• Work with Us
  • Blog
  • Pickleball Clinics
  • Private & Group Lessons
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • User Reviews

PickleballMAX

Maximize your Pickleball Potential

  • Home
  • Pickleball 101
    • Pickleball Rules
  • Strategy
  • Shots
  • Tournaments
  • Wellness
  • Gear
    • Pickleball Accessories
    • Pickleball Bags
    • Pickleball Clothing
    • Pickleball Glasses
    • Pickleball Machines
    • Portable Nets
    • Pickleball Paddles
    • Pickleball Sets
    • Pickleball Shoes
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
You are here: Home / Rules / Pickleball Service Foot Faults & Imaginary Extensions — What You Need to Know!

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy here.

Pickleball Service Foot Faults & Imaginary Extensions — What You Need to Know!

You Make the Call!

Here’s the Scenario:

During the serve, the server’s feet are positioned outside of the imaginary extension of the sideline. The opponents miss the return. What’s the call?

I see pickleball service foot faults seemingly all the time when observing rec play. Okay. Perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit. Nevertheless, I see service foot faults with a fair degree of regularity — particularly with beginning pickleball players. Perhaps they weren’t properly taught and don’t know the rules. Perhaps they just aren’t paying attention to the position of their feet on the serve.

Nevertheless, as rule #4.L.1 and #4.L.2 from the 2019 International Federation of Pickleball Official Tournament Rulebook, clearly state, during the serve, when the ball is struck, the server’s feet shall neither touch the area outside of the imaginary extension of the sideline nor touch the area outside the imaginary extension of the centerline.  If either happens — or if the server’s feet touched the court or baseline on contact — the server has committed a fault and would not be entitled to the point.  Instead, the serve would revert to the server’s partner, or — if the service fault was committed by the second server — a side out would be called and the serve would go to the opposing team.  Shown below is the official ruling.  Happy serving!

2019 International Federation of Pickleball — Official Tournament Rulebook

Rule #4.L:

Service Foot Fault. During the serve, when the ball is struck, the server’s feet shall:

4.L.1. Not touch the area outside the imaginary extension of the sideline.
4.L.2. Not touch the area outside the imaginary extension of the centerline.
4.L.3. Not touch the court, including the baseline.

Need More Pickleball Rules Clarifications & Interpretations?

Please reference our pickleball rules page and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so that you receive additional pickleball rules clarifications and interpretations for many of the common — and not-so-common — scenarios that happen on the pickleball courts. By subscribing to the newsletter you will also receive pickleball tips, strategies, tournament recaps, and more.

>>READ NEXT: Initial Service & Side for Decisive Third Game — Switch Again or Reflip the Coin? What Say You?<<

Article by PickleballMAX / Filed Under: Rules 12 Comments

Doubles Strategy Blueprint

Paddles, Shoes, Bags & More!

Fromuth Pickleball – Use Code “10MAX” for 10% Off!
  • Hundreds of pickleball paddles, court shoes, and bags in stock now and ready to be shipped.
  • Free Shipping on orders of $75+
  • Use Discount Code 10MAX for 10% off your purchase. (some exclusions apply)

Fromuth Pickleball
Order your favorite pickleball gear today!

Performance Eyewear (Sunglasses & Eye Protection)

RIA Eyewear
  • 100% UVA/UVB protection
  • Impact-resistant & shatterproof lenses
  • Lightweight, anti-fogging, and vision-enhancing (contrast of the ball to the court)

pickleball glasses
Order your RIA Performance Eyewear Today!

It’s Fun to Feel Good!

Jigsaw Health – Discount Code!
Use Code “PickleballMAX10” at Checkout for $10 off your Jigsaw Order.

Jigsaw Health

  • Relax your legs, muscles, and brain for better sleep with Jigsaw MagSoothe™.
  • Stay hydrated and energized with Jigsaw Electrolyte Supreme™.
  • Prevent muscle cramping with Pickleball Cocktail®.

Order Jigsaw Health Today!

About PickleballMAX

Tennis player turned pickleball player. I blog about how one maximizes their picklebility. Picklebility is simply defined as an embodiment of one's passion, ability and addiction to #pickleball. See you on the courts!

Comments

  1. Mark B. Grumet says

    October 4, 2019 at 11:00 pm

    After calling the score but before initiating a backswing(or during it) can the server move side to side or start with feet outside the court extentions? It is very distracting and difficult to tell where the ball is coming from. To make matters worse the server does it when backhand serving.

