The 2021 rules change document was more
than 85 pages long, we've been extremely fortunate to have rules guru Don Stanley
here to walk us through the changes and to help us understand how the things in the
rule book are going to impact us on the pickleball courts next year.
Now, last week we talked about the drop
serve, and I think that one's really going to be a game changer.
So if you missed that, make sure that you
click on the link and watch the rules about the drop serve.
This week, we're going to talk about out calls.
Yes, they are always controversial.
Who can can call the score, replays, and a
few other things that you'll want to know about.
All right, let's spend a few minutes on some general rule changes.
We're going to hit these very high level.
There are some small changes in there, but that I think they might change the game.
So let's not sleep on those.
So one that I thought was interesting was
the non-server calling the score, is that correct?
Yes. Thank you.
I will be quick, but there's a real good reason to talk about this.
I saw on Facebook the other day that the servers partner can call the score and
I'll remember someone saying, what a stupid rule.
UGH! And so what that person didn't know
is that rule change was submitted by a mute person, OK?
And the email said, I'm not sure if I can do this per the rules.
It doesn't say I can it doesn't say I can't.
And so they thought, OK, let's make it clear and let's make pickleball inviting
to a person with that issue. And so let's write a rule for it.
And then it's talked about, OK, it's that
simple when you say the servers partner can call the score, it's simple.
And then it was all about, well, what if they call it and then can the
server go back halfway through? Well, we don't want to start to be confusing.
So if the servers partner is going to call the score, they have to do it for the
entire game. Now, not the match, but just notify people but you do need to do it for
the entire game rather than that shut the door to
the server partner calling the score, calling the score, calling the score,
and all of a sudden the server does it, trying to get a quickie in.
So
that process, people don't know that, we can't, I can't write another document of
four hundred pages as to where all these rules came from. But that's a good point
to bring up. If you know the background, this person said,
I appreciate your efforts in trying to make me feel more welcome into the sport.
So that's, you know, good point there . Whoever called it a stupid rule.
Plus it would seem to me I mean, isn't the whole idea, Don, that the other team can
hear the scores was called, the scores correct, and we're
going to start playing . I mean, does it matter
who projects that, it doesn't seem like it anyway.
Keeping with the score, Don, so the idea
that about challenging the wrong score, right, so the rules been changed to work
can be challenged instead of being before the return be
challenged before the third shot. I guess my question is, what happens if
I don't challenge the wrong score called before the third shot is hit?
OK, I do want to take this opportunity to say something that ties into this.
If you noticed last year, this year, there
were all these different rules that were different timings.
I even put a chart on Facebook one time before the start of the score call,
after the score call, before the start of service motion, after the service motion,
before the serve. All these different timing elements and when to apply certain
faults or actions you could or could not do.
There was a big consensus and they did it.
They moved everything, all of those to one point in time.
The serve of the ball.
Much simpler, much simpler to remember, much simpler to denote and and rule upon.
Now, no rule is perfect.
I've found this out.
Most rules have some good and some bad to them.
And I think you take the the one that has the most good and you go with that.
So yes, I think it's easier for refs and
players every timing action is moved to the serve of the ball.
Now, I'm getting into this part.
So what that allows is you can't serve until I finish calling the score.
What that does mean is and this was talked about, debated.
If a server gets to know my rhythm and my cadence and my timing, OK,
then they can probably time their service motion to right as soon as I end calling
the score, they're hitting the ball, which is legal.
OK, the thing, though, that doesn't give the receiving team much time to decipher,
was it the right score with that score, are they the correct
server. It doesn't give them, if someone is trying to
quick serve, they don't have a lot of time to process.
That's why they moved the challenge of a wrong score call.
They give you a little more time.
Now it's moved to the third shot.
OK,
so it gives, we realize there's an opportunity you might be quick served,
so we'll give you a little more time to process it.
Now, two things I want to mention about this.
That window of opportunity for you to challenge a wrong score call.
That window shuts after the third shot happens.
Why?
Because let's say, you know, the ref called the wrong score and let's say the
ref did call the wrong score but didn't catch it.
You go ahead and play out the rally, but you're thinking, hey, you know what?
Just in case I lose this rally, then I'll
pull out my wrong score called card out of my back pocket and let's have a replay.
So the window for you to challenge the
wrong score called is shut after the third shot.
