pickleball and its essential rules.

Serving in Pickleball

To gain a point, you need to start with a serve. In Pickleball, you stand behind the baseline and serve underhand across the court to the opposing team. The ball should sphere the net and cannot land in the non-volley zone. If the ball goes into the no volley zone, it’s a foul. Also, remember to keep one foot behind the baseline, otherwise, you get a foul in Pickleball.

The double bounce rule is crucial to consider in Pickleball but is also one that people tend to miss. This rule indicates that the ball needs to bounce once, and strictly once, on each side before either team starts volleying the ball in the air. For instance, team A is serving to team B, and so team B needs to allow the ball to bounce once before retaliating with another server. When team B returns the ball to the serving lead, team A need to let it bounce once on the ground before returning the serve.

After bouncing the ball once on each side at the beginning of the game, either team can now volley the ball in the air or let it bounce before striking it. 

Win by 2 points

Competitive people usually like winning more than actually playing the game. And if winning is a significant part of the play for you, then here is how you win in Pickleball.

To win a game of Pickleball, you need to gain the upper hand by at least 2 points. It can be more than 2 points, but if it’s a draw of 10 – 10, you would need a minimum of 2 points. Most games are only played to 9 points. However, if the game is competitive, then it will go to 15 points. It doesn’t exceed past this rate.

Because of this rule, the game can go on for a long time. Each team continues to win by 1 point, and so the game would continue until someone is leading by 2 points. So, some competitive matches can go as long as hours on end because each team is serving to get the upper hand.

The Three Numbers in the Scoreboard

The scoring system in Pickleball is very different from other racquet sports, which can confuse a lot of newer players; the ones just getting into sports can be overwhelmed by the sequences on the scoreboard.

There are three numbers in a sequence on the scoreboard. The first two numbers in the series represent each participant, and the last number dictates whether the person serving is the first or second to serve in that rally.

Here are some examples to explain why there are three numbers on the scoreboard and clarify how to score in Pickleball.

• 1 – 1 – 2 

This means that there is a draw between the opposing teams, and the second participant on the serving team is now serving. 

• 1 – 0 – 1 

This indicates that the receiving team is at a disadvantage because they have zero points, and a point leads the serving team. The last number 1 tells you that the first player on a team is scoring. 

• 0 – 0 – 1 

This score shows that neither of the teams is in the lead, and both are at point zero. Again, the last person in the sequence indicates that there’s a person on a team serving.  

How to Do the Scoring in Pickleball

The scoring process is where it gets a bit tricky. Remembering the rules mentioned earlier, this could be an easy process to get through. There are a few vital key points to keep in mind; once you understand them, this won’t seem as complicated.

• Team A, player 1, stands on the right section of the court. That’s the designated place for the 1^st server during the first serve of the game.
• Team A, player 1, announces the score, specifically calling out either two or “start.”

• Team B effectively returns the strike, but team A misses to return the ball. 
• This would result in Team A being on the “side out” since, as the initial serving team, only one player is allowed to serve. 

In-play, let’s assume Team A strikes and Team B misses. Once this happens, Team A will gain the upper hand by a point. Team A, player 1, will switch with their partner, player 2. Player 1 announces the new score and proceeds to serve the ball. This chase will continue until one team misses to return the ball, and the opposing team gains two extra points, winning the game. 

The scoring system remains the same throughout the rest of the game until a winner is announced.

Keep Track of the Score

As a beginner, you are usually too focused on the game itself to keep track of the score. The game itself takes all your attention, and you often forget to track its progress.

In Pickleball, an essential rule is to call out the score whenever you are serving. This is also crucial to the game to keep everyone on the same page about the score. 

Paying attention to your position on the court is a trick to remembering your score. For instance, if you are the first server on the right side of the court, your score is an even number. Just like when you are on the left side, your score is an odd number.

Often seasoned players like to wear colored wrist bands to help them remember whether they were the leading server or not, which helps them remember if the score is even or odd. 

How To Score In Pickleball: Scoring in Singles

Scoring in singles is similar to how you scored in doubles, except you don’t have a partner in this scenario. Only this feature causes the change in the dynamic of the game. You apply the same strategies for serving and keeping score, but when someone calls “side out” (this means a player lost their serve), the ball goes to the opponent. Whereas in doubles, when someone calls a “side out,” the next serve goes to your partner.

Tracking score while playing singles; if the opponent’s score is even then, they score from the right side of the court. If their score is off, then they will serve from the left side of the court. 

Even in singles, you still need to announce your number to the public and the opponent. But the sequence is of 2 numbers, not three. For instance, if the serving player has 4 points and the opposing player has 6 points, the server will announce the score as 5 – 8.

Conclusion

Pickleball is a fun game while simultaneously being a competitive sport. It can be interpreted both ways, depending on how you wish to play. Initially, you can get overwhelmed by the rules of it all, but once you get the knack for it, then you can easily adjust and enjoy it. Scoring is just another factor that confuses most people, but after practice and reading through this guide, you can become a pro in no time!