How Would Rally Scoring Change Pickleball?
Leigh Waters, Scott Crandell, and more weigh in on the hot-button issue
A: Pickleball is growing so quickly, it can be difficult to know all the rule changes, from the removal of service lets to the addition of the drop serve. None, however, are taken lightly. Rather, they are debated widely within the sport before USA Pickleball adopts them. That has certainly been the case with any potential change involving rally scoring.
For those unfamiliar with the term, rally scoring is a more conventional scoring method in which points are earned by whichever team wins the rally. Currently, pickleball is played with side-out scoring, in which points are scored only by the serving team. While USA Pickleball did not adopt rally scoring as a rule change for 2022, discussion continues as to whether the change should be made and what the consequences might be for the sport if it ever happened.
