Pickleball Rules-The Definitive Guide to CALLING OUT BALLS || Avoid Mistakes and Controversy 

I think most players do their best to call the lines fairly. If I can see that there is a question about a call, I ask my opponents if they saw the call differently, and if they did I’ll change the call. I’ve done that in competitive play too if they are both very insistent, after all we all make mistakes. One other thing I do is to focus on what I can control. I can’t change their line calling so I stop hitting it so close to the line. ;)

Thank you!

You bet!

Thank you and we agree don't waste everyone's play time arguing over calls

Thanks for sharing!

I'm a volleyball referee, newly come to pickleball. So I thought that, as in volleyball (or tennis, I believe), pickleball's assessment of whether a ball was in or out would ask you to judge if the flattened part of the ball on the ground had physically touched the line. But pickleball seems to be saying that you can only call 'out' if you yourself saw daylight between the ball and the line. That's got to depend hugely on where your eyes were. Your partner, being further away, is in a much stronger position to call 'out' than the person playing the ball.

No problem 👍

Glad it was helpful!

Amen to that!!! There are so many mis-calls it gets frustrating at times.

Glad it was helpful!

Glad it was helpful!

Excellent realization

Glad you enjoyed it

Yeah that's a tough one. Haven't seen an instance when arguing over a line call is worth it.

Rule 6.C.3.

Well said!

@@BetterPickleball Rule 6.C.3. says you cannot claim a replay if there is uncertainty

@@ct8409 you are correct that’s what the rule says but in a friendly game my suggestion is to either replay it or give the call to the other side. I feel it’s more important to keep the peace

Here's a video that will help ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T7A2H73obJQ.html

The only time the NVZ line comes into play is on the serve. If the serve touches any part of the line it's a fault

Glad you found it helpful

Glad you enjoyed

If one partner calls it out and the other calls it in, it's in. 6.C.8. In doubles play, if one player calls the ball “out” and the partner calls it “in,” then doubt exists and the team’s call will be “in.” Any player may appeal a call to the referee. If the referee did not see the ball, the ball is considered in.

that is true Nate!

If the ball hits the NVZ line on a serve it is out.

While you are correct players should strive to play by the rules and there are specific instances in which a replay is available as a source of remedy, the way the rules are currently written it is virtually impossible to know when a replay is appropriate and when it is not. Since most players, will primarily play in rec play situations a replay is an equitable offer to keep things friendly. Should a player choose to play in a tournament they should then strive to be more well versed in replay options.

@@BetterPickleball I absolutely agree with you, rec play should be more friendly as we are not in the PPA. I was in a rec tournament play and we did two replays during the game because of uncertainty and controversy. our opponents gave me and my partner a replay, and then when another controversy erupted, we did a replay for them. it all felt like the right thing to do

Once the partner from the team on the other side of the net called the ball "in", (after his team mate called it out initially) the ball is now considered "IN" and its your point or their side out or their change of server...which ever applies. There can be no uncertainty when a IN or OUT call is made. Once there is uncertainty...a slow call after the ball is dead, or I "think" it was out, or a team mate making the opposite call as you described above, there is uncertainty and per the rule book, the other team who hit the shot is given the benefit of the doubt and the ball is played as "IN" bounds. There is no need to play the point over, you earned the point. You don't want to teach your opponents bad habits when it comes to line calling especially if you are dealing with a frequent "bad calls" opponent. If it's just fun social play and everyone is easy going and playing just to have fun rallies and don't really care much about who wins or losses you can offer to play it over but if you decide to do that it's a good idea to explain the rule and how it should be handled so that person knows when he is playing with other people what he should expect. Personally, on a hard fast shot to any of the sidelines my brain power allows me to optimize my concentration on either the ball path and body movements needed to hit the best return I possibly can OR to position myself to make an accurate IN or OUT call but not both. If I focus exclusively on making the correct call and the ball is IN, I might hit a very poor return because my primary focus is on making the call and not the best return shot. So if it's close, I decide ahead of time to focus everything on making a good return shot and if I realize a second after I have hit the ball that it was actually out I continue to play the point as though the ball was IN without saying anything. If I play the ball, the ball is considered IN regardless of whether it bounced IN or OUT. Sometimes my opponents will over rule me (to my advantage) saying the ball was out (to their disadvantage) and I will do the same if I clearly see my shot or my partner's shot was out after my opponents called it in.

