If you play pickleball, chances are you have heard the terms “fault” and “dead ball” while playing. But, do you know what these actually are, and are there faults in pickleball? Today we are going to discuss the various faults one might encounter while playing pickleball. Let’s go.
- What is a Fault?
- Pickleball Faults to be Aware Of
- Hitting the Ball Into the Net
- Hitting the Pickleball Under the Net
- Hitting the Pickleball Out of Bounds
- Allowing Two Bounces
- Violating a Serve Rule
- Contacting Net Posts, Net System, or Opposing Team’s Side of the Court
- Contacting the Pickleball with Your Hand
- Stopping a Live Pickleball
- Hitting a Permanent Object before Bouncing
- Disobeying a Non-Volley Zone Rule
- Violating Misunderstood Pickleball Rules
- Hitting the Pickleball before it Passes the Net Plane
- Carrying or Catching the Pickleball on the Paddle
- Purposely Hitting the Pickleball More than Once
- No Calling of Invalid Hinders (Lets)
- No Calling Time-Out Following a Serve
- How Pickleball Faults are Called on the Court
- Conclusion
What is a Fault?
Before we look at the various faults in pickleball, it is important to understand exactly what a fault is. Basically, a fault occurs when a player violates the rules of the game. When a fault occurs, the ball is considered dead, and the rally is over. The opposing player or team will automatically be called as the winner of the rally.
Faults usually only happen when the pickleball is in play or live, or if a player or team violates the non-volley zone rules. If you do commit any faults, you/your team will lose the rally, so it is important to try to avoid committing faults as much as possible while playing pickleball.
Pickleball Faults to be Aware Of
There are numerous ways that players can commit faults on a pickleball court. For instance, if a player violates the two-bounce or three-hit rule, it is considered a fault. The serve and the return of the serve must have a bounce. After that, it is okay to volley the pickleball back and forth.
Let’s take a look at some more faults in the sport of pickleball.
Hitting the Ball Into the Net
If a player hits the pickleball into their side of the net, and the ball does not cross over to the other side of the net, it is considered to be a fault. The second the pickleball hits the ground, the fault has occurred.
Before the pickleball hits the ground, it is possible for the opposing team to commit a fault. But, the first player or team to commit a fault will be loser of that rally.
Hitting the Pickleball Under the Net
If you hit the pickleball under the net or between the net and the net post, it is considered to be a fault.
Hitting the Pickleball Out of Bounds
Another fault is hitting the pickleball out of bounds. If you hit it out of bounds so it is out of bounds or on your respective side of the net, it will be considered a fault.
Allowing Two Bounces
While you can have bounces if you are serving, during actual game play, it is considered a fault if the pickleball bounces twice on the same side of the court (there is an exception to this rule in the case of wheelchair players). If you are unable to make contact with the ball after one bounce, you will be faulted and lose the rally.
Violating a Serve Rule
If a player violates any pickleball rule on the serve, they will be faulted. Note that if the player serves the pickleball after a rally is finished but before the score is called, it is not considered a fault because at this point, the pickleball is dead.
On the other hand, if the player serves the ball after a referee starts to call the score but before they finish calling the score, it will be a fault because the pickleball is still live.
Contacting Net Posts, Net System, or Opposing Team’s Side of the Court
If any part of the paddle or your body, even your clothing or shoes touches the pickleball net posts, net system or the opposing team’s side, you will be faulted. Keep in mind that this is only the case if the pickleball is in play. If it is not in play, there is no fault.
Contacting the Pickleball with Your Hand
The only way you are allowed to contact the pickleball with anything other than your paddle is if it contacts your hand below the wrist where you are holding the paddle. If any other part of your hand or body touches the pickleball, it is considered a fault.
You can use both hands to swing the paddle, as long as both hands are in constant contact with the paddle. In this case, the pickleball can hit either hand below the wrist. If you happen to drop the pickleball and it hits your shoe, this will not be considered as a fault.
The rule is only in place once the pickleball has been served.
Stopping a Live Pickleball
A fault will be called if you stop a pickleball before it is dead. So, if you catch or stop it before it hits the ground, you will be faulted, even if you think the shot is out of bounds.
Hitting a Permanent Object before Bouncing
If the pickleball hits a permanent object before it bounces, it is a fault, and you or your team will lose the rally. Permanent objects can include, but are not limited to, benches, fences, and even other people.
Disobeying a Non-Volley Zone Rule
If you violate any non-volley zone rules (also referred to as kitchen rules), you will be faulted. An example of this would be a volley of the pickleball while you are in a non-volley zone.
Violating Misunderstood Pickleball Rules
There are several misunderstood rules in the sport of pickleball. If any of these rules are violated, knowingly or unknowingly, the player will be faulted. For instance, if you double-hit a pickleball or distract an opposing player on purpose, it is considered a fault.
Hitting the Pickleball before it Passes the Net Plane
If you happen to hit the pickleball before it passes the plane of the net, you will be committing a fault. For instance, if you move to hit it and then hit it before it makes it to your side of the court, you are at fault and the rally will be lost to your opponent.
Carrying or Catching the Pickleball on the Paddle
If you purposely carry or catch the pickleball on your paddle following the serve, it is an automatic fault. But, you can carry on the serve or unintentionally carry or catch the pickleball on the paddle, because it isn’t done on purpose. This could be a very fine line to walk.
Purposely Hitting the Pickleball More than Once
If you hit the pickleball more than once following the serve, on purpose, it is referred to as a double hit, and it is a fault. Obviously, if it is unintentional, it is not considered a fault.
No Calling of Invalid Hinders (Lets)
There are no invalid hinders or service lets in pickleball. This is when a serve hits the pickleball net while in play and it lands in the right service court. Any let call on a serve is automatically a fault, as well as any invalid hinder.
In the case of an invalid hinder, it must be called by a referee during a match, as the referee needs to determine if the hinder is invalid or not.
No Calling Time-Out Following a Serve
Neither players or teams are allowed to call a time-out following a serve in pickleball. But, a time-out can be called at any time before the serve, including the time between the score being called and before the serve is hit.
How Pickleball Faults are Called on the Court
As with all sports, the sport of pickleball encourages people to play fair and be good sports during games. So, players are even expected to call faults on themselves if the realize they have committed faults.
If you think that your opponent has committed a fault, you can tell them about it, but you can’t enforce a fault. Your opponent, after being informed of the fault, must enforce their own fault.
One exception to this rule in non-officiated play where there is no referee is calling non-volley zone faults and service foot faults on the opposing side of the court. If there is any type of disagreement about a fault, replaying the point is the best option.
If there is a referee, players are not responsible for non-volley zone faults and service faults from their opponents (on their side of the pickleball court). The referee must call these faults.
Conclusion
If you would like to learn more about the rules and regulations about the sport of pickleball, please visit the USA PICKLEBALL website at. Here you can learn about the rules and other interesting facts about this fun and exciting sport.
I played D3 college tennis, so I thought transitioning to pickleball would be a breeze. Boy, was I wrong! The game is similar but has its own unique challenges that I've been excited to tackle. I've been playing for a few months now, and I'm completely hooked.
What I love most about pickleball is the community. It's a mix of competitive spirit and camaraderie that I haven't found in any other sport. Whether it's a casual game or a more intense match, the atmosphere is always welcoming.
When I'm not assisting in surgeries or chasing after pickleballs, I enjoy hiking, reading up on animal behavior, and trying to perfect my pickleball serve. If you're up for a game or just want to chat about the latest in veterinary medicine or pickleball strategies, feel free to reach out. I'm all ears!
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