RULES
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Q . While it ’ s common to see a ball from another court roll onto a court with one or more players calling “ Ball on ” or a referee calling “ Stop play ,” it ’ s not clear to me which rules apply to the many other situations where something unusual happens that stops play . An added question I have is , when does stopping play call for a replay and when is it scored as a fault ? Also , can you explain why a distracting event is usually not called a “ Distraction ” by a ref ?
A Fortunately , the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook defines certain events and terms carefully , and players should understand the correct use of the Rulebook terminology . Many tournament sounds and events , like shouts and PA announcements , can “ distract ” a player but most of those are not considered unusual enough to warrant stopping play , and they certainly are not “ Distractions ” under the rules . When something that occurs does influence play , one or more players may be “ hindered ” by the event , but unless a player in the match caused it , the official definition of a hinder applies :
Rule 3 . A . 16 . Hinder – Any transient element or occurrence not caused by a player that adversely impacts play .
Players , of course , can move aggressively and shout while they play . The complication is that some players ’ actions , “ not common to the game ,” interfere with an opponent . This is spelled out in Section 3 of the Rulebook under the definition of a “ Distraction ,” and this definition is complete enough to warrant quoting the entire text here :
Rule 3 . A . 7 . Distraction – Physical actions by a player that are ‘ not common to the game ’ that , in the judgment of the referee , may interfere with the opponent ’ s ability or concentration to hit the ball . by BOB UNETICH
USA PICKLEBALL CERTIFIED REFEREE
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Examples include , but are not limited to , making loud noises , stomping feet , waving the paddle in a distracting manner , or otherwise interfering with the opponent ’ s concentration or ability to hit the ball .
While this may seem simple to understand , the reality is that the Rulebook goes on to explain when faults are to be declared , and the definition above includes interfering “ with the opponent ’ s concentration or ability to hit the ball .”
Interestingly , while a hinder is not a fault , in Section 7 – Fault Rules there is mention of assigning a fault to a poor hinder call :
7 . M . A hinder called by a player that is determined by the referee to be invalid .
So , a valid Hinder call is a replay , while a valid Distraction call is a fault , as explained in Section 11 – Other Rules :
11 . J . Distractions . Players may not distract an opponent when the opponent is about to play the ball . If in the judgment of the referee a distraction has occurred , the referee shall immediately call a fault on the offending team .
Another interesting aspect of the Distraction rule is that it ’ s dependent on “ the judgment of the referee ,” and it ’ s to be called “ immediately .” That may seem to be a minor nuance , but the reality is that this means a referee cannot call a distraction on an occurrence later — it needs to be immediate . Players should not expect a ref to accept their plea for a distraction call after the rally ends , and you should certainly never stop a rally to claim a distraction .
This also means that in non-officiated tournament matches , a player cannot call a distraction on an opponent . Players can , however , ask for a referee or a tournament director if they feel a player is “ distracting ” them . •
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