Pickleball Magazine 2-2 Courtesy of Pickleball Central | Page 24

THE RULES GURU The Rules Guru RULES Q AND A You can submit your questions to [email protected] for consideration in an upcoming column. BY CHRISTINE BARKSDALE, USAPA MANAGING DIRECTOR OF COMPETITION Q. Can a person pull his/her partner back from falling into the kitchen? This is a very popular question! There is no rule preventing Player A from assisting in keeping his/her partner from entering the non-volley zone (NVZ) as long as Player A is not touching the NVZ. IFP Rule 9.C states “...It is a fault if the player’s momentum causes the player to touch anything that is touching the NVZ, including the player’s partner...” Q. I am wondering if it is legal to step into the kitchen once the point is over? For example: Player A hits a volley that tips the net, goes over and bounces twice before the opponents get to the ball. After the second bounce, Player A’s momentum carries him into the kitchen — does Player A’s team still win that rally? IFP Rule 9.C provides the answer with the keyword being “momentum.” The rules states “...It is a fault, even if the ball is declared dead before the player touches the non-volley zone (NVZ).” In the example, since Player A’s movement into the NVZ is a direct result of not regaining composure after making the volley, then it is a fault on Player A. Q. During a recent match, we had linespeople and a referee, but had a situation where the linesperson was blinded. To explain, we were in a heated dink/ volley battle at the net. My opponent dinked cross- court; from my view, the ball landed clearly out. Unfortunately, my body blocked the view of the linesperson so no call was made. I stopped play and appealed to the referee. The referee indicated he was watching our feet and thus did not see the ball land. My opponent claimed the ball hit the line. What should happen in this case? This is a tough situation, but it can be addressed with IFP Rule 14.I.4: “Replays. After reviewing an appeal, the referee may determine that no decision on the appeal can be made and may direct a replay.” Based on the information provided in your question, the rules would call for a replay. SUBSCRIBE NOW AT THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM M A G A Z I N E Recognized by the USAPA as the “Official Magazine” of Pickleball 22 TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 724.942.0940 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM