Pickleball

Answer: Pickleball – You Make the Call – 20151209

Jeff

QUESTION: Team A serves the ball and team B returns it short. A player from team A then softly hits the ball into the NVZ and the ball barely clears the net and before it can hit the floor, it hits the center base of the portable net on team B’s side and rolls away without anyone making a play.

Does team A or team B score a point? If not, what happens? Is there a pickleball rule that covers this?

Let us hear form you in the comments section. The answer will be provided in a follow up post!

ANSWER: The ball is considered a let and the point must be replayed. Rule 12.J.5 states: “If the ball goes over the net and then hits the center base or the ball gets caught between the net and the horizontal bar before touching the court, it is a let and must be replayed.” (page 37 – IFP Official Tournament Rulebook, April 24, 2015)

Pickleball: USAPA Nationals VII Exciting Video

Jeff

Wow, what a powerful video highlighting the excitement and the fun of pickleball;what a sport! One usually doesn’t see this much engagement by players and spectators alike at a sporting event. The video exudes the excitement and pace of the 2015 Pickleball Nationals VII.

  • 32 Pickleball Courts
  • 38 States
  • 3 Provinces
  • 764 Players
  • 2,038 Matches

From the YouTube posting:

Published on Dec 10, 2015

“The USAPA Nationals VII was a powerhouse of pickleball! The action and agility on the courts was amazing. You won’t believe all the cool shots from multiple matches that Pickleball Channel was able to capture! Check out this footage of some of the greatest moments in the tournament including aerial shots and super slow mo. If you were at Nationals this year, you just might see yourself on the court!”

Pickleball – You Make the Call – 20151209

Jeff

Team A serves the ball and team B returns it short. A player from team A then softly hits the ball into the NVZ and the ball barely clears the net and before it can hit the floor, it hits the center base of the portable net on team B’s side and rolls away without anyone making a play.

Does team A or team B score a point? If not, what happens? Is there a pickleball rule that covers this?

Let us hear form you in the comments section. The answer will be provided in a follow up post!

Padel – Pickleball or Racquetball on Steroids

Jeff

Padel is a relatively unknown sport and although I get many blank stares and “huhs?” when I mention pickleball, I find that less people know about padel which is popular in Spain and other countries around the globe. Watch the video below and decide if you would like to try it.

See (below) how some of the best players in the world play the game. Notice how they can go outside the court and hit the ball back into the court to keep it in play!

For more information, contact:

USPA – UNITED STATES PADEL ASSOCIATION
5535 Memorial Drive, Suite F-603. Houston (77007) Texas
Tel. 713-539-3110
info@padelusa.org

So…what do you think?

Pickleball Magazine to be included* w/USAPA Membership

Jeff

Interesting developments are underfoot in the pickleball world. The USAPA is working hard to promote the sport we enjoy and to provide even better value for USAPA members.

It has recently come to my attention that a new pickleball magazine is going to be published by Dollard Publishing, Canonsburg, PA (6 times per year). The plan is for all USAPA members to receive an *emailed PDF (digital) copy of the magazine as part of their membership dues.

This is yet another reason to become a USAPA member ASAP. The first issue is slated for January.

If you would like the print copy there are a couple of ways to order:

1. Call 724-942-0940 and give mailing address, credit card information, etc. As a USAPA member, your PRINT subscription will cost you $12.00/year BUT YOU MUST GIVE YOUR USAPA MEMBERSHIP NUMBER. Otherwise, you will be charged $20.00 per year.

2. Mail a check payable to Dollard Publishing, 11 Mayview Road, McMurray, PA 15317. Be sure to give mailing address for delivery AND INCLUDE YOUR USAPA MEMBER NUMBER.

Wouldn’t a USAPA membership, which carries the digital subscription and an official USAPA T-Shirt, be a good holiday gift?

See USAPA membership details here:
http://www.usapa.org/usapa-membership/

Pickleball – Play Balls

Jeff

On the heels of my November 13 post, Ball-istic-Some Pickleballs Will Not Fly , there has been some confusion about which balls will be approved for tournament play and which balls will not carry that certification.

To answer any questions, the USAPA, in partnership with the IFP, keeps a list of approved balls. Instead of wondering which balls are not approved, it might be more prudent and perhaps easier to keep track of the balls that are approved.

You can find the list here:

USAPA Balls Approved For Tournament Play

NOTE-This is a “moving target” as specifications will most likely change from time to time or other reasons my evolve which declare different balls non-tournament worthy and/or others that may be added to the list. It would be prudent to check back from time-to-time,

An even better way to keep track would be to join the USAPA and receive their emails and newsletters. Membership information is HERE.

I hope this is useful information.

See you on the courts!

Ball-istic – Some Pickleballs Will Not Fly

Jeff

As most notably demonstrated by last year’s NFL Deflategate Scandal, any sport needs to control the elements of the craft if it is to be taken seriously. Pickleball is no exception. To assure that ratings, rules, etc. are valid for everyone, specifications need to be maintained for paddles, courts,pickleballs, etc.

