Four Spots Left for Tuesday's Spring Dinkeroo
Now’s the time to get your registration in for the EPC Spring Dinkeroo 2022 at Marshdale, Tuesday, May 24, 9 am - 1 pm. Registration closes tomorrow, Thursday, at 5 pm and we have only four slots left.
$10 registration fee for EPC members. If you haven’t paid your 2022 dues, add your EPC membership as you register for the tournament.
If you don’t plan to play but would like to be involved, we need volunteers on the courts. Let us know what you can do.
First Pingles Group Takes to the Courts
Linda Jacobsen has started pickleball singles play, ergo Pingles.
“We had our first Pingles® play. (I trade marked the name, just so I can capitalize it ☺️) It was great! We had 7 people. Andy left early, so he missed the photo op. We lasted 1.5 hrs, it was warm. We had a drop-in beginner KathyR, who signed up for more,” Linda reports.
If you want to get in the next session contact Linda.
Let’s Review: The Underhand Serve - Keeping it Legal
Reprinted from Nov. 19, 2021 EPC Newsletter
With many new players on the courts we’re seeing a lot of illegal serves. An illegal serve is a fault and no different than a foot fault; or serving a ball into the net, short of the opponents’ kitchen line or out of bounds. Here’s what 2021 Official Rulebook says:
4.A. The Serve.
4.A.1. The entire score must be called before the ball is served.
4.A.2. The moment the ball is served:
4.A.2.a. At least one foot must be on the playing surface behind the baseline.
4.A.2.b. Neither of the server’s feet may touch the court on or inside the baseline.
4.A.2.c. Neither of the server’s feet may touch outside the imaginary extensions of the sideline or centerline.
4.A.3. The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc at the time the ball is struck and may be made with either a forehand or backhand motion.
4.A.4. The highest point of the paddle head must not be above the highest part of the wrist (where the wrist joint bends) when it strikes the ball.
4.A.5. Contact with the ball must not be made above the waist.
Check out this video on these last three points: upward arc, paddle head below the wrist, and ball below the waist when hit.
Here’s what we’ve been seeing on the courts:
Legal serve: ball is below the belly button, paddle head is below the wrist, paddle is in upward arc
Illegal serve: Paddle is above the wrist
Illegal serve: Highest point of the paddle is above the wrist
Illegal serve: Ball is above the waist
Illegal serve: Ball is above the waist
Illegal serve: Paddle is sidearm, no upward arc
For some experienced players who chose to ignore the rules the argument is, who cares?: we’re not playing in a tournament, points aren’t often scored on the serve and it doesn’t matter, anyway.
But it does matter. If we can ignore rules of service, which ones are ignored and which aren’t? By how much? If I can serve it above my waist, why not above my chest or shoulders? Why not overhand? If I don’t have to hit up on the ball why can’t I hit down on it like tennis players? Why not ignore foot faults? If I can step on the baseline a little why can’t I step on it a lot? Or completely over it? If we ignore any of the rules what replaces them? Anything goes?
Rules are intended to bring consistency to the game, fair play, universal understanding of how to play. It prevents subjective rule making, arguments over what’s allowed and what isn’t, and disadvantages for those who choose to play by the rules.
Knowing and playing by the rules are what good players do.
Of course, it you want to hit the ball any way at all, use the drop serve. None of the three rules apply to the drop serve. But that’s a rule, too.