Can You Toss the Ball Up on a Pickleball Serve? What to Do If You Think an Opponent’s Serve Is Illegal in a Tournament Without a Referee

The group I play with has a couple of players who toss the ball up just before they serve. They do this for both the volley serve and the drop serve. I’m confused about when you can toss the ball upward before you hit your serve. Recently I was at a tournament where some matches did not have referees, and I saw this same upward toss of the ball before some players served. If you are a tournament player, and you have no referee, what option do you have when you think an opponent’s serve might not be legal?

Answer: It’s important to distinguish between the volley serve and the drop serve. Those using the volley serve can toss the ball upward as high as they like, as long as they are not trying to impart additional spin of the ball (See Rule 4.A.5.). The drop serve has very specific rules about how the ball must be released. Rule 4.A.8.b. states that “the ball shall not be propelled in any direction or in any manner prior to striking the ball.” The key word is “propelled.” It does not say that your hand cannot move up or down after the release of the ball, but if it moves, it cannot be done with a force that “propels” the ball.

As I see it, dealing with violations of this rule by an opponent depends on the situation. Recall that a player cannot enforce a fault call on an opponent except for the special case where you can call foot fault violations on an opponent that may result in a replay. In tournament play I recommend you complete a rally and bring the issue to the server’s attention. While you can’t call a fault on the player, you can ask after the rally is over whether the player understands the rule. If the server agrees it was a fault for propelling the ball, then the fault applies and results in loss of the rally. If the player does not agree with your opinion about the serve or the rule, the fault cannot be enforced.

If it happens repeatedly, I suggest you call for the tournament director or the head referee to resolve the issue.