You’ve got the pickleball basics and are now ready to jump on the court and ace the game. But before you start dinking, make sure you understand pickleball scoring and how to win the game. Get started on the court with confidence by understanding the ins and outs of winning and losing points.
Scoring in pickleball is kept simple with each game played to 11 points. However, the leading team must win by at least two points to clinch the victory. For example, a final score may be 13-11. Teams must win two out of three games to advance in most tournaments.
One of the key fundamentals to understand with pickleball scoring rules is that points are only scored by the team serving. In a doubles match, either server from the same team can score points. The opposing team aims to win a rally by returning the serve to their side of the court before they can score points.
In a doubles match, service starts with the player on the right side. Once served, the ball rallies until one side faults, hits a ball out of bounds, or fails to return the ball across the net. If the serving side wins, they score a point, and the same player continues to serve the ball. If the opposing team wins the rally, the serve changes to the second player on the serving side, but no point is awarded. Once the rally is lost for the second server, service switches to the opposite side, giving the other team a chance to score.
Announcing the score in pickleball may seem like an optional act to beginners, but it serves a necessary part of the game and is a requirement in even the most casual tournaments. Announcing the score keeps the game organized and fair, so learning how to call it out correctly is crucial.
Though only two teams score in pickleball, an announced score at the beginning of play always consists of three numbers. The first number said is the score of the serving team. The second number will be the score of the opposing team. The final number will be either “one” or “two,” indicating which person is serving. The first player to serve will always end the score in “one,” while the second player will always end the announcement in “two” to indicate they are second to serve.
Example:
The blue team has seven points while the red team has three points and just won the rally to serve.
Red player one would call the score as: “3-7-1.”
The red team loses the very first rally. Now, the second red player is serving.
Red player two would call the score as: “3-7-2.”
NOTE: In official tournament play, if a score is called incorrectly and the opposing side challenges the mistake after the third rally, the play is treated as if the serving team committed a fault.
Pickleball is commonly played with doubles, but single players can also join in on the fun. While the rules listed above generally apply to both doubles and singles, there are a few tweaks to singles games.
Whether you are just learning the sport or a seasoned player, all members at The Picklr are treated like pros. Learn the fine details of pickleball scoring, game strategy, and playing techniques with direct instruction at one of our adult clinics. Or, jump in with free indoor court reservations by signing up for a 30-day membership trial with us.
We’ll see you on the courts.
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Kathryn Bullough is a seasoned marketing leader with a distinguished track record of over 15 years. She has orchestrated the growth of global brands and spearheaded successful marketing initiatives within the consumer tech, sporting goods, and public safety sectors. Her impactful roles at industry leaders such as Skullcandy, Axon, Salomon, and Atomic underscore her extensive marketing expertise.
Intrinsically linked to diverse industries, Kathryn brings her wealth of experience to The Picklr from her role at Axon, a frontrunner in public safety technology. There, she pioneered groundbreaking marketing efforts, crafting and executing pioneering brand campaigns and internal strategies. Prior to that, she led global brand marketing efforts at consumer electronics giant, Skullcandy, developing and implementing brand marketing efforts across the globe for more than 7 years. Kathryn earned her B.A. from the College of Charleston and has called Salt Lake City, UT, her home for more than 12 years.
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