After that, you should have said something
because you're not going to be allowed to use that as a get out of jail free card.
OK, that's why that happened.
So one other aspect on that.
So
let's say somebody is really trying to be a quick server.
I don't think it's going to be as bad as I'm hearing it be.
I don't think people want to get known as
a quick server, because I think that I'll just say it.
I think it goes to your sportsmanship and integrity, quite frankly.
That's my opinion. I have the right to it.
But let's say this,we'll
just go ahead and throw all these rules in here.
Now, this year, you can ask any question, right?
You can now ask the am i in the right position.
Right. You could do that in 2016.
They took it out in 2018.
So some people going, why are they going to keep changing the rules.
Well it was allowed all the way up until 2018 .
So here's the thing.
When anybody asked a question there was debate over well if they asked this
question, if it's the server saying you've called the score, hey ref am I the right
server, just nod your head and keep the ten second count going.
Well, there were sometimes, some scenarios
where they said, well don't stop play, just keep the count going.
Then there are other times when they said,
you know, in this situation we do need to stop play and blah, blah, blah.
So rather than have some scenarios where
you stop playing and some where you don't, they said, let's just make it consistent.
Anytime somebody asked a question. And
question, I mean, score, position, correct server or receiver.
Right. In any time you ask those questions, the
ref will stop play, answer the question, recall the score.
Across the board, make it consistent.
So if a person is starting to quick serve you,
then right before they serve, say, hey, ref am I the right receiver.
The ref has to call time so you can you can come back that if you can do that.
But what happens if so if the
the scores miscalled, you know, the score is actually like know
3-2-1 and the score is called 6-2-1 or whatever. And
you don't say anything before the third shot, is the score now 6-2-1?
No, you just correct it after the rally.
I mean, the if the let's say if the ref calls the wrong score.
Right, let's say in reality it's 6-6-1.
OK, but the ref calls 6-6-2 o
r eight or 7-6-1, whatever.
If the ref does call the wrong score.
And the ref misses it and the players
don't catch it after that third shot you play on and then after the rally you might
say, Hey, ref, did you call score right? Do we have six or seven?
Then you just clear it up after that.
But after that third shot, you need to just play.
But why even have that? Right.
But we're going into a debate for another night.
I don't even know why we have this rule then, because just deal with it.
But I can tell you why. I'll tell you why.
Because some people say
I've heard some some players say when the ref calls wrong score, it gets in my head
and it bothers me throughout that entire rally.
So, all right.
That's would I would never stop play over
a wrong score. Hey ref we ha d six, not seven.
You know what? If you're just play.
Just keep playing. I was worried. I'm like, why is this?
This rule doesn't make any sense. I got it now.
Because of the anal retentive people.
That's why.
One thing I want to note,
Don, that I thought was really, really nice to put in the rules is
I know that replay is always an option, right? When we're playing in rec play, we
can always agree to replay the rally, but I think for some players and new players
coming in, they're not really sure whether that's even like a thing.
Right.
And so the fact that and I wanted to point that out, it's in like the general kind of
sportsmanship beginning part of the rules changes.
I think it's an awesome thing just to recognize replay.
So, folks, if you're out there
and you get a loggerheads with somebody, just replay the point, enjoy the day and
don't lose your mind over rec play. So, all right.
So, C.J., I know you had a couple of things that you wanted to hit.
I think, on your list of rules that you were like, let's talk about them, Don.
These are general rules that we're
covering right now, so let's see, here's what I had.
We're talking about the faults subsequent to a dead ball and that it doesn't matter
anymore. Can you explain what you mean by that and why that one was added?
I was marking out the questions we've gone through.
I'm sorry, C.J. Can you say that one more time.
OK, it was just a clarification on the
faults that subsequent to a dead ball, it doesn't matter anymore.
We're talking about once the ball's dead, you can't call faults is that one. T
here need to be two reasons.
Some people thought that
it was the verbalization of fault or, you know, whatever it was, the
verbalization that actually portrayed to the timing of when the ball was dead.
It's it's not when the ref decides to
inhale and then pass the air across the vocal cords.
So, for example, let's say a ball,
let's say a ball
is hit over to the opponents and it hits the shoulder of the opponent.
OK, so the ref sees it and the refs
inhaling to call it fault.
