Goulburn Pickleball has now been in action for just over 12 months now, and we have seen many new faces attend, and learn the game of Pickleball.  So now, it's time to take a bit of a closer look at what some of the rules are, and what the expectations are of you the player.

Scoring. Yes, it's weird, it's something that takes a while to get your head around, and when you first start it's the weirdest statement of numbers you have heard put together.  But did you know that before you start your serve, you must call out the score?  It's actually a rule of Pickleball. 

So, to help you out, here's a bit of an overview on how scoring works in Pickleball - Regular or Side out scoring.

Before each serve, the player who is serving the ball is to call out the score. The format of the score is: Your score, Opposition score, and the server number.  The quirk in the scoring is at the commencement of play, which is where so many of us get caught out.

When you start a game, you can choose to serve, or receive. There can be strategy in choosing to receive first, you get to choose your end. Do you take the end without the sun in your eyes, or with the wind at your back. The serving team gets the chance to start off with a point and create an advantage for themselves.  This is why when you start a game, you only get 1 serve. Hence the call out of the score before the first serve - 0-0-2 

Your score 0, your opponents score 0 and the service number 2. This is not just etiquette. This is actually a rule.

The guidelines for scoring are: 
• The server calls the score. 
• When calling the score the server’s score is called first.  
• When playing doubles: 
o The score is called followed by either number 1 or 2 indicating whether  Server 1 or Server 2 is serving. 
o E.G.  6 – 4, 1 
▪ This indicates that the serving team has won 6 points 
▪ The receiving team has won 4 points 
▪ 1 indicates the first server is calling – if they lose the point (the team commits a fault) 
o The score becomes 6 – 4 , 2   
▪ 2 indicates the second server is serving 
▪ The number 2 being called indicates that when a point is lost (a fault occurs) the ball goes to the other team to begin serving.

Calling out the score clearly to the court helps everyone stay on track, helps everyone manage the service number, and is an essential part of the game. It's a skill that does take time to master, but there are plenty of people who know how to score, and can help you if you're not sure. 

So what is a winning score.  Generally the scoring is to 11, and win with a margin of 2 points.  Given that we play 12 minute rounds, we don't always manage a 2 point margin when the game is really close, but as long as you're enjoying the game, the score itself is relative.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask.  I know a lot of us know how to score, but we ALL need to call it out before we serve.