When things get a little questionable on the court, Certified Referee Andrea Mayorga is here to clear things up with some rulebook knowledge. She’ll help you sort it out with confidence — and if you want to double-check the details, the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook has you covered.

Q: If I see my opponent step on the NVZ line while hitting a volley or overhead smash (no bounce), can I call the fault? — Mark

A: 9.B.3 – Calling Non-Volley Zone Faults and Service Foot Faults on Opponent. Players may only call non-volley zone faults and service foot faults on an opponent.

However, 9.B.3.a – Fault Call Timing. A fault should be called as soon as the claimed fault is committed or detected. The fault must be called before the serve is hit to begin the next rally. 9.B.3.b – Disagreement between Teams. When there is any disagreement between teams on a fault call, the rally must be replayed. 9.B.3.c – Disagreement Between Partners. Any disagreement between partners on a fault call will be decided to the benefit of their opponent.

Q: In rally scoring, after a side out the new serving team starts on the right/even court. If the score becomes 1-0 (an odd score), does the server stay on the even court or switch? — Steve

A: Considering the above scenario—After Team A loses the rally, a point is awarded to Team B and a side out occurs. Team B moves positions based on the score with starting server (B1) moving to odd court and server B2 now serves, because score is 1-0. With rally scoring a point is awarded to a team with each rally, and you must adjust your positions (serving team) based on the score. So, with each rally, there is an adjustment to player positions. When learning this scoring option, I highly recommend wearing starting server bands to assist with determining positions. (new 2026 rule—A team may win the game with the opponents serving)

Q: When serving, can I add massive spin by cutting the ball with my paddle? — Kim

A: 7.B.2 – No Manipulation or Spin Upon Release. Some natural rotation of the ball is expected during any release of the ball. The server must not manipulate the ball to add spin with any part of the server's body or the paddle PRIOR to hitting the ball to make the serve, except the server may allow the ball to roll off the face of the paddle by gravity. Spin may be added to the ball upon contact by the paddle.

Have a technical pickleball question (or a rules mystery that keeps sparking court debates)? Email skye@playtimescheduler.com and your question might be featured in an upcoming edition of “Ask A Ref”!