But before he gets the word fault out,
the other team who hit the ball, let's say they touch the net.
OK, some were thinking, well, since the ref didn't say fault until later, then
that player who touched the net, that fault happened first.
And so it was clarified.
No, balls are dead and faults happen the
instant they occur, no matter when you happen to vocalize the word fault.
So the moment that that ball hit my shoulder, the ball is dead.
No other faults can happen other than the NVZ fault.
So that's what was meant to clarify.
It's not when the person says or the ref says fault, OK, it's when it happens.
OK, and one more too. There was there was one anomaly, OK,
when the ball's dead, you all after rallies over, I can touch the net.
I can go over to my opponent's court and pick up the ball right?
When the ball's dead, faults don't happen.
Now you can call technical ones, technical fouls, but there was one anomaly.
It's when the serving team changed courts. Right.
And we gave the receiving team time to reposition and they're repositioning and
then it says if the server serves you call a fault on them.
Well, we're in a dead ball state of play.
I mean, we're it's a dead ball.
We're repositioning.
Why did that one fault?
Why is it the anomaly and you still call a fault.
So now that doesn't happen. You're not going to call a fault on
somebody if they happen to serve because we're in a dead ball.
So that's that's why that change happen.
Look, look who's look who's back, Don.
You know what?
Don, get ready. Don, it's coming at you.
It's coming at you. I've got this to help you for this one.
Sorry, I'm going to be, but I've got this answer ready.
Yeah, I mean, we got it because, I mean, if we look at the dime thing on one side,
the contact points, not a tennis ball, we know that this is touched out.
So if someone's from an angle, you know, let's say to the right to the ball, they
could probably potentially clearly see it's out because the ball is round.
However, the person hitting it directly
above would say, no, it's if it's just looking at the line.
So I'm kind of confused. I don't know.
It clearly means as far as clearly seeing it out.
OK, in a nutshell,
the technicality that you just pointed out of whether a ball is in or out.
You're exactly right.
It's the bottom dime sized or smaller than dime size. It's the bottom part of the
physical ball that touches the ground. Right?
Technically, it's only out if it's one hundred percent out.
The problem is that you just pointed out we can't see the bottom of the ball.
That's the problem.
So what they are trying to do is even though technically that's the rule and
that's what would stand up in court, so to speak.
If we we can't see the bottom of it, so they're trying to get everyone to give
grace and mercy when it comes to line calls.
And basically, unless you see a gap.
Then don't call it out, even though it
very well could be out. I will say this refeeing pros all the way down to 2.5.
The pros play them.
They play the close ones.
OK, so the only thing they say is they're trying to get people to say, just don't
call it out unless you clearly see a gap in the space.
But technically, you brought up a good point.
So.
I got great.
Well, yeah, and I still get it.
I, too, typically just play it because I want to play the game.
It's just a point in the big scheme of things like, OK, great, just a ball.
I'm going to go home, sleep well.
It's just I, I know what it is clearly.
And then there's the benefit of the doubt.
It's you and your teammate disagree with it.
And we give that grace over to the opponents, which is awesome.
It's just I didn't feel it clearly made it any clearer.
I just thought it just muddled it in a different way.
And that, again, is just my opinion of reading it.
And technically, those the rules didn't change.
They took out some wording and took out that diagram.
And somebody some person from Satan came up with another diagram.
I don't know why I started a go fund me to take that off.
He's actually he's actually a decent guy. He reached out to me.
I messenger. I was trying to find out he was just like I was just trying
to, he didn't expect it to like people to publish it.
And so you're just working on something for himself.
So yeah,
we tried so hard to get rid of that picture and here it came again.
So yeah.
Will a not ready signal now be honored up until the point of the serve?
Was one of the questions coming in off of Facebook or off of YouTube.
That did not change. So the current rule stands.
The moment the ref utters the first
syllable of the score is when not ready signals are irrelevant,
meaning we don't fault them and we don't honor them.
No changes with that. OK, but you can ask a question. You can ask a question.
I like that.
I got lots of questions now.
CJ I think we got to get into, like, the
crazy, the one that got the world on fire. Right?
OK, so here's what we got.
Everybody knows where we're going.
And we have two more sections.
We are going to talk about the crazy world on fire thing.
And so here it comes.
And then we are going to our last section.
We are going to talk about some kind of some tournament specific rules.