Pickleball Tournaments Rules

• This tournament will have following events:
  ○ Mens/Mixed doubles
  ○ Women’s doubles
• Event location: Pickleball Kingdom – Pflugerville
  ○ 1900 E Howard Ln Bldg E & I, Pflugerville, TX 78660
• Event Dates
  ○ Saturday November 2nd – 1:30p to 5:30p
• Each GAMA member is allowed to register only ONE Team. Teams registered as a second entry by the same member will be disqualified from the Tournament, if this rule is not adhered to.
• Please follow all the protocols of Pickleball Kingdom
• Please keep the playing area and surrounding area clean. Please dispose of used water bottles and other items in the trash can.
• Please report to the GAMA registration desk at least 15 minutes before the game. For example, if the game is scheduled at 1.30pm please report to the registration desk by 1.15pm. If any team turns up 10 minutes after the scheduled time, the match will be assumed to have been forfeited and the opponent advances to the next round.
• Each team will have to bring their own pickleball paddles and will need to wear proper attire for pickleball.
• After each game, players are requested to assist with the umpiring, score keeping, and line judge duties.
• Each team will have an option to switch players in the event of any unforeseen circumstances, however, no substitutions of players are allowed after the tournament commences. The approval of the new team member is at the sole discretion of the organizing committee and all decisions are final.
• GAMA will provide water, sports drinks for the players

• Game starts with a toss and the winner chooses between side or serve.
• Balls will be provided by GAMA during the match.
• Change of balls will be at the discretion of the umpire.
• 2-minute warm up time before each match and 1-minute interval will be allowed after each game.
• At no time during the game should the player touch the net, with his paddle or his body.
• If the ball goes into another court: Call out “ball” or a similar warning to alert players whose safety is at risk.
• If a stray ball lands on the court: Stop play, identify the court, and gently return the ball. The point shall be replayed.
• Games will be played to 11 points, win by 2
• Before serving in pickleball, the serving team must call out the score in the following order:
  ○ Server score: The score for the serving team
  ○ Receiver score: The score for the opposing team
  ○ Server number: For doubles games only, the number of the server on the serving team (1 or 2)

• The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc when the ball is struck.
• Paddle contact with the ball must not be made above the waist level.
• The head of the paddle must not be above the highest part of the wrist at contact.
• A ‘drop serve’ is also permitted in which case none of the elements above apply.
• At the time the ball is struck, the server’s feet may not touch the court or outside the imaginary extension of the sideline or centerline and at least one foot must be behind the baseline on the playing surface or the ground behind the baseline.
• The serve is made diagonally crosscourt and must land within the confines of the opposite diagonal court.
•  A ball that lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line during a serve is considered a short serve and a fault.
• Only one serve attempt is allowed per server.

• Both players on the serving doubles team have the opportunity to serve and score points until they commit a fault *(except for the first service sequence of each new game).
• The first serve of each side-out is made from the right/even court.
• If a point is scored, the server switches sides and the server initiates the next serve from the left/odd court.
• As subsequent points are scored, the server continues switching back and forth until a fault is committed, and the first server loses the serve.
• When the first server loses the serve the partner then serves from their correct side of the court (except for the first service sequence of the game*).
• The second server continues serving until his team commits a fault and loses the serve to the opposing team.
• Once the service goes to the opposition (at side out), the first serve is from the right/even court and both players on that team have the opportunity to serve and score points until their team commits two faults.
• In singles the server serves from the right/even court when his or her score is even and from the left/odd when the score is odd.

*At the beginning of each new game only one partner on the serving team has the opportunity to serve before faulting, after which the service passes to the receiving team.

• Points are scored only by the serving team.
• Games will be played to 11 points, win by 2.
• When the serving team’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) the player who was the first server in the game for that team will be in the right/even court when serving or receiving; when odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) that player will be in the left/odd court when serving or receiving.

• When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning, and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning, thus two bounces.
• After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley the ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it off a bounce (ground stroke).

• A ball contacting any part of any line, except the non-volley zone line (AKA kitchen line) on a serve, is considered “in.”
• A serve contacting the non-volley zone line is short and a fault.

• The non-volley zone is the court area within 7 feet on both sides of the net..
• Volleying is prohibited within the non-volley zone.
• It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player steps on the non-volley zone, including the line and/or when the player’s momentum causes them or anything they are wearing or carrying to touch the non-volley zone including the associated lines.
• It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by momentum into or touches the non-volley zone, even if the volleyed ball is declared dead before this happens.
• A player may legally be in the non-volley zone any time other than when volleying a ball.
• The non-volley zone is commonly referred to as “the kitchen.”

• A fault is any action that stops play because of a rule violation.
• A fault by the receiving team results in a point for the serving team.
• A fault by the serving team results in the server’s loss of serve or side out.

• Any fair method can be used to determine which player or team has the first choice of side, service, or receive. (Example: coin flip)