    Reply
    • PickleballMAX says

      October 6, 2019 at 6:03 pm

      Hi Mark, Yup. No issues there!

      Reply
  2. Margaret Hollingsworth says

    July 25, 2019 at 7:47 pm

    Can the server’s paddle contact with the ball be over the line extensions? Example serving from the left court a right-hander stands at the center line but their hands are in the right court when the ball is struck.

    Reply
    • PickleballMAX says

      August 8, 2019 at 5:47 pm

      Hi Margaret, Great question. Yes, the server’s body can be “hovering” over the imaginary line extensions — as long as the feet are correctly positioned.

      4.A.3. At the beginning of the serve, both feet must be behind the baseline and the imaginary extensions of the baseline. At the time the ball is struck, at least one foot must be on the playing surface or ground behind the baseline, and the server’s feet may not touch the playing surface in an area outside the confines of the serving area.

      Reply
  3. Ron Wanless says

    July 19, 2019 at 3:06 pm

    Is it a foot fault if the server steps over the baseline with one foot after the paddle has struck the ball?

    Reply
    • PickleballMAX says

      August 8, 2019 at 5:51 pm

      Hi Ron, Any aspect of server positioning is fair game after the server makes contact with the ball. So, no, the scenario you describe is not a foot fault.

      Reply
  4. Sam Louras says

    May 6, 2019 at 12:05 pm

    Who can call the foot fault?

    Reply
    • PickleballMAX says

      May 9, 2019 at 11:57 am

      Great question!

      When there’s a referee, Rule #13.C.1 applies:

      13.C.1. The referee calls non-volley-zone infractions, short serves, and service foot faults.

      During non-officiated sanctioned play, Rules #13.D.1.a and #13.D.1.b apply:

      13.D.1.a. Players call all lines on their side of the court, including NVZ and service foot faults.
      13.D.1.b. Players may call the NVZ faults and service foot faults on the opponent’s side of the court.

      Reply
      • Charles says

        November 9, 2019 at 1:15 pm

        Opponent should not be able to call service foot fault!!!!!

        Reply
        • PickleballMAX says

          November 16, 2019 at 11:24 am

          Hi Charles, In my opinion the opponent should, indeed, be able to call a service foot fault in a match that doesn’t have a referee — as long as the service foot fault is quite obvious. Who else would call it? The server or server’s partner isn’t going to call it. In a match with a referee, the referee calls it.

          Reply
  5. Doug Lear says

    January 10, 2018 at 9:57 am

    I didn’t see an answer to the question. Posting the rule still leaves questions in my mind. How long can you wait before you make the call is an issue. If the return was missed completely, whiff, I would think the call could be made anytime before the ball was put in play again. But the call should be made quickly. If the ball was returned and then hit by the serving team, it would be too late to make the fault call.

    Reply
    • PickleballMAX says

      January 12, 2018 at 5:05 pm

      Good question, Doug. Your question doesn’t seem to necessarily relate specifically to this scenario — but more generally to any fault, out or let call. The best I can do is reference Rule # 6.D.7.

      All “let” or “out” calls must be made “instantly”; otherwise the ball is presumed good and still in play. Instantly” is defined as calling “let” or “out” prior to the ball being hit by the opponent or before it has gone out of play.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search this website

Guides

  • Pickleball for Beginners
  • Pickleball Clothing
  • Pickleball Court
  • Pickleball Equipment
  • Pickleball Net
  • Pickleball Paddles
  • Pickleball Ratings
  • Pickleball Rules
  • Pickleball Shoes
  • Pickleballs
  • Tournament Pickleball
  • What is Pickleball

Online Store

  • Bags
  • Ball Accessories
  • Ball Machines
  • Balls
  • Eyewear
  • Gloves
  • Hats and Visors
  • Hydration & Recovery
  • Jewelry
  • Men's Apparel
  • Miscellaneous
  • Nets
  • Online Pickleball Courses
  • Paddle Accessories
  • Paddles
  • Prevention and Recovery
  • Printables
  • Shoes
  • Socks
  • Tournament Products
  • Training Aids
  • Wellness
  • Women's Apparel
  • Home
  • Pickleball 101
  • Strategy
  • Shots
  • Tournaments
  • Wellness
  • Gear
  • Shop

PickleballMAX | PO Box 813| Mason, OH 45040
PickleballMAX participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program
Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Disclosure