Levels of Play

Players should self-select their appropriate level of play. (See Skill-Level Ratings below.) If you find you’re winning consistently you should move up. If you’re being outplayed, losing consistently, you should move down. Pickleball is more fun and enjoyable when teams pair off against teams of near-equal abilities. If you want to improve your game against better players, find an experienced partner willing to help you get better through play.

  • Beginner - Never-evers to novice players learning the basics and the rules

  • Intermediate - Recreational, mid-level players hit the ball consistently; know the rules

  • Advanced - Competitive, skilled players looking for a higher level of play; adhere to rules

Check the Schedule for play times by skill level.

Skill-Level Ratings

USA Pickleball/IFP official rating descriptions for levels 1.0 through 5.0 can be found here. But we think The Simple “Yes or No” Way to Figure Out Your Skill Level, courtesy of the Pickleball Guru, is a good filter for identifying your skill level.

Skillsdiagram.jpg

2024 Pickleball Rule Changes

The 2024 Rulebook cycle started in March when any USA Pickleball member could submit a rule suggestion. While submissions were restricted to USA Pickleball members, any player could comment on suggestions submitted. The comment window closed at the end of May. Since then, the rule suggestions have been vetted by and voted on by the USA Pickleball Rules Committee and the USAP Board of Directors.

Ninety-two (92) suggestions were submitted. Of those 92, a total of 27 were approved by the Board of Directors for the 2024 Rulebook. The vast majority of them were minor corrections to the wording of existing rules to make the rule clearer.

Following are the few rules that will be new or materially different than what exists in the 2023 Rulebook:

  1. Arguably, the most significant rule change is the removal of the words ‘deliberately’ and ‘unintentional’ in Rules 7.L (the carry rule) and 11.A (the double hit rule), respectively. Why? It eliminates having the referee determine intent. The bottom line is that any carry is now a fault; there is no longer the need to determine whether the carry was deliberate or not. Please also note that double hits are still permitted. Players should make sure they understand the definitions of and the difference between a carry and a double hit. See Rules 3.A.1 and 3.A.8.

  2. For non-officiated play, if players feel their opponents are using an illegal paddle, they are now specifically authorized to ask the Head Referee or Tournament Director to determine the legality of their opponent’s paddle.

  3. Additional clarifying criteria have been added to Rule 11.E to cover ‘degraded’ and ‘soft’ balls, both of which can potentially result in an ‘out of round’ ball. The bottom line is for non-officiated play, a replay of a completed rally is only permitted if the ball is cracked or broken, and, in that case, all players must agree the cracked or broken ball affected the outcome of the completed rally. If the ball is merely ‘degraded’ or ‘soft’, there is no replay of the rally, but if all players agree, the ball can be replaced. The rule for officiated play is similar.

  4. Players may now use any remaining regular timeouts after a medical timeout. The 2023 rule implies that if a player cannot resume play after the 15-minute medical timeout, the player must retire. The rule change for 2024 allows a player to use any remaining regular timeouts after the medical timeout to extend the time to resume play.

  5. There is one new rule change that is still in a pending status; the decision regarding rally scoring. USA Pickleball Board of Directors has decided to collect data before making a final decision.

    Posted 12/12/23

USA Pickleball/IFP Pickleball Rules

The USA Pickleball Association published the first pickleball rulebook in March 1984. When the USAPA re-established and re-incorporated in 2005, the book was amended to resemble rules used today. Shortly after its formation in 2010, the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) adopted the USA Pickleball rulebook. Adoption of the current “USA Pickleball/IFP Official Tournament Rulebook” ensures consistency in game play and regulations wherever pickleball is played around the world. It also solves a lot of arguments.

For the complete, official rules of pickleball read USA Pickleball’s 2024 Official Rulebook.

Also be familiar with EPRD and EPC Codes of Conduct.

EPRD Guidelines for Play at Wulf

If you have questions contact Jeff Sweet at 720-880-1221 or jsweet@eprd.co

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