The Rules Guru

Get answers to popularly asked questions from the world of pickleball. Our USAPA instructors consult the rule book, so you don't have too. 

Hey Guru, At a recent non-officiated tournament, my opponent dinked a ball that bounced in the NVZ on my side of the net. After the ball bounced, I hit it hard enough that my opponent across the net could not get out of the way quick enough and the ball hit his arm. After the ball hit him, my momentum caused me to lose my balance. I was eventually able to steady myself by grabbing the net post. My opponent argued that I committed a fault because I touched the “net system.” Was my opponent correct? 

Hey Guru, Can the partner of the receiver or the partner of the server delay the referee from calling the score? 

Hey Guru, Who writes the rules for pickleball and how do they get changed? 

Dear Guru, In a recent tournament match, the referee called the score once I was ready to serve. I served the ball, and my opponent claimed he was holding up his paddle indicating he was not ready. The referee warned me about serving before checking to see if he was ready. Was it correct for him to give me a warning?

Dear Guru, My partner and I stack. Sometimes, especially after a long rally, we forget who is serving/receiving or if we are in the right position. So, we are always careful to ask the referee if we are the right server/receiver and if we are in the right position. Someone told me we could no longer ask the referee these questions. Is this true? 

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