Pickleball Etiquette and SKPC rules

  1. Sign in before playing. If you are not a member, pay the drop-in fee.
  2. Acknowledge other players before and after the game. If you don’t know their names, ask them.
  3. For safety reasons, if a ball from another court comes across your court during play, call out “ball on court” immediately and stop playing. Retrieve the other court’s ball and ask who should get the ball before sending it back. Do not run onto another court to retrieve a ball if play is in progress.
  4. For safety reasons, do not cross behind players if a game is in progress.
  5. Be positive…smile!
  6. Call out the score before service to avoid confusion.
  7. Call violations on yourself, such as stepping into the kitchen while volleying.
  8. Don’t call faults on the other side…you could be wrong. Trust the other side to make the appropriate call.
  9. If a ball is close to the line on your side of the net and neither player can make the call, or if both players are in disagreement on “out” or “good”, the ball is “good”.
  10. Compliments will get you a long way.
  11. When a game is finished, look at the paddle box to determine if anyone is waiting. See the Rotation Rules below.
  12. Keep your temper, it’s only a game.
  13. If not in a tournament, don’t always play to the weaker player…there are two players on the court.
  14. Overhead slams directly into the body of an opposing player should be avoided for safety reasons. Overhead slams into new players are not allowed.
  15. Try not to coach or give advice unless asked.
  16. Our club is a non-bullying zone. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone is at a different level in their pickleball journey.
  17. SKPC advises all players to wear eyewear protection while playing pickleball. If you don’t wear eye protection, play at your own risk! Eye damage can occur when hit in the eye by a pickleball!

SKPC Rotation Rules

  1. General Open Play:
    • rotation will be 2 in/ 2 out after each game when there are 6 or fewer paddles in the box. After two wins by the same team, they must rotate out
    • rotation will be 4 in/ 4 out after each game when there are 7 or more paddles in the box
    • Note that this (6 or 7 paddles in the box) can change quickly as players come and go at the site
  2. Challenge Court Play: rotation will be 2 in/2 out after each game. After two wins by the same team, they must split the team. A maximum of three games can be played by before rotating out.