Pickleball has quickly grown in popularity over recent years - and for good reason! It offers great ways to exercise while having fun with friends while competing friendly against one another. But before stepping onto your court with your GatorStrike pickleball accessories, gaining familiarity with its scoring system can ensure an easier first experience on the court. How to score in pickleball?
Here's everything you need to know about keeping score in pickleball, whether playing casual matches or competing in tournaments!
Points, Games, and Matches: The Scoring Breakdown
Pickleball differs significantly from tennis in that only its serving team may earn points. Games usually go to 11 points but you need two to win! Therefore the score can remain tied until one team leads by two (e.g. 13-11). Some tournaments might offer variations with games lasting 15 or even 21 points!
Singles Versus Doubles: Serving Differences
Serving works differently between singles and doubles play: in singles, servers switch sides after every point regardless of the score, but doubles require having two designated servers (Server 1 and Server 2) who take turns serving for their team.
Mastering the Doubles Serve: A Step-by-Step Guide
Now let's understand the mechanics of doubles serving. Here is how it works:
- Server 1 Starts Right: To begin the game on even scores, server 1 begins serving diagonally towards their opposition's diagonal court located directly opposite.
- Winning Serve, Switch Sides: If the serving team wins the rally, server 1 switches to the left court (odd score) and serves diagonally again. This continues as long as the serving team keeps winning points.
- Losing Serve, New Server: If a serving team loses a rally, their serve shifts over to server 2. That server takes over from wherever it currently sits on either side and serves diagonally.
- Calling Out Score: Before every serve, the server must call out all three scores: your team score first followed by that of the opponent then finally their server number (1 or 2).
Match Points are Best Out of Three
Pickleball matches typically follow a best-of-three game format; therefore, the first team to win two out of three clinches the victory and secures their victory.
Beyond Winning Rallies: Scoring on Faults and Fouls
At first glance, winning rallies is the primary way of scoring; however, other situations may also award points. When an opposing team commits an error (like double fault or volleying in non-volley zone volleying ), the serving team scores points. Furthermore, technical fouls called against them also count towards this total.
Keeping Track of the Action: Scoring Methods
There are various scoring methods used in pickleball; from using pen and paper to more official methods like dedicated scoreboards which can easily be purchased and can make for an exciting pickleball experience.
The Final Volley: Are You Prepared to Score Big?
Now you have all of the knowledge to score confidently during a pickleball match. Remember the following points when keeping score: Only those on the serving team may score; games typically go 11 points with win-by-two rules in effect, and singles and doubles playing rules may vary slightly
Faults and fouls by the receiving team can award points. So grab your GatorStrike precision striker pickleball paddle or your carbon pickleball paddle from your GatorStrike set and head out on the court - get ready to score some points!
