Deaf Pickleball USA

Hello. I’m Farley Warshaw, DPUSA Tournament Director.  Some of you asked questions about some new rules for 2026.  I will explain the 9 main rules that have been changed, plus a few other rules that some may not be aware of, which were in effect in the previous year.  

The first rule has to do with calling the balls in or out when playing in doubles matches.  The calls in and outs can only be made by the players in the game.  Not the fans, or the coaches. The players cannot look at who may be watching the games and receiving information from them as to whether the balls were in or out.  This is not allowed.  Number two  –  If partners of the same team both saw the ball as out and agreed it is out, then the ball is out. This call supersedes any other call.   The opposing team cannot challenge the call. They have to follow and accept immediately.  

Number three – one person sees the ball was out, and the other person is not sure if the ball was in or out, the ball is out, and the other team cannot challenge it. Number four –  If both partners of the same team are not sure if the ball was out or in, they can ask the opposing team. If the opposing team says the ball was out, then it is out. That is the last decision.  You can’t be uncertain and say, “I think it was out, but I am not sure…etc”. It doesn’t matter if the fans say the balls were in or out; only the four players involved with the game can make the calls.   If you say, “Well, the fans said the ball was out,”  sorry, but that is not the way it goes.  If there are repeated problems of fans trying to make line calls, please inform the tournament directors, and they will go over and explain to them that they cannot do that and give a warning.  

Now I want to clarify when to call out or in.  Sometimes, when you receive a served ball, it may be out, but you are not sure if it will be out, and you go ahead and hit it, but then you realize it was out, you need to immediately call the ball out.   The call must be called out before the other team hits the ball in return. The call, then, is valid and legal.    If the ball comes, you hit it, but you are still trying to figure out if the ball is in or out, then the other team hits the ball back to your court, then you say, “Oh, the ball was out!”… Sorry,you cannot do that.  You must make the call before the opposing team hits the ball.  You must call the ball before the next hit if the ball is out of bounds or hits something (like the post or ceiling). You can’t just go ahead and play, then call the ball out later. 

The next rule I want to discuss is about “double hit.”  Sometimes, you may mishit the ball with your paddle, and the ball bounces twice on it before going over the net.  If this happens in one motion, which means you have one continuous movement, the ball bounces twice on your paddle, then it goes over the net successfully, that is okay and legal.  This is different from “holding or carrying the ball”. It looks like you are holding the ball with the paddle, then getting it over the net.  It does not happen often, but very skilled players know how to do this.  That play is not allowed. It is not in one motion.  You are holding the ball with the paddle, then hitting it the second time.  This play is illegal. It is different than when the ball bounces twice on your paddle and then goes over the net. 

Now, regarding Net Posts, which is another new rule,  the posts holding the net are not part of the net.  So if you try to do the ATP (around the pole play) and the ball hits the post before it lands, it is an automatic fault or out ball.  Or if the ball hits the pole when you hit it directly over to the other side, it becomes a dead ball.  However, sometimes, a spin is made, and it goes over the net and bounces to the other side, and then spins back over, touching the pole. The person who hit that ball wins the point.  If the player hits a spin ball, and it hits the pole before hitting the other side, then that player loses the point. But if it crosses the net first, hits the other side, then goes back and hits the pole, then that player who hit the ball gets the point.   It does not happen often, but sometimes a spinning ball can make this play happen. 

Next, I am going to discuss spin balls when serving.  See how I am rolling the ball down the paddle and then hitting it so it spins? That is not allowed.  Or spinning the ball before the paddle hits the ball when serving…that is not allowed.  You need to not spin the ball before serving.  If you toss the ball up directly, then hit it clean with a serve, that can make the ball spin, and that is allowed.  Don’t use your hand to spin or have the ball slide down the paddle to spin when serving, as those are not allowed. 

On the topic of illegal serving,  the ball must be hit from below the waist, not above the waist.  This has always been the case.   But now, with the paddle,  the angle closest to the handle must be higher than the rest of the paddle, which should be down towards the floor somewhat. You need to hit the ball up and not down. The paddle needs to have an upward motion.  The corner closest to the handle cannot be lower than the rest of the paddle.  So you must hit below the waist, and the end of the paddle needs to be lower than the corner closest to the handle.  Also, you can’t hit the ball down. (see Farley’s video showing what is okay in terms of paddle positioning to hit while serving). 

For injured players during doubles games,  we have not decided if we will use this option during the Fresno Tournament, but it is a USAPA rule.  If a double’s team is playing and one player gets hurt and cannot play, in the past, the team with the hurt player had to forfeit the game.  The team with the injured player keeps their score wherever they are at, and the other team ends up with 11, no matter where the score had stopped due to the injury.    The new rule is that the team with the injured player can continue the game with the non-injured player.   The injured player leaves the game, and the non-injured player plays against the two opposing players.  They play like singles…if the injured team wins a point at serving, they move to the other half of the court and serve. If they lose, then the side out happens. The other team gets to have both players serve, but the single team can serve until they lose the point, then side out.  We are not sure yet if we will use this approach for the Fresno Tournament. 

Regarding visible balls, players like to hold extra balls or their phones in their pockets while playing.  If the ball in the pocket becomes visible during play due to sticking out, you need to stop the game, and the player with the ball loses the point or the opportunity to serve immediately.  If the ball or phone, or any item falls out of your pocket during play, you lose the point or the serve.  If a phone or any device falls out of your pocket while in play and not just in the kitchen, but anywhere on the court, you lose the point or your serve.  This is a modified rule from last year. 

Below is the YouTube link that explains well, and I explained all the rules from that video to you just now. You can watch on YouTube – https://youtu.be/s9p4ABM_M7E?si=Ukl6cZHshBiRhHJf

A few more things that happened in MD last year that some people did not realize were against the rules…I would like to explain those rules:   Some people like to drop the balls before serving, which means bouncing before you hit.  This is legal.  It is okay to bounce the ball in the court, but the ball must drop behind the baseline before you hit it, not over or on the baseline.  The reason is that if you drop the ball over the baseline, you have an advantage of hitting the ball closer to the net than if the ball were hit behind the baseline.  If you don’t drop the ball before you hit the ball, it is up to you where you hit the ball from as long as both feet are behind the baseline. Some of you did not know about that, so I am letting you know now that it is the rule. 

One more rule I want to discuss is jumping before serving.   You must have at least one foot on the ground when you hit the ball for serving.  You can have one foot off the ground when you serve, but you cannot have both feet off the ground when serving.  You can’t have a paddle over the waist and jump with two feet off the ground when serving. I saw a few of these serves at the previous tournament. 
Ok…that is it. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me at DPUSATournamentdirector@gmail.com.