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RULES GURU
By Christine Barksdale USAPA Managing Director of Athletic Competition
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We ’ d Like to Hear From You !
Submit your questions to editors @ thepickleballmag . com .
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Q : Dear Guru ,
We were playing in a tournament and the referee called the score . Before I could serve the ball , the receiving team called timeout . Isn ’ t this illegal ? The receiving team was in the wrong positions and we would have won the point if they had not called timeout .
“ time out ”
A : No . Calling timeout prior to the start of the serve motion is allowed . USAPA Rule 4 . D . 2 states , “ Any player may call a time-out once the score has been called but NOT after the service motion has begun . See 4 . A . 2 .”
Q : Dear Guru ,
We have a local player who , when serving , stands in the correct serving area but is so close to the centerline that he can reach his partner ’ s side of the court and make contact with the ball on his partner ’ s side of the center line . Is this illegal ?
A : No , the court is two-dimensional . Rule 4 . A . 3 states , “ 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 or ground behind the baseline , and the server ’ s feet may not touch the playing surface in an area outside the confines of the serving area .” This means that as long as a player ’ s feet are in the correct position at contact , there is nothing illegal in reaching over the centerline or contacting the ball forward of the baseline .
Q : Dear Guru ,
During a tournament , when our opponent served the ball , his partner stood in the middle of the court . Don ’ t both serving partners need to be behind the baseline when a player serves ?
A : No , this is completely within the rules . USAPA Rule 4 . B . 7 states , “ Partner Positions . In doubles , there is no restriction on the position of the partners of the server and receiver , as long as they are on their respective team ’ s side of the net . They can be positioned on or off the court .”
UPDATE- A new USAPA rulebook came out January 2018 which addresses how foot fault calls are handled in recreational play . It still stands that either team can call a foot fault , however , a new clarification has been added . In Section 9i it states , “ For non-officiated play , non-volley-zone faults may be called by any player on either team . Benefit of the doubt goes to the player who makes the call .” Therefore , if there is an argument about a foot fault call in recreational play , the team that calls the foot fault will be given priority . You can find the USAPA 2018 Official Tournament Rulebook here : https :// www . usapa . org / ifp-official-rules / •
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018 | MAGAZINE 23