RUL
THE ES
REF questions and answers by GLENN JORDAN
Glenn Jordan was a sportswriter for 38 years and is a senior pickleball pro and USA Pickleball L2 referee. Send your rule questions to rules @ pickleballmagazine. com.
Q
If I hit a volley while both feet are outside the kitchen, but my momentum carries me into the kitchen after the shot, is that a fault— even if the ball is already dead?
A Yes. Normally, faults occur only when the ball is live or in play. However, the act of volleying begins with striking the ball before it bounces and ends when the player who struck it regains balance and control of their motion or stops moving toward the nonvolley zone.
If— after volleying— your momentum causes you or anything that has contact with you( a hat, your partner, your paddle) to come into contact with the non-volley zone, it is a fault. Whether the ball is live or dead is irrelevant. There is no limit to the time required to show you have arrested your momentum.
Section 11 of the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook covers the three categories of non-volley zone infractions. The first involves contact with the NVZ while volleying. The second involves momentum. The third involves failing to exit the NVZ— by touching both feet completely outside of it— before volleying.
Q
On the serve, if my toe touches the baseline but my heel is behind it when I hit the ball, is that a legal serve or a foot fault?
A Server positioning is covered in Section 7 of the rulebook, and the determining factor is when the serve is struck, not before and not after. So, because the baseline is part of the court and your toe was in contact with the baseline when you hit the ball, you committed a fault.
Other potential serving faults related to positioning: 1) Not being grounded( if neither foot is in contact with the playing surface) and 2) Being grounded outside the imaginary extension of the sideline or the center line.
Q
Can you call a fault on your opponent’ s side if you’ re not 100-percent sure?
A There are two issues at play here. First, an essential underlying principle of pickleball is a sense of fair play by giving the opponent the benefit of any doubt. So, if you’ re not certain your opponent committed a fault, don’ t call it.
If you are certain, however, you may call a fault on your opponent only relating to the non-volley zone or a service foot fault. The call should be made as soon as it is committed or detected, and absolutely before the serve that starts the next rally.
Any disagreement between teams results in a replay. Any disagreement between partners will be decided to the benefit of their opponents.
If you detect a fault of any other kind, you may bring it to the attention of your opponent after the rally ends, but you have no authority to enforce it. According to Rule 9. B. 4, the“ final decision on fault resolution belongs to the player who allegedly committed the fault.”
Of course, in officiated play, the referee is responsible for calling any faults.
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