Tim is correct. Once there was disagreement among the other team, the call was in and the rally was over

@@timhardman4764 So to clarify~we stopped play bc they called the ball out. But then they called it in. They contended that bc they changed the call from “out” to “in” we should have returned the ball the “out” caller reflexively hit back to us. It was too late for us to return it bc there was a time lag between the “in” and “out” call. So are you satung it became our point? I agree with you on do-overs. I don’t think they are necessary with a very few exceptions. All the players on the court that day were at least 3.5 players and all with at least 3 years of experience. No newbies were present. Thank you.

Once the ball bounces and an out call is made by a team member the ball is now considered dead,. Any shots that happen after that are irrelevant. Their opponent made an out call before two more shots were hit. Those shots are irrelevant since the ball is dead. Tony appealed the out call to the ref who then reversed it, saying yes he saw the ball and it was in. That was why Tony and his partner won the rally.

Glad it was helpful!

You have the best view of a ball that is under your feet. Your partner is further away and looking at an angle. But yes you can ask your partner what their call is but if you are at odds the call goes in favor of your opponents. I think it's great to confer with the other team. (according to the rules if you do their call stands). When a ball that's close to the line gets called out I look at what I can control. Since I can't control their call I stop hitting it so close to the line. 😂

Yes, it's not the opponents place to make a call on my side of the court, but if they feel strongly about it, especially in a rec play situation I reverse it immediately. The person is always more important than an L or W. In a tournament, I've also reversed calls. In that situation I consult with my partner first.

very helpful! thank you

Thank you. I'll keep those suggestions in mind. In the meantime check out some of the footwork videos on the channel.

@@BetterPickleball I am age 72. I play mostly with seniors. I find too many seniors play with their feet too close together. Also, they stand straight up. This combination creates a high center of gravity. I encourage them to widen their base and lower their hips while keeping their head above their hips. (AKA: an athletic position.) I'm sure Tony has seen this and will be able to communicate a process to correct this stance.

@miketraywick9590 wow! Thank you. I definitely need help in this area of PB. I'm probably standing straight up as I'm so new to the sport.

@@miketraywick9590 agreed. There are multiple videos on both our channels about the ready position. In addition one of the biggest mistakes that leads to injury is players move backward to get a lob without turning their bodies perpendicular to the net

I’m 72, been playing for about 17 years. I agree with the other comments about players standing to upright and with their feet close together. Something else to consider is: 1. Is PB their only form of exercise? If so, they most likely have a limited range of flexibility and stability. Do they do any stretches to warm up their muscles before start of play? 2. They’re not wearing proper court shoes. 3. If they’re playing indoors, perhaps in a school or church gym, it’s possible the floor has sticky spots or areas which are slick. Having said this, I fell soon after I learned the game. Fractured my right wrist and left elbow. A temporary net had been set up on an outdoor basketball court. The court had some cracked and buckled pavement. I don’t know if I tripped on a crack or my own feet. However, I returned to the game ASAP and now as a PB instructor at the YMCA….I am constantly reminding my students of ways to prevent injuries.

Sounds like you probably have an enjoyable group to play with. They understand how to be helpful and create a fun and competitive environment.

@@BetterPickleball we do, and the age range is 20 to 70, and we all intermingle and play with and against each other. Constantly amazed at how great a shape some of the older ladies are in.

