RALLY SCORING
STRATEGY GUIDE
BetterPickleball.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
02 INTRODUCTION
03 STRATEGY 1: USING SCORING
SHORTHAND IN RALLY SCORING
04 STRATEGY 2: KEEPING IT CLOSE
05 STRATEGY 3: THE ½ LEAD
PERSPECTIVE
06 STRATEGY 4: ELECTING TO SERVE OR
RETURN
07 STRATEGY 5: PLAYING GAME POINT
08 STRATEGY 6: RISKY SERVE SIDE PLAY
STRATEGY 7: EXTENDING RALLIES
09 STRATEGY 8: COURT POSITIONING
10 FINAL WORDS
11 APPENDIX
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INTRODUCTION
In this Guide, we will provide you with 8 strategies that will help
you play your best when you are using rally scoring. While much
of the game remains the same, the nuances of rally scoring
create opportunities for players to better understand how rally
scoring affects the framework of the game.
This Guide assumes that you already know the rules around
rally scoring. If you want more information about how rally
scoring works and when you would have to use it, click here
for our article “What is Rally Scoring and Will I Need to Use it”
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1 USING SCORING SHORTHAND
IN RALLY SCORING
Rally scoring presents a twist on how we think about our
score progress during a game. More specifically, the
shorthand we use, to know what we need to do to succeed in
as the game changes between traditional (server-only)
scoring and rally scoring.
With traditional scoring, we understand that if the score is 8-4,
the team with 8 needs to score 3 more points on its serve to
win, and the team with 4 needs to score 4 more points to tie or
7 to win. If we are the team with 4, we know that if we can hold
the other team at 8 we can keep “chipping away” at the score
to tie and then, hopefully, win the game.
By comparison, a score of 18-14 in rally scoring is very different.
You can no longer “chip away” at their lead if you have 14. And if
you have 18, except for the final point, you can still score when
you are playing on the return side. As you will see more fully
below, a 4-point gap in rally scoring is not the same as a 4-point
gap in a traditional scoring game. And understanding that
difference will make it a much easier transition from traditional
to rally scoring.
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2 KEEPING IT CLOSE
If we are behind in a game, we always want to keep the score
close. This is even more important in rally scoring. Rally scoring
is a game where one team‘s score relative to their opponent‘s
score is paramount, particularly as you get into the teens.
Because each rally ends in a point being awarded, you do not
want to fall too far behind in the score. If you are ahead, the more
you can pad the score the better. A lead of 1 or 2 points in rally
scoring does not provide the same advantage that a 1-2 point
lead in a traditional scoring game does.
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3 THE ½ LEAD PERSPECTIVE
If you start the game as the return team, your positional
advantage means that chances are you will win the first rally
played and will thus lead the game 1-0. It is helpful to think of
this lead as a ½ lead. This is because your opponents, who are
now the return team, are favored to win the next rally, thus
making the score 1-1.
Let’s play this game out until the end to see how the ½ lead
benefits you. You and your opponents keep trading blows
evenly, each of you winning when you are on the return side.
The score will eventually be 20-19. And here is the key: you
will be the team with 20.
Thus, you will have the first chance to close out the game by
breaking the streak of not winning on your serve until then. You
can just hold on, trading return side points until 20 and then
win it.
From the serve side in the same example, you will first have to
take the ½ lead and then win the game. This means you have
to win 2 points on serve in order to win the game.
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4 ELECTING TO SERVE OR
RETURN
The last section should have made it clear: when you get to pick
side (as in a tournament), you always want to pick return in rally
scoring. There is no exception in rally scoring where you would
pick serve first.
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5 PLAYING GAME POINT
Closing out the game is always important, but it is more so in
rally scoring. This is because in rally scoring your failure to close
out the game will result in a point being awarded to your
opponent. Say you are serving at 20-19 and you do not close out
the game. The score will now be 20-20 and you will need to
score 2 points to close it out (assuming the other team does not
score on its next serve).
In traditional scoring, you want to close the game out at 10-9,
but losing the rally on your serve does not result in a tied
game. You can still side out your opponent and then serve
again at 10-9. Not so in rally scoring. Your world gets a whole lot
more complicated in rally scoring when you do not close out
the game.
What you want to do here is hyper focus on game point in a
rally scoring match. Play smart, optimal pickleball and put as
much pressure on your opponents as possible. While it is
never a good time to hit the net with the ball or to try a crazy
low percentage shot, game point in a rally scoring game is
definitely not the time.
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6 RISKY SERVE SIDE PLAY
With traditional scoring, you could take more risks on the serve
side. If you tried something and it did not work, you could just
side out your opponents and then get the serve back, no harm
done. Not so with rally scoring. Low percentage shots often bite
you in rally scoring, and they bite you right away.
7 EXTENDING RALLIES
On a related note, while extending rallies has always been a
good strategy, it becomes even more important in rally scoring.
Third shots landing in the net, for instance, will torpedo your
chances to win in a rally scoring game. Each time you do that,
you award your opponents a point. The days of making those
mistakes and not paying a price are over when you move to
rally scoring.
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8 COURT POSITIONING
In rally scoring, we do not switch left to right when
we play. It is important that you place your team in
the best position at the start of the game. If all else is
equal, consider placing your best server on the right
side. That will give you the best serve at 20-x.
Stacking is still available to you in a rally scoring
game. Use it to help your team. If you do not
understand the strategies behind stacking, you can
get our master lab on Stacking– click here for more
information. Stacking is a tremendously powerful
tool to have in your toolbox.
You can switch positions left to right during a
timeout. If you find that your initial starting
positions are not working, then consider switching.
In recreational games that use rally scoring, we
recommend allowing 2 position changes per team:
once whenever a team wants to and once if you are
switching sides at 11 (if not, then a second
opportunity when the team wants to).
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Final Words
It is unclear when rally scoring will become widespread, or even
exclusive, to pickleball. But it is likely only a matter of time until
we are all playing rally scoring games some, or all, of the time.
Use the strategies in this Guide to get a leg up in your rally
scoring games and give yourself the best chance to succeed.
If you are a player who wants more out of pickleball, join us.
At Better Pickleball we provide professionally designed
courses and materials to help you get the most out of
pickleball. Check out our Pickleball Academy for a list of all of
our pickleball courses.
Note: we use MLP rally scoring rules here as MLP is the leader in
rally scoring development and implementation. These strategies
may change if different rally scoring rules are ultimately
adopted. An area that has changed and can have a big impact
on how you approach certain parts of the game is the freeze for
the team that is behind in the score. There is currently no
trailing team freeze.
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BETTER PICKLEBALL LINK
APPENDIX
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https://www.youtube.com/c/BetterPickleball
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https://www.youtube.com/c/WeArePickleball/
The Pickleball System - http://thepickleballsystem.com/
The Academy - betterpickleball.com/academy
Pickleball Therapy Podcast - betterpickleball.com/podcast
Better Pickleball Facebook Page -
www.facebook.com/betterpickleballcom
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