RULES
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By Bob Unetich
USA PICKLEBALL CERTIFIED REFEREE
Wait , Wait , Wait !
Each year , the rules of pickleball — published by USA Pickleball , the governing body of pickleball in the U . S .— evolve and change slightly . These changes , which were recommended by the Rules Committee and approved by the Board of Directors of USA Pickleball , are intended to improve the sport , while maintaining the original integrity of the game .
Over the last few years , there have been changes to the rules that relate to the timing of score calling and the serve . For instance , it was once a fault if the server began the service motion while the score was being called — a call that often caused friction between officials and players because the difference between a pre-serve routine and the actual service motion was difficult to discern . In 2021 , that problem was eliminated by a change making many rules contingent upon the “ moment the ball is contacted .”
This change , however , did leave open the question of what exactly a player can do while the score is being called . It is not uncommon for a player to call for a time-out after the score has been called , or while it is being called , but before the ball is struck . What if a receiver simply says , “ Wait , wait , wait !” after the score has been called ? Can a player ask about the score ? Can players decide to change positions , or can they simply stop the serve from happening to speak with their partner about anything at all ?
As soon as the 2023 rules were released in December of 2022 , questions were raised about the proper procedures for referees to follow in these cases . The rules as published were not enough to resolve every question . For instance , Rule 4 . C . 2 . says that “ after the start of the score being called , ‘ not ready ’ signals will be ignored …” What about other receiver actions , like asking the ref to “ wait ”?
The Rules Committee dealt with these questions in the annual Official Referee Casebook , where it included scenarios of four variations on this topic . The Referee Casebook details the proper referee action when unusual and infrequent situations occur in a match . The question of what a player can do at any particular time in a match is important to know for all tournament players . The Official Referee Casebook is available to all USA Pickleball members on the organization ’ s web site .
The outcome , in this case , is that a receiver can use any words they like —“ Wait ,” “ Oh no ,” “ Ref ,” “ Whoa ,” or whatever — to get a ref ’ s attention before the ball is served . If the player is asking for the score to be called again , in case it wasn ’ t heard or a number called is surprising , the ref will stop play and recall the score . If the receivers need time to reposition themselves , the referee will allow the necessary time and then recall the score .
If a player simply wants some time to talk with a partner , but did not ask for a time-out , the referee will charge the team a time-out . If the team has no time-outs remaining , the referee will assign the team a Technical Warning for delay of game and then recall the score .
The Referee Casebook , released on Jan . 1 , 2023 , and revised Jan . 26 , adds 10 new topics to the nine already there , along with comments on why a decision was made . My suggestion is to read all of the 2023 casebook topics before playing in a sanctioned tournament . •