Rally Scoring

Major League Pickleball

There are a few ways to implement rally scoring. This review will describe the format for rally scoring used at certain Major League Pickleball events.

• Determine which team will serve, receive, pick the end of the court, or defer using any fair method (e.g., pick a 1 or 2, coin flip, rock-paper-scissors, etc.).
• Each partner on a team determines which side of the pickleball court (the left side or the right side) to start on. Then, each partner remains on those respective sides throughout the entire game. (However, a team may switch sides of the pickleball court on a time out or end change.)
• The team that serves first will start the game. The player on the right-hand side of the court will serve first (serving crosscourt).
• If the serving team wins the rally, then they will win a point and continue to serve. However, the partner on the left-hand side of the court will serve (but, remember, the players will stay on their respective sides of the court). The serve alternates between the players on the left- and right-hand side of the court (without the players changing positions) until they lose a rally.
• If the serving team loses the rally, then the receiving team will win a point and the receiving team will win the serve. To note, there is no second server (so the score will only be two numbers—the serving team score and the receiving team score—and there will be no third number for the server number).
• Which player will serve on a team is determined by the score of the serving team. If the score is even, then the player on the right-hand side of the court will serve. If the score is odd, then the player on the left-hand side of the court will serve. So, for example, if the score is 0-0, and the receiving team wins the rally, then the receiving team will win a point and the right to serve. The score will now be 1-0, so the player on the left-side of the receiving team will serve next.
• The Major League teams will change ends of the pickleball court when a team reaches 11 points. The first team to 21 points wins (win by 2 points). However, points after the 20th point may only be scored on the serve.