As recently noted by the USAPA on several fronts:

“Pickleball-Now green indoor ball and the new Onix outdoor “Pure” ball will not be approved for sanctioned tournament play after May 1st, 2016. There will also be other balls that do not meet the new specifications.”

I would encourage all pickleball enthusiasts to join the USAPA. They support us so let’s support them. You will receive the USAPA newsletter which includes updates to the rules and specification changes for paddles, balls, etc. There are other benefits as well.

Find out more about USAPA membership by CLICKING HERE.

To Poach or Not To Poach – Rules of Poaching Explained

Jeff

To Poach or Not To Poach: The Etiquette of Crossing the Line
By Mark Renneson**

“Poacher!” That’s what someone – a spectator – yelled during a recent intermediate pickleball game I watched. It was meant not as an observation, but a reprimand of the man who crossed the centre of the court to put away an attempted dink that floated a little too high. With the tone she used, she might as well have yelled, “Ball hog!” It was clear that this spectator viewed poaching as a kind of etiquette infraction, a pickleball sin that was both rude and obnoxious. But is it?

To be clear, poaching refers to crossing over the centre of the court to hit a ball that is otherwise destined for your partner. It means that you must abandon ‘your side’ of the court in order to intercept/steal ‘your partner’s ball’. There are a few reasons one might poach:

  1. your partner is farther back in the court than you and allowing the ball to go to her will result in the ball getting low and being in a less than desirable position. You poaching, on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to hit the ball while it is still high and thus in a more enviable position to hit hard. Here is an example.
  2. You think you are a better player than your partner and are more likely to make a good shot. By coming across and taking balls aimed towards your partner, you are ostensibly giving your team a better chance to win by having the better player hit the ball most often. Here is an example.
  3. You like hitting the ball and are willing to leave your side of the court to satisfy your desire.*

So, is it a faux-pas to poach? The answer is, it depends. Like most things, context matters. If you are playing a competitive match where the primary goal is to win, I think you can justify poaching for reasons 1 and 2. In this situation, both teammates should have similar goals and personal ego should be set aside for the good of the team. If a poach is more likely to result in a winning shot then it is a reasonable play. If, however, it is a friendly, recreational match, things get a little murky. For most people, the fun comes from hitting the ball. And since poaching takes away your partner’s opportunity to hit the ball, it takes away some of their fun. You become not just a shot stealer but a fun stealer!

If we think back to the story that started this article we see how important the context is. The woman who yelled “Poacher!” as a reprimand, clearly saw the poach as stealing the fun of one of the players. If that exact same shot had been hit not during a fun pick-up game at the Y but in the gold medal round of a tournament, perhaps she would have yelled something more congratulatory.

So where do we go from here? First, err on the side of caution. Until you learn otherwise, assume that your partner cares more about being part of the game then about winning. Even if you can poach some of their balls, maybe hold off, at least for the start. Second, talk to your partner. Ask them how they want to handle balls over the net that either person can get. See what they say. Finally, encourage your partner to go for balls if they are in a position to put them away – even if they are on ‘your’ side of the court. This can show that you care more about the team doing well than you hitting a certain number of shots.

————————————————————–

*This information is being presented with permission from the author, Mark Renneson. Mark is a 5.0 pickleball player, coach and advocate. He is the founder of Third Shot Sports which provides first-class tennis and pickleball training. He lives in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. You can reach him at mark@thirdshotsports.com


Click the link to register to receive the Third Shot Sports Pickleball Newsletter

Click the link to see Third Shot Pickleball Past Newsletters.

Click the link to visit the Third Shot Sports Pickleball website.

Thanks to Mark and Third Shot Sports for allowing this to be presented on JBRish.com

Answer: Pickleball – You Make the Call – 20151103

Jeff

QUESTION: A player from team A hits a ball with spin on it and it goes over the net, bounces on team B’s side and then returns to team A’s side of the court without any player from team B contacting it.

  • Is it interference?
  • Is a point scored? (Which team?)

ANSWER: The point would go to Team A. This is specifically covered in rule 12.J.4 In order for Team B to receive the point, someone from team B would have to make contact with the ball BEFORE IT RETURNED TO TEAM A’s side of the net!

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

Pickleball: Watch the USAPA Nationals LIVE

Jeff

Hello Pickleball Fans!

I have recently learned that the USAPA National Pickleball tournament will be available for free viewing via live stream. **Check the disclaimer at the bottom of the post.

Here is the website to register and watch:
https://enetlive.com/usapa/

For more details, check the above website.

Have fun watching!

**Disclaimer: I am passing this along as a point of information. I have not used this service, I do not recommend this service and I am not associated with this service whatsoever. My thinking is that if it is supported by the USAPA, then it would be fine, but the above caveats apply!