RULES
GURU
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Q . Some of the serves I see at tournaments sure look questionable to me . Why don ’ t refs call faults on serves that are sidearm ?
A . The Rulebook is clear on what is required for a “ legal serve ,” which is spelled out well in Section 4 , but it may be worth saying that the term “ sidearm ” is not in the Rulebook ! This means that the service motion can have a component to the “ side ,” as long as the rest of the serve complies with all the requirements listed in Section 4 of the rules .
Q . If you are playing in a round robin bracket and one team “ withdraws ” after playing one or more matches , does a team that beat them retain that win , and do the teams they were going to play earn a “ win ” even though the score is recorded as 0-0 ?
A . You are correct that future matches are scored as 0-0 . The non-withdrawing teams get credit for wins . A Withdrawal must be approved , as explained in Rule 12 . F . 5 . c , by tournament management before the start of another match . ( Also see 12 . F . 5 . b .)
Q . Can I add spin to a ball when I am attempting a drop serve ?
A . You can , as long as you comply with Rules 4 . A . 6 . a and b , which require that the release of the ball be visible and that you do not propel the ball downward or toss or hit the ball upward with or without the paddle . It ’ s very difficult to see how someone could do that , however . Furthermore , the spinning ball will hit the ground and it may dart off in an undetermined direction .
Q : When and where can suggested 2023 rule changes be submitted ?
By Bob Unetich
USA PICKLEBALL-CERTIFIED REFEREE
Another Type of Tournament Sanctioning
USA Pickleball now has three sanctioning options . Some tournaments , such as the National Championship Series , are “ standard-sanctioned ,” meaning there is a ref for every match .
The Medal Match Plus , or MMP , sanctioned tournament was introduced several years ago to enable sanctioning when there are not enough refs for every match . In an MMP , the medal matches must have refs along with the “ feeder matches ,” but round robin brackets , which have no medal matches , do not require referees . All MMP sanctioned tournaments now require a certified referee as head referee .
Now there is another sanctioning type , the “ No- Referee ” option . In this sanctioning method , a certified referee must be present as head referee , but that is the only required referee . There are other requirements for qualifying as a No-Referee sanctioned tournament , such as the limitation of under 300 players and all players must be USA Pickleball members . This sanctioning option should enable tournament directors in areas where there are few credentialed refs to seek tournament sanctioning .
All sanctioned tournaments will impact a player ’ s UTPR and , effective in April of this year , players in non-sanctioned tournaments will not receive UTPR credit .
USA Pickleball has this to say about all sanctioning options : “ A tournament director who applies and receives sanctioning agrees to meet and abide by all the sanctioning requirements , therefore the TD and the players who participate in a sanctioned event are eligible to receive the benefits associated with sanctioning .”