It's situational. If it's a tournament and I believe I was correct I would stick with my call. If the other team was absolutely adamant and my partner was unsure I may chose to reverse it. If it was rec play I would give them the points. Especially in rec play, I ask myself, would you rather be right or be happy? Because one call is not going to win or lose the game and a win or a loss really isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things.

If it's helpful great but they may or may not be in the best position to make the call

Those line calls are just so hard to call when they are close enough to look on the line but the bottom of the ball may not be touching. I recommend calling it in if you cannot see space between the ball and the line and moving onto the next point!

Glad you liked it

In this instance your partner is correct, if there is a disagreement between partners the call goe in favor of your opponents.

@@BetterPickleball Wow, even though I returned the ball in, we still lose the point and don't get the benefit of replaying the point?

@@sashagirl357 in rec play games often a replay is a great solution when there is a dispute between opponents. However, in this instance the rule is clear 6.D.8. In doubles play, if one player calls the ball “out” and the partner calls it “in,” then doubt exists and the team’s call will be “in.”

The first thing is to go to the rule book to define a hinder. 3.A.15. Hinder - Any transient element or occurrence not caused by a player that adversely impacts play, not including permanent objects. Examples include, but are not limited to, balls, flying insects, foreign material, players or officials on another court that, in the opinion of the referee, impacted a player’s ability to make a play on the ball. Because the case you described is caused by another player it is not a hinder. The other part of the rulebook that may fit is a distraction. Again let's go to the definition. 3.A.6. 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. 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. Now, if the player stood in the service box and ran off to one side of the court once you started the service motion, a good case could be made that is a distraction. However, in this instance, you describe the player as "standing on the line center line." It would be pretty hard to make the case that behavior is 'not common to the game' as stated in the rule. (I personally stand very close to the center line for a variety of reasons My advice would be to try to imagine a target right in the middle of the box and focus on that. If you miss more toward the center and hit him, that's a fault on the return team if it touches him before it hits the ground. If you miss toward the side line, having a target in the center should allow you enough room to keep it in bounds.

The first thing that comes to mind is the "nasty nelson". I tell my students that if the receivers partner makes a habit of crowding that line, I move over to change the path of my serve - if they are in the way - oh well. @@BetterPickleball

The minute your partner called it out the ball was dead. When you disagreed with the call the rally was won by your opponents. Whenever team members disagree on a call on their side the benefit of the doubt goes to their opponent.

By the way, I forgot to say how much your videos have helped me understand the game. Thank you!

@@user-pe2eh1zi1z Per this video and the current Rules book, to make an "OUT" call, you must see a "gap", or a space between the edge of the pickle ball and the white line. If from your viewpoint, the edge of the yellow ball is overlapping the white line or just touching it, the ball is IN....even though the actual contact point of the ball on the playing surface may be OUT. Unlike Tennis balls, the pickle ball has very little compression so it does not flatten out when it contacts the court after a hard shot allowing that contact patch to expand over the line. It's just un-workable to ask every pickle ball player at every level to make an estimate of how big the contact patch was on the close line calls so to eliminate those subjective calls, the contact patch is no longer used to call a ball in or out. If any part of the ball is hanging over or on the same vertical plane as the outside edge of the sideline, the ball is IN. Whatever the color is of the out of bounds court, you must be able to see at least a sliver of that color between the yellow ball and the white line to call the ball OUT.

Glad that you have found them helpful and welcome to pickleball. Tim is correct you need to see a gap or a space between the line and the ball.

Exactly! Control the controlables😀

Your opponents could have reached over the net to play that shot. If they did not and it went untouched it was your point

You can find all the additional support materials in Section 6 of the Rule book. betterpickleball.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/USA-Pickleball-Official-Rulebook-2023-v2-2.pdf

if the hitting back motion has stopped, supposedly you can step in the kitchen.., but you may not realize the time between that is too short to think the motion stopped.

Great question. Rule 3.A.20 says The act of volleying produces momentum that ends when the player regains balance and control of their motion or stops moving toward the non-volley zone. In short if you had regained your balance and stepping into the NVZ was not as a result of momentum from the shot then there was no fault.

