• About
  • Blog
  • Pickleball Clinics
  • Private & Group Lessons
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • Work with Us
  • 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 Swing-and-a-Miss on the Serve — Try Again? What Say You? What is the “Official” Rule?

Pickleball Swing-and-a-Miss on the Serve — Try Again? What Say You? What is the “Official” Rule?

You Make the Call!

Here’s the Scenario:

You attempt the serve, but swing and miss. Try again? What’s the call?

In both tennis and ping-pong, if you swing at the serve and completely miss the ball, it’s a point for the receiving player or team. In ping-pong, even the act of tossing the ball and letting it harmlessly fall to the table without swinging at it results in a point for the receiving player or team. But what about in pickleball? Does a swing-and-a-miss constitute a fault when playing pickleball? A replay?  What about letting the pickleball bounce to the court without attempting the swing?

It’s a scenario that will occur with some regularity for beginning pickleball players. According to the “International Federation of Pickleball Official Tournament Rulebook,” a swing-and-a-miss on the serve will result in a fault. However, if the server does not attempt the swing, it is not a fault. Now keep in mind this is according to the 2019 “Official Tournament Rulebook.” My guess is in rec play, you may just want to give this beginning server another chance. 🙂 After all, we were all beginners at one time! 😉

2019 International Federation of Pickleball — Official Tournament Rulebook

Rule #4.M:

Service Faults. During the service, it is a fault if:

4.M.3. The server misses the ball when trying to hit it. If the ball lands on the ground without the server swinging at the ball, it is not a fault.

2020 Rule Change

According to the 2020 Rules Change Document, “The 2019 Rule 4.M.3 (server misses the ball when trying to hit it) was removed due to inconsistency in determining precisely when the ball passed the front plane of the paddle.”

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: Pickleball Etiquette…Unwritten Rules<<

Article by PickleballMAX / Filed Under: Rules 6 Comments

Doubles Strategy Blueprint

Paddles, Shoes, Bags & More!

Pickleball Central

Pickleball Central

Order your favorite pickleball gear today!

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. Eliot says

    August 13, 2020 at 9:57 pm

    If I swing at a overhead volley and miss it can I still let it bounce and then return it? I read that if you attempt to hit a ball and miss it is a fault . Is this true?

    Reply
    • PickleballMAX says

      August 15, 2020 at 2:27 pm

      Absolutely, you can. I would call that a great shot.

      Reply
  2. BARRY J SCHNEIDERWIND says

    July 9, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    I am very unclear about the effect of the rule change you discuss. On my serve, I at times do not like my toss, as an old tennis player I just let it drop and make no attempt to hit it. Does the rule change make this a fault? I take my paddle back but do not start forward at all. Under the 2019 rules that is not an attempt, does removing #4M make that an attempt?

    Rule #4.M:
    Service Faults. During the service, it is a fault if:

    4.M.3. The server misses the ball when trying to hit it. If the ball lands on the ground without the server swinging at the ball, it is not a fault.

    2020 Rule Change
    According to the 2020 Rules Change Document, “The 2019 Rule 4.M.3 (server misses the ball when trying to hit it) was removed due to inconsistency in determining precisely when the ball passed the front plane of the paddle.”

    Reply
    • PickleballMAX says

      July 10, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      The way I interpret the removal of Rule #4.M.3. is that if the server misses the ball when trying to hit it, it is no longer considered a fault. Similarly, if you tossed the ball on your serve and let it drop without attempting a swing, it also would not be a fault. Hope that helps.

      Reply
  3. Mike Keller says

    July 13, 2018 at 6:19 pm

    If other than the serve a player is hit on the foot out of bounds what is the call on that?

    Reply
    • PickleballMAX says

      August 9, 2018 at 8:34 am

      Hi Mike, A ball (that hasn’t yet bounced — a live ball) that strikes a player standing out-of-bounds (on the serve, or otherwise) would result in a fault against the team that was hit by the ball on the foot.

      Rule #7.H. [… A fault will be declared for the following…] A live ball that is stopped by a player before it becomes dead. Example: catching or stopping a ball in flight before it makes contact with the court.

      Hope that helps.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Eliot 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 Machines
  • Pickleball Net
  • Pickleball Paddles
  • Pickleball Ratings
  • Pickleball Rules
  • Pickleball Shoes
  • Pickleballs
  • Tournament Pickleball
  • What is Pickleball

Online Store

  • Paddles
  • Shoes
  • Balls
  • Online Pickleball Courses
  • Books
  • Printables
  • Accessories
  • Apparel
  • Bags
  • Ball Machines
  • Eyewear
  • Hydration & Recovery
  • Jewelry
  • Nets
  • Sets
  • Training Aids
  • Wellness
  • 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