Most arguments in pickleball are not about the shot. They are about the score. Here are the five mistakes beginners make most, and how to stop them.
1. Thinking you score when you win a rally on defense
In pickleball, only the serving team can score a point. If your team is receiving and wins the rally, nobody gets a point. The serve just changes hands, and the score stays exactly where it was. This causes more arguments than anything else in the game.
2. Mixing up the three-number score
The score is always called as three numbers: serving team score, receiving team score, then server number. A score like 4-2-1 means the serving team has 4, the receiving team has 2, and this is server one. Saying the numbers in the wrong order, or calling the server number first, creates instant confusion.
3. Forgetting there is no second server at the start of the game
Each side normally gets two serves, one for each partner, except the team that serves first in the game. They only get one. So the game starts with the score called as 0-0-2, not 0-0-1. Plenty of beginners call 0-0-1 out of habit and the game starts off wrong.
4. Calling the score too quietly
The full score should be called out loud before every single serve. When people mumble or skip it, everyone keeps their own running count in their head, and after a few rallies nobody agrees. Say it loud, say all three numbers, and make it a habit.
5. Not deciding who keeps the score
When four people all track the score separately, you get four different answers. Pick one person to be the keeper for the game, usually someone on the serving team, and have them announce it before each serve. If everyone else has a different number, the keeper’s count wins and the game moves on.
A score keeper ends the debate
The easiest way to stop scoring arguments is to keep the score on your paddle where everyone can see it. Rally Tally is a mechanical pickleball score keeper that sticks on the end of the paddle handle. No app, no battery, just click it after each point and the score is right there. One for $15 or two for $20 with free shipping at rallytallypickleball.com.