Official ruling for 2025
RALLY SCORING EXPLAINED
Service Sequence and Scoring – Rally Scoring Singles
- The difference between Side Out Scored Singles and Rally Scored Singles is that a point is awarded for each rally, either to the server or to the receiver.
- Player positions follow the same pattern as Traditional Side Out singles. The Servers align according to their score.
- After every side out the new server will serve diagonally from the side of the court that corresponds to their score. Right court is even score and left side is odd score.
- Games must be won by a two-point margin and can continue past the scheduled game point until a two-point margin is obtained, same as traditional scoring.
- In Rally Scoring the game winning point must be won by the server.
- No points are awarded when a player is at game point and their opponent loses their serve.
Scoring Examples:
- Starting the game. Starting server will serve diagonally from the right or even court at a score of 0 - 0.
- If the server wins the rally, they will change sides and will serve from the left or odd side at 1 – 0.
- When the serving player loses a rally, a point is awarded to the opponent as a Side Out and a Point is added to their score.
- The winning player must win by two points and on their serve. They cannot win on the opponents serve and loss of rally.
- In a 15 – point game, if the serving player has 14 points, they can serve to win provided their opponent has less than 14 points.
- In a 15 – point game if the receiving player has 14 points, and their opponent has less than 14 points, and the receiver wins the rally, no point is awarded. It is simply a Side Out. They will now serve for game point at with their score at14.
- If players are tied at 14 in a 15-point game, a point is still awarded to the winner of the rally making the score 15 – 14.
- If the serving player serves at 15 – 14 and loses the rally the new score will be 15 – 15 with their opponent serving.
- In a 15 – point game if players are tied at 15 – 15, and the receiving player wins the rally, a point is awarded, and they are serving at 16 – 15 to possibly win 17 -15. If they lose there is a Side Out Point, and the new score is 16 – 16.
Rally Scoring Doubles
- The approved format for Rally Scoring doubles allows for servers to serve to both of their opponents and serve from both sides of the court.
- In Rally Scoring Doubles a point is awarded either to the serving team or the receiving team at the end of each rally.
- The Winning Team must win by two points.
- The Winning Team must win the rally on their service.
- In Rally Scoring Doubles each team serves until they lose a rally, then the opponent will be awarded a point and will serve. There is no Second Server in Rally Scoring.
- The team starting the game will designate a Starting Server who will always serve from the Even or Right side of the court when their score is even. They will serve from the Left or Odd side when their score is odd. Just like Traditional Scoring.
- The starting score is 0 – 0, since there is no Second Server in Rally Scoring.
- When the serving team wins the rally, the server and their partner change positions. 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-side court when serving or receiving and when the score is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) that player will be in the left-side court when serving or receiving.
- When the serving team loses a rally, there is a Side Out and their opponents are awarded a point. Their server will be the server that corresponds to their new score. Even score will be the starting server, and odd score will be the non-starting server. The serve after a side out is always initiated from the right court.
- The serving teams players must change positions after every side out.
- The game must be won by the serving team. If the serving team loses a rally while the opponent is at a game point score, no point is awarded, and the game continues. There is no “freeze”. The opponent will receive a point if the serving team fails to win the rally even at game point.
- The game must be won by a two-point margin. The game may extend past the scheduled end point to accommodate the two-point margin.
Scoring Examples:
- Starting the game. The Starting server will serve diagonally from the right or even court at a score of 0 -0.
- If they win the rally the serving team players will change sides, and the staring server will serve from the left or odd side at 1 – 0.
- When the starting serving team loses a rally a point is awarded to the opponent who now is the serving team as a Side Out and Point.
- The new serving team players will always change positions to align with the score.
- The winning team must win by two points on their serve. They cannot win on the opponents serve and loss of rally.
- In a 15 – point game, if the serving team has 14 points, they can serve to win provided their opponent has less than 14 points.
- In a 15 – point game if the receiving team has 14 points and wins the rally no point is awarded. It is simply a Side Out. They will now serve for game point with a score of 14.
- If teams are tied at 14 in a 15-point game, a point is still awarded to the winner of the rally making the score 15 – 14.
- If the serving team serves at 15 – 14 and loses the rally the new score will be 15 – 15 with their opponents serving.
- In a 15 – point game if teams are tied at 15 – 15, and the receiving team wins the rally they are awarded a point and are serving at 16 – 15 to possibly win 17 -15. If they lose there is a Side Out Point, and the new score is 16 – 16.