"At that point, I stepped forward to return to the base line" - it sounds like you stepped forward to stop your forward momentum and then turned around to return to the base line. If facing South and you want to go North, most people don't take another step South before turning around to go North unless they are being carried by their momentum. If your partner corrected you (at your team's expense) I'm pretty sure he was trying to help you with a bad habit and he believed your body's momentum carried you over the kitchen line; or he was letting you know, even if you did establish a balanced position after completing the shot, you were giving the appearance of entering the kitchen illegally and you should be aware of this appearance and not form this bad habit. There is no good reason to step forward after hitting the type of shot you described (except to regain balance) and if you are aware of how close you are to the kitchen line most players are actively making sure they control their balance after the shot by reducing body movement and momentum and using only an "arm" swing in this situation so they don't accidentally have to step into the kitchen to keep standing. The Ball is Never Dead with this type of fault. After hitting that shot, you could be on the edge of the line, windmilling with your arms trying to regain your balance without touching the white line or steeping forward for 30 seconds or a minute and the point is still alive until you establish balance without touching the white line or entering the kitchen. You must step back and away from the line if fighting for your balance no matter how long it takes...the point is still live until you back up away from the line or establish without any doubt you are balanced and relaxed and not fighting for balance in your current position and again....after establishing your balance there is no reason to step forward into the kitchen or on the kitchen line at the end of this type of point. You only go into the kitchen to get a short ball that bounces in the kitchen, otherwise there is no good reason to hang out there during or after the point especially in the situation you just described. You probably hit the shot and thought you had perfect balance without any need to take a drastic action to stop your momentum so it was all good in your mind but it was also easier to just keep moving forward for a step, even though you knew you could stop if you had to and thus your partner makes the call which is the right call, he is trying to help you. FYI - if you or your partner hits a volley at the kitchen line and loses his balance and starts wind-milling trying to keep himself from falling/stepping forward it IS legal for the partner to physically pull him backwards to keep him from entering the kitchen or stepping on the line as long as the partner is not touching the line or in the kitchen himself.

You make a great point Alan. It's important to remember that the out call rules are written in a manner to give all doubts or uncertainty to our opponents.

It does not have to be called out by the closet player and it doesn’t matter if the ball is played after an out call is made. However if the partners disagree and one calls it out and the other says it’s in, it’s in

Appreciate your perspective, not every player is flexible about line calls.. The rule book covers what happens when two team members disagree, the call goes in favor or your opponent. I don't think I said there was something inapposite or wrong about putting the ball near the lines, just that if you do be willing to accept the call that is given.

You're welcome

Thanks for the suggestion. Next time we do an out ball video we will see what we can do

You're correct and there seems to be some confusion around this. Once the ball lands and is called out it's considered dead and any play that happens after that is irrelevant. Thanks for the suggestion. You might find it in a future video.

We do the same thing. It's crazy how many players argue over line calls. During a tournament two players almost came to blows over a call. 😯

A couple of things in the framework of the rules. We only call the lines on our side of the court and our calls should favor our opponents if in doubt. Should my partner make the call if they have a better view, yes. Can we ask our opponents to make the call, yes we can do that too. In general it's best not to get to hung up on the call but to do what you think is right.

You have a healthy perspective on calls and the game!

In order for it to be an out call the call can't be made until the ball lands.

Yes Gerry you are correct.

That's true!

This is the definition of distraction- Distractions. Players may not distract an opponent when the opponent is about to play the ball. As an example if you were to yell something to your partner just before your opponent hit the ball that could be considered a distraction

Hi Pat, The reason we recommend not working the lines (not including singles) is that it's not a high percentage strategy. Players tend to remember the ones the hit in and often forget that they hit more of them out than actual winners. But to your point, if you do hit it close to a line, yes, expect it to be called out

Yes, but you better be precise, especially on the return side. :)

Agree, hopefully you have a group that plays to have fun together out on the court

You are correct, it also says that The opponent gets the benefit of the doubt on line calls made. Any ball that cannot be called “out” will be considered “in.” Our point is that in a friendly game it might be better to be happy then prove yourself right. If a replay resolves it and everyone leaves the game feeling better than take agency and do it.

