The PPA Tour is instituting a number of rule changes on a trial basis for the rest of the 2023 season
“We’ve always been at the forefront of promoting pickleball, prioritizing players’ best interests, and most importantly, growing this great sport,” said Connor Pardoe, CEO of the PPA Tour..
“These changes are innovative, exciting, and will be a huge hit with the fans. We’re looking forward to watching the popularity of pickleball continue to skyrocket. We feel confident that these new rules will set us up for success.”
The following changes will be effective immediately:
1. Players are no longer allowed to serve the ball over 10 mph. Serves will be deemed illegal based on the presiding referee’s guesstimation of pace.
2. Players may now legally use their free hand (non-paddle-holding) in addition to their usual paddle hand, to return balls back over the net, so long as contact is made below the wrist.
3. Players may now use any piece of equipment that they deem appropriate in place of a paddle. Paddles in their current state are still encouraged, but players now have ultimate discretion on what they can use.
“The monkey is finally off my back,” said James Ignatowich. “I have been considering using a hybrid combination of a baseball bat with a ping pong paddle taped to the end of it. I’ve been training with it for months, and my hand-eye coordination is off-the-charts. Daddy’s home like never before.”
The ability for players to be creative with their weapon of choice should create interesting new match-ups and outcomes.
“Everyone knows I love Magic: The Gathering,” said Ben Johns. I have some rare, expensive cards, collectors’ items that I’m going to tape to the front and back of my paddle as soon as I get the go-ahead from my sponsors. This should improve nearly every aspect of my game, give me a little extra luck, and just generally look cool.”
Meanwhile, the incorporation of the “non-dominant-hand” rule should be a huge bonus for players who have great hand-eye coordination.
“I played a lot of hockey growing up,” said AJ Koller. “I have no problem with dual dexterity and getting both hands involved. Heck, let’s get rid of the paddle entirely.”
Other players weren’t so excited about the idea of changing the serve rules once again.
“Great,” said Zane Navratil, an innovator of the sport and infamous for his serve “The Zane Saw.”
“This is just one more way for people to try to contain my serve. What are we playing, Corn Hole? I feel attacked here. How about I just carry the ball over to the other side of the net on a silver platter?”
Pardoe added: “We love our players. We love the fans, too. We need to embrace change and look forward, not backward. If that means someone wants to hit a serve with a frying pan, well, the PPA Tour will support them.”
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