ECROCK Club Etiquette

Safety, Etiquette & Rules 2024

ECROCK Pickleball Club - Safety; Etiquette and Basic Rules

Fair play, respect and sportsmanship go hand in hand when enjoying a group sport. To ensure safety and fun on the court, we ask that you follow the club’s recommended Pickleball guidelines and rules:

Court Safety:

1. We strongly recommend wearing protective eyewear & court shoes with a solid grip to avoid injuries

2. During Club play our first-aid kit will be readily available on display. North Point has a defibrillator located across from the main office area. Posted in the main entrance area is a list of members with medical backgrounds and first aid who volunteered to provide assistance while on site should medical help is needed. (North Point Sports address is 42 O’Leary Ave., behind the M5 Building should an ambulance need to be called)

3. Arrive early to allow sufficient time to stretch and perform a pregame warm up

4. Please avoid backing up on the court, simply turn and move sideways to prevent a serious trip and fall injury

5. Do not run onto another active court to make a play, causing injury to another player isn’t worth the point

6. Be quick to acknowledge a roaming court ball by shouting “BALL-BALL-BALL”. Do not chase a loose ball on another court, stop and wait for the receiving court to return the ball to you by raising your hand or paddle.

7. When retrieving a loose ball from your court, identify who’s ball it is before returning it. Avoid sweeping a roaming ball off the court with a paddle as it presents further danger and disruption.

8. When moving to and from a court be aware of your surroundings by waiting for active play to stop. Never walk behind players on a court when a game is in motion.

9. Keep yourself well hydrated & take a brief break to catch your breath if needed.

10. Remove any visible debris or water from the court for everyone’s.

Etiquette

1. Respect court times and arrive early to be court ready 10 minutes prior to playing or earlier to include a warm up.

2. Do not step onto active courts during play. Wait for active players to acknowledge you and stop play.

3. When an active court stops their game to allow your group to proceed to a court, please have your foursome group ready to move quickly to avoid multiple game interruptions.

4. Be respectful of 90- minute court rentals and move on and off the courts without delay.

5. When there are loose balls on the court, refer to safety tips number 6 & 7.

6. Being a “NO SHOW” is not acceptable. This is a huge irritant and disrespectful to the other 11 players who expected full courts. Club Volunteers posting rec, games on our Facebook page are NOT responsible for finding your replacement. Please refer to the waitlist group and reach out if possible 24 hours in advance and advice the game organizer.

7. To allow more members an opportunity to sign up for organized posted games by volunteers, please DO NOT DOUBLE BOOK games for the same day. If someone asks you to sub for a “no show” and you are already scheduled to play that day, it is acceptable to help fill a spot.

8. Please help reduce the on/off court congestion by utilization the 2 Change Rooms provided by North Point.

Pickleball Rules Summary - 2023

Note: This is an abbreviated form of the rules to give a quick overview of how the game is played. See the official rules for more information. If there is a conflict between this summary and the official rules, the official rules prevail.

The serve must be hit underhand, and each team must play their first shot off the bounce. After the ball has bounced once on each side, then both teams can either volley the ball in the air or play it off the bounce. This is called the “double bounce rule” because the ball must hit twice (once on each side) before it can be volleyed. This eliminates the serve and volley advantage and prolongs the rallies. To volley a ball means to hit it in the air without first letting it bounce.

The non-volley zone (NVZ) is the 7-foot zone on both sides of the net. No volleying is permitted within the non-volley zone. This rule prevents players from executing smashes from a position within the zone. When volleying the ball, the player may not step on or over the line. It is a fault if the player’s momentum causes the player or anything the player is wearing or carrying to touch the non-volley zone. It is a fault even if the ball is declared dead before the player touches the zone. A player may be in the non-volley zone at any other time. The non-volley zone is sometimes referred to as the kitchen.

Both players on the serving team are allowed to serve, and a team shall score points only when serving. A game is generally played to eleven points. Rallies are lost by failing to return the ball in bounds to the opponent’s court before the second bounce, stepping into the non-volley zone and volleying the ball, or by violating the double-bounce rule. The hands are considered an extension of the paddle. The player loses the rally if the ball hits any other part of his body or clothing.

At the beginning of the serve, both feet must be behind the baseline. At the time the ball is struck, at least one foot must be on the playing surface behind the baseline and the server’s feet may not touch the playing surface in an area outside the confines of the serving area. The standard serve is made underhand. The paddle must contact the ball below the waist. The serve is made diagonally cross court and must clear the non-volley zone, including the line (the serve is a fault if it hits any line of the NVZ). All other lines are always good. An alternate to the traditional serve is the “Drop Serve”. Servers may drop the ball without propelling it or tossing or hitting it upward and hit the ball after it bounces on the playing surface. At the start of each new game, only one player on the first serving team is permitted to serve and fault before giving up the ball to the opponents. Thereafter both members of each team will serve and fault before the ball is turned over to the opposing team. When the receiving team wins the serve, the player in the right-hand court will always serve first.

When the serving team wins a point, the server moves to the other side of the serving team’s court. Note that if the serve rotation is done properly, the serving team’s score will always be even when the player that started the game on the right side is on the right side and odd when that player is on the left side.

The USA Pickleball Association's Sportsmanship Guide is a good start.