Medicine Hat Pickleball Club 

Code of Etiquette

                             

 

Etiquette is defined as:  “conventional requirements as to social behavior; prescribed or accepted code of usage”.  Fair play and sportsmanship are keys to success and enjoyment in any sport.  To ensure safety and that every player has a good experience  on the Pickleball courts, Medicine Hat Pickleball Club requests the following from those who play:

 

All members are reminded the goal is to provide an environment where all players can play the game to the best of their ability and most importantly “have fun” while doing so.

 

All play shall be by the official rules of Pickleball as set out Pickleball Canada/IFP Rulebook:

https://pickleballcanada.org/rules.php

Acknowledge your opponents at the beginning of the game.  If you are playing unfamiliar players, introduce yourself at the beginning of play.

 

Before serving, the server shall call out the score before each and every point so all know the score and are ready to play.

 

Line Calling:  Pickleball is played according to specific rules.  From the Pickleball Canada/IFP Rulebook

6.D. Code of Ethics for  line calling responsibilities when performed by players.

The line-calling responsibilities of players are different from those assigned to referees or line judges. The officials make impartial judgment calls with all players’ interests in mind. The player, when

 assigned line-calling duties, must strive for accuracy and operate under the principle that all questionable calls must be resolved in favor of the opponent.

 

The basic elements are:

6.D.1.  Players are responsible for calling the lines on their side of the court (excluding service foot faults and all non volley-zone lines, if being called by a referee).

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6.D.2.  Players’ only line call is the centerline on the serve in matches that have line judges.

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6.D.3.  The opponent gets the benefit of the doubt on line calls made.  Any ball that cannot be called “out” will be considered “in.”  A player cannot claim a “let” because the ball was not seen or there is uncertainty.  A player who does not make a call may appeal to the referee to make the call if they did not clearly see the ball land. If the referee is unable to make the call, the ball is “in.”  The moment the receiving player/team appeals to the referee, they lose their right to make any subsequent "in" or "out" call.

 

6.D.4. Spectators should not be consulted on any line call.

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6.D.5. A player should not question an opponent’s call, although any player may appeal a call to the referee before the complete score is called to start the next point.

 

6.D.6. A player/team may ask the opponent’s opinion to make a line call on the player’s side of the court. If requested and the opponent makes a clear “in” or “out” call, it must be accepted. If the opponents cannot make a clear “in” or “out” call, then the ball is considered “in”. The moment the receiving player/team asks for the opponent's opinion, they lose their right to make any

subsequent "in" or "out" call.

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6.D.7. Players should not call a ball “out” when looking across a line, unless they can clearly see a space between the line and the ball as it hits. The player’s depth-of-field judgment, based on the laws of parallax, prevents accurate judgment in these cases.

 

6.D.8. All “let” or “out” calls must be made “promptly”; otherwise, the ball is presumed to still be in play. “Promptly” is defined as calling “let” or “out” prior to the ball being hit by the opponent or before  dead ball is declared.

 

6.D.9. In doubles play, if one player calls the ball “out” and the partner calls it “in,” then doubt exists and the team’s call will be “in.” Any player may appeal a call to the referee. If the referee did not see the ball, the ball is considered in.

 

6.D.10. “Out” line calls should be promptly signaled by voice and may include a hand signal (See Rule 13.E.2.), regardless of how obviously the ball is “out.” People who are Deaf or hard of hearing are allowed to use hand signals only.

 

6.D.11. While the ball is in the air, if a player yells “out,” “no,” “bounce it,” or any other words to communicate to their partner that the ball may be out, it shall be considered player communication only and not considered a line call.

 

If your ball is hit on or behind an adjacent court, call “BALL” or “BALL ON COURT” so they can stop play before someone trips on a ball.  If you see a ball on your opponents court stop play by raising your hand or calling “BALL”.  Stopping is  NOT optional. Once stopped there is an automatic re-serve.

When your game is finished, meet at the net and tap fists and say something positive like “thanks for the game” or “nice play”.  Exit the court so players waiting can play.  When going on or off a court DO NOT WALK ON OR BEHIND A COURT while play is continuing. WAIT for the completion of play before crossing a court. Proceed on or off at a brisk pace when interrupting a game.  Be sure to close the gate behind you when entering or exiting the courts.

 

Play with everyone.  Take time once in a while to play with weaker players – they will be thrilled to have the experience!  Remember, if a stronger player is on the court with you, hit to them and often – It will make you a better player plus keep the game interesting for all who are playing.  If you are playing with weaker players work on shots that they can return and learn from.

 

Cursing is not acceptable.  Please keep the vocabulary clean!