JAM rules for Pickleball Club

Pickleball

JAM is for Everyone – Inclusion Statement

Our program offerings are designed to be inclusive for all members of the JAM community. Our goal is to create a welcoming gender policy that uplifts and supports each player where they are at. To ensure we can offer something for everyone, our programs may be offered in the following formats: Mixed-Gender, Women's, Men's, and Open.

Many of our league rules specify gender-based roster requirements, the goal of which is to ensure that each player has an equal opportunity to be included in gameplay.

Everyone participating in a JAM program is welcome to compete based on their gender identity and gender expression; regardless of their gender assigned at birth. Members whose gender identity does not align with the binary man/woman construct are welcome to play in all our mixed-gender and open programs.

Nonbinary, trans, genderqueer, and all other players who identify as a gender minority can count towards the roster minimums for either men or women in our mixed-gender leagues.

Pickleball Basics

Check out this video to help explain the basics of the game.

Pickleball - Club Format

- The on-site League Amabassador will establish “Top Court” and “Bottom Court,” and games will start with however many players are available. Not everyone may play in the first round of games.

- Each game is played “Rally Point” style, such that every point counts (regardless of who is serving) for a point, (unlike in traditional Pickleball scoring where only the serving team wins)

- Rally Point games are played to 15 and teams must win by 2 points.

- Winning partners split up and move UP. If the team is already on the top court, winners split and stay on that court.

- Losing partners go off, replaced by subs who have been sitting off. If there are not enough subs, losing partners split and move down a court.

- This format creates a ladder system throughout the evening so that higher level players should get more competitive games and lower-level players will have less competitive games.

Faults

When the ball is not served in the service court or is served to the wrong side of the court (not diagonally).

The ball is served or returned outside the boundaries of the court.
Player steps in the NVZ or NV line when making a volley.
Any player hit by the ball has committed a fault (balls hitting the paddle hand below the wrist are considered legal).
Failing to hit the ball before it bounces twice.

Calling Points and Faults

This is a self-officiated game. Players make their own calls. Please make calls as honestly and fairly as possible.
If an agreement cannot be reached, please redo the serve.

Non-Volley Zone (“NVZ”, aka ‘The Kitchen’)

This is the rectangular area immediately in front of the net.

Players may not play the ball in the air (“volley”) in this area. It must bounce first
You may not step on the NV line or into the NVZ, even after your shot.
You can step into the zone if the ball bounces in there first.

The Serve

To start the game, teams may decide to rally for serve playing the ball three times over the net before it is in play. Often, one team just decides to start. The team serving first gets only one serve their first time. This rule helps prevent “blow” out games with one team getting a large number of points to start. The server making the first serve should announce 0, 0, 2. The score is 0, 0, and because the team gets only one serve, the server is number 2. When the serve switches to the other side, that team gets two serves and play continues that way until a score of 11 is reached.
The player that is standing in the right-hand service area of the serving side always starts.
The ball must be served UNDERHAND, below the waist. Feet must be behind the service line.
Ball must travel diagonally, bouncing inside of the OPPOSING service area.
The ball must bounce twice – once on the receivers’ side and once on the servers’ side of the court – before players can begin hitting the ball in the air (“volleying”).
During these two bounces, the servers may not move up to the net.
Receivers may move up to the net only once they’ve returned the serve.
The server only receives one fault before losing serve. This does not include “lets” (when the ball hits the net and lands properly beyond the no-volley zone.)
If a serving team wins a point, the same server serves, but switches sides from the side the served from the previous point
Each team gets a maximum of two (2) serves, one by each player, given that the first serve is successful.

Sportsmanship

Remember to have fun and treat your opponents well -- these people may eventually be your teammates!