Imagine that you have your opponents on the defensive and you hit an aggressive overhead. Your opponents barely get a paddle on the ball, sending the pickleball high into the air. The pickleball lands just on your side of the pickleball net, so that the pickleball will bounce high above the net and allow you to hit an aggressive shot right in front of the net – one of our favorite shots! You kneel down and crush somewhat of an overhead, putting the pickleball away and out of reach of your opponents. But, because you were so close to the pickleball net, you hit the net on your follow through. FAULT! ♂️ You lose the rally.
Why did you lose the rally even though you put the pickleball away? Remember that you may not touch the pickleball net, net posts, net system, or the opposing team’s side of the pickleball court, while the pickleball is “live.” If you do any of these things while the pickleball is “live” – touch the net, net posts, net system, or opposing side of the court – then you commit a fault and you lose the rally.
Key takeaway: Do not touch any part of the pickleball net during a rally!
For a deeper breakdown on all of the rules of pickleball, check out Pickler’s Ultimate Guide to the Rules of Pickleball.
Have you had an interesting rules issue on the pickleball court? Send it to us at stacie@thepickler.com, so we can share with the rest of the pickleball community in a future newsletter.