That is indeed a fault, if the ball touches the NVZ line on the serve.

A replay is a great way to diffuse any issues during Rec play. If you are playing a tournament that’s different

I like that response! Going to steal it Jeff

"It's only a game" is sooo overused in pickleball. Why bother keeping score then? 🤔

@@skiitax8 most players would probably enjoy it more if they didn't keep score

@@andreahorn3912 that's true, but my point is since it is a game and most players only play for fun. If not keeping score allows players to have more fun then they should consider not keeping score.

@@BetterPickleball I like to play for fun but yet I’m competitive at the same time so I do like to keep score! and I do say a lot “it’s only a game “ 😅 but at the end of the day, whether it’s win or lose, I usually forget the scores and remember the good shots I made!

I agree Raymond, always five the benefit of the doubt to the other team

You are right it takes the brain a minute to process so play the shot and then make the call. Nothing in the rule book says it has to be simultaneous;)

@@BetterPickleball I wonder if it would just be better if the ball is going out and just after it hits the floor and you play it then the play continues and no outcall can be made since you played it. I think this might take away that, is it in or out call.

Same rule applies here.

The reason we suggest the do over is that it's a simple way to smooth any ruffled feathers.

Yes, if you can't clearly see it out, it's in

That would be nice!

The partner NOT trying to hit the ball should always watch closely and make the line call if they can. For sideline calls on your partner's side, you have a better side view and thus a better chance of seeing that sliver of space if it's out.

@@Skyhi106 yes it's very helpful to have your partner assist with line calls

That is printing 😂

Yes, it is different. Welcome to pickleball!

Only the server needs to be behind the baseline and inside imaginary extensions of the side and center lines at the point of contact with the ball

Agreed, but maybe even a better word is "BOUNCE it" in a lob situation. If playing doubles in a social group with a variety of experience, abilities and ratings "Leave it" might result in your partner stopping any effort to continue playing the point eliminating any chance to return the lob if it actually, unexpectedly lands in bounds. "Bounce it" says don't give up on the point but don't hit in the air...chase it down, let it bounce and then hit it or call it out if it lands out. In a hand battle at the kitchen or in the transition zone, yelling "out" is a quick decisive statement alerting your partner to your prediction of where the ball will land if your partner lets it go. That communication happens way before the ball lands so there is no confusion about it being a communication to the partner versus a final call on where the ball lands.

@@timhardman4764 I agree, Bounce it is better than leave it, and I will try to use that in the future, but the point remains that calling "out" before it actually is out, shouldn't be considered a good approach.

Since an out call cannot be made until the ball bounces, Rule 6.D.10. While the ball is in the air, if a player yells “out,” “no,” “bounce it,” or any other words to communicate to their partner that the ball may be out, it shall be considered player communication only and not considered a line call. Now, would it be more clear to use bounce it or leave it or no., sure but just to be clear it's not against the rules.

Great advice :)

Thanks for the suggestion

Great perspective Brian!

If you are looking at it strictly from a rules point of view, Rule 6.D.1 says players are responsible for calling the lines on their end of the court. The rules also allow you to ask your opponents opinion if you so choose.

Rule 6.D.12 - Yes, the rules allow you to call your own shot out and ethically it is the "right thing" to do so you know you won or lost fair and square...no problems sleeping at night. From the 2023 Rule book - 6.D.12. After the completion of a rally, players may overrule a partner’s line call, an officiating team’s line call, or an opponent’s “in” call to their own disadvantage.

Hello Jeffrey. I think there were different scenarios being covered but appreciate the feedback. Take care.

exactly!