New Scoring in Pickleball, who’s this?

The PPA has implemented a new rule regarding when teams switch sides during matches. While the rule may still be in a testing phase before a potential wider rollout, it is now being used in competition.

Under the new format, instead of switching sides at the conclusion of Games 1 and 2, teams will now switch sides once one team reaches six points in each of the first two games.

In Game 3, teams will continue to switch sides at six points, as they have previously.

From what we’ve been told, the reasoning behind the change is to create a more equal playing environment, particularly for outdoor matches. Factors such as wind, sun, and court conditions can favor one side of the court, and switching midway through each game gives both teams more time competing under the same conditions.

To our knowledge, the first event implementing the new rule is the Seattle PPA Challenger event.

In my opinion, this change seems slightly excessive, a la MLP in previous years where teams had to rotate sides of the court when one team reached 6 points.

It remains to be seen how players will react to the change and whether the PPA ultimately decides to implement the rule more broadly.