Understanding New Pickleball Rules
New Rules For 2021
You may have heard we have some new USAPA rules that are provisional and are starting January 25, 2021. There are a few of them and there’s three that you probably really need to know so we’re going to talk about those now.
The Ability To Ask The Referee If You Are In The Correct Position
If you’re playing a tournament, and you have a referee you now have the ability to ask the referee, “Am I in the correct position?” Before you had to ask, “Am I the correct server, or receiver?” and, “What is our score now?” Now you can actually ask, “Am I in the correct position?”
This is actually going to simplify for a lot of you out there that are stacking in a tournament and you want to make it faster to ask the referee. Always knowing the referee rules are super important.
A Let Serve Is Now Playable
The second one we’re looking at (we just tried out today a little bit) is a let serve is now playable. So, if it hits the tip of the net in a serve, you are no longer replaying the server, but you are allowed to play off of that. So that is something you want to practice and make sure you are getting in the habit of doing, because it is a new rule starting January 25, 2021.
Bounce Drop Serves Are Allowed
Here’s one that you’re probably seeing the interesting topics about is they are now allowing a bounce drop serve.
So, in a service motion, if you have the yips (you know personally I always say work on your technical foundation first) and in my opinion this is kind of a last resort but we’ll see what happens.
Now, legally you can drop and let the ball bounce and then swing through. You cannot throw it down and you cannot toss it. You have to drop it, and then you can come around and swing through it. The rules about the belly button or the waist no longer apply when you are doing the drop serve.
You can’t easily come around it, or under it, it’s all about getting in the habit of drop and through (even there when I just did it, I kind of naturally went upwards a little bit), So, that’s kind of a toss instead of a drop, so this is going to be a little bit more difficult for some of you. It’s why we have referees I my add, because you need a referee to call that.
Often, it’s an injury or if you are struggling with the yips as a reason you might need the bounce drop serve.
There are a few more moving parts when you’re attempting this serve but it is now an option starting January 25, 2021
These 3 rules are technically Provisionary Rules, so we’ll see what happens in 2021 and if by 2022 if these rules are still in place. For now it’s good to know what you’re working with.
From usapickleball.org:
Rule 4.A.8
Drop Serve. In addition to the standard serve sequence described in Rules 4.A.1 to 4.A.7, players may opt to use an alternate “drop serve” method.
Reasons:
- Provides a better serve method for the physically impaired, such as the use of only one arm. 25
- Easier to enforce by players and referees. Referees only need to verify the ball is dropped correctly.
- Easier serve to teach beginners.
- Provides an alternate serve method for those who develop ‘server’s block’, otherwise known as the “yips.”
- Servers may use the normal serve or provisional drop serve at any time during the match. No notification is needed.
Note: Provisional means we will evaluate the rule for unintended or unexpected outcomes over the next year.
