Mind Your Manners

All sports have basic rules of etiquette and the sport of pickleball is no exception. While players who are transposing from tennis have pre-existing knowledge and experience on proper manners on the court, many new players to the sport of pickleball may not be aware of proper court etiquette. While showing respect and being a good sport to our opponents could make up an entire column on its own, I want to focus on being courteous and polite to our fellow players on adjoining courts. So here is a quick laundry list of do’s and don’ts to help you mind your manners on the pickleball courts.

1. Don’t walk across a court while a point is in progress. Many facilities do not have individual access to every court and you may need to cross over an adjoining court to get to your court. While doing this is not only rude, it is dangerous! You wouldn’t walk across a football field in the middle of a play to get to the grandstands or the concessions, so why would you walk across the pickleball court while a point is in play?

2. If a ball from your court goes onto an adjoining court, you should call out something like “ball on court “or “let” to make the players on that court aware of the possible hazards of a stray ball on their court.

3. If you see a ball from another court coming onto your court, you should immediately stop the point, call a let, and then replay the point.

4. Part of the popularity of pickleball is the socialization and fraternization which takes place on the courtside waiting areas. While it is fun to chat with other players and watch points, it is not polite to be loud or over-boisterous and distract the focus of players competing on the courts.

5. In addition to that, it is simply not polite to play loud music on the sidelines or on your court while you are playing. No matter what genre of music tastes you may enjoy, other players probably don’t want to listen to it while they are trying to focus on playing their points.

6. This one is kind of just a pet peeve of mine - leave your pets at home. I noticed that Publix is now enforcing (excluding service animals) a no pets, policy in their stores. I am 100% behind this policy! Rover does not need to go with you to select his favorite brand of dog food at the grocery store, nor does he need to come watch you play pickleball.

In all professional levels of sports, the rules of respect to other players are enforced by umpires and referees. In recreational armature level pickleball, the rules of respect to other players need to be enforced by the players. On an amateur level of play, pickleball is a fun competitive game. Good sportsmanship along with proper court etiquette should be followed by all participants. If you want to get serious about your game, then compete in tournaments.