Referee's Corner

Al Thomson

The 2021 Rule Changes were leaked unceremoniously in the middle of November, instead of its scheduled release in early January. It appeared on Social Media almost immediately, and much discussion has ensued. These two rule changes have drawn the most interest and discussion, so lets review them and the rational behind their introduction.

“Let Serves.” Are no more! (Rule 4.A.6)

When a ball is served and it touches the net, but is otherwise good… meaning that it lands in the receivers court, clearing the No Volley Zone and the NVZ lines, it is a good serve. Many people think that this is unfair to the receiver. Let’s look at the USAP/IFP rational for making this change.

It eliminates the possibility of phantom “let calls” on ace serves,
Think about the advantage the return of server has when their ball hits the net tape, and drops directly into the NVZ. Much less chance for the server to reach that ball, than the one the server hit, to start the rally. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in 2021.

“Bounce Serve” – Rule 4.A.8 ***Provisional Rule***

Provisional Rule means that it will be evaluated for the year.

Lets look into the differences between the “Bounce” serve, and the “Standard” serve.

Release the ball from your hand from any unaided natural height.
- Release must be visible to both the receiver and the Referee
No energy is to be applied to the ball. It is simply released from the hand, or allowed to roll of off the paddle! (No added motion, in any direction, is to be applied.)
The ball must bounce at least once anywhere on the playing surface before being hit with the paddle.
The Standard Service Rules do NOT apply when playing a bounce serve.
- Paddle to make contact with ball below the waist
- Paddle below the wrist break at contact with the ball
- Paddle making contact with the ball in an upward motion with arc
Rules (4.A.2 & 4.L) still apply, meaning that the location of the feet during the serve is the same as that for the Standard Serve.
- Must be inside the court boundary with at least one foot behind the baseline, at the time the ball is struck.
No restriction on the number of times the ball can be released before hitting it, as long as the 10 second rule is not violated.

Another service change has been approved during these unprecedented times. It's been called the "COVID" serve, or the "SLING" serve. Not wanting to touch the ball with the non-paddle hand, the player gets the ball onto the paddle and then tosses the ball into the air, striking it prior to the bounce.

Since the ball has had energy applied to it, the option of a bounce serve does not exist. The server at this point must follow all of the Standard Serve criteria.

Al Thomson,
PCO/USAP, Certified Referee


Referee's Corner Al Thomson The 2021 Rule Changes were leaked unceremoniously in the middle of November, instead of its scheduled release in early January. It appeared on Social Media almost immediately, and much discussion has ensued. These two rule changes have drawn the most interest and discussion, so lets review them and the rational behind their introduction. “Let Serves.” Are no more! (Rule 4.A.6) When a ball is served and it touches the net, but is otherwise good… meaning that it lands in the receivers court, clearing the No Volley Zone and the NVZ lines, it is a good serve. Many people think that this is unfair to the receiver. Let’s look at the USAP/IFP rational for making this change. It eliminates the possibility of phantom “let calls” on ace serves, Think about the advantage the return of server has when their ball hits the net tape, and drops directly into the NVZ. Much less chance for the server to reach that ball, than the one the server hit, to start the rally. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in 2021. “Bounce Serve” – Rule 4.A.8 *Provisional Rule* Provisional Rule means that it will be evaluated for the year. Lets look into the differences between the “Bounce” serve, and the “Standard” serve. Release the ball from your hand from any unaided natural height. Release must be visible to both the receiver and the Referee No energy is to be applied to the ball. It is simply released from the hand, or allowed to roll of off the paddle! (No added motion, in any direction, is to be applied.) The ball must bounce at least once anywhere on the playing surface before being hit with the paddle. The Standard Service Rules do NOT apply when playing a bounce serve. Paddle to make contact with ball below the waist Paddle below the wrist break at contact with the ball Paddle making contact with the ball in an upward motion with arc Rules (4.A.2 & 4.L) still apply, meaning that the location of the feet during the serve is the same as that for the Standard Serve. Must be inside the court boundary with at least one foot behind the baseline, at the time the ball is struck. No restriction on the number of times the ball can be released before hitting it, as long as the 10 second rule is not violated. Another service change has been approved during these unprecedented times. It's been called the "COVID" serve, or the "SLING" serve. Not wanting to touch the ball with the non-paddle hand, the player gets the ball onto the paddle and then tosses the ball into the air, striking it prior to the bounce. Since the ball has had energy applied to it, the option of a bounce serve does not exist. The server at this point must follow all of the Standard Serve criteria. Al Thomson, PCO/USAP, Certified Referee
Pickleball Scoop 20200430 - February 2021 English