The Professional Pickleball Association has recently announced on their social media that the spin serve will no longer be allowed in the 2022 season, as stated below. Keep in mind, this rule only effects pro players, not armatures.
The server shall not impart manipulation or spin on the release of the ball immediately prior to the serve. The release of the ball to perform the serve shall be visible to the referee. If the referee determines that manipulation or spin has been imparted, or the release of the ball is not visible, the referee shall call for a reserve.
The PPA has to be one of the most elite tours that professional players compete in for rankings. Professional athletes are no longer allowed to use the chainsaw serve. For those that don’t know, when demonstrated properly, the chainsaw serve can eviscerate your enemy and make them look like a fool. The idea is to impart double spin on the ball by first spinning the ball between your hand and the paddle upon release and then putting more top spin on the ball as you swing through. This combination of spin has been used by Zane Navratil and Morgan Evans. If you want to see this technique in action, you can watch the video below.
I think that professional athletes should be able to handle the extra spin in my opinion because it makes the game more entertaining. If anything, the rule should have taken effect for armatures first…. Not the other way around! Although this is not the most fun rule change that the PPA has made, they are still one of my favorite tours. They host tournaments spanning from Orlando, Fl to Las Vegas, Nv where the 2022 PPA championship grand slam will take place. Amateurs are allowed to sign up for tournaments that use all of the same venues that the pros do, without any membership requirements.
The sport of Pickleball is not new by any means, but considering the sudden spike in popularity, the sports evolution has created new territory. The amount of room for public opinion changes each year, but if you want some skin in the game, visit this page to find out more. Decision making should be more unanimous rather than a pocket of Pickleball having their own set of rules. Players should not have to worry about adapting to local rules when they are on the road. The more disagreement there is, the more home turf advantage someone could have. USA Pickleball Association does a great job of keeping people in the loop by posting a rulebook revision document each year that follows the International Federation of Pickleball ( The official governing body of Pickleball ).
What are your thoughts on the rule change?
I I am unclear about the rules for the phone situation following situation
I serve to my opponent opponent who hits the ball back hard, the ball striking my partner on his torso when his body was fully outside the court. The ball does not bounce before hitting my partner.
Some say this is already covered and I would lose the serve in this scenario. But that does not make any sense when my partner has his whole body off court and obviously the ball would have gone out.
Any help appreciated