Understanding Side Outs in Pickleball: Rules & Strategies

March 15, 2025

What Does Side Out Mean In Pickleball? - Helios Pickleball

Understanding side out pickleball rules is crucial for improving your game. Many beginners wonder, what does side out mean in pickleball? Simply put, it’s when the serving team loses the rally, and the opposing team gains the serve. Unlike in volleyball, pickleball side out follows a unique scoring system that can impact match momentum.

Knowing what is side out in pickleball helps players make smarter decisions—when to attack, when to defend, and how to control the pace. Since only the serving team can score, side outs create natural shifts in momentum, making strategy key. And remember, can the ball bounce twice on one side in pickleball? No! A double bounce results in a fault, often leading to a side out.

Mastering these rules ensures you stay competitive, avoid disputes, and play with confidence. Ready to level up your game? Let’s dive deeper!

When Does A Side Out Occur In Pickleball?

Several specific situations trigger a side out in pickleball, and recognizing these scenarios helps you track the game's progression accurately. Let's explore the most common circumstances that lead to side outs:

Fault by the Serving Team

The most frequent cause of a side out occurs when the serving team commits a fault. These faults include:

Service fails to land in the proper receiving court
Ball touches the net during service and lands in the proper service court (this is not a "let" in pickleball)
Server steps on or over the baseline during serve
Server misses the ball completely when attempting to serve
Server fails to hit the ball below waist level during service motion
Served ball touches any permanent object before landing in the court

When using a paddle with excellent control like The Selene, your service accuracy improves dramatically, helping you avoid these common service faults that lead to side outs.

Second Server Fault in Doubles

In doubles pickleball, side out rules follow a specific pattern:

First server of the team serves from the right/even court
If they score, they switch sides and serve from the left/odd court
If they fault, the second server on their team gets to serve
When the second server faults, a side out occurs and service passes to the opposing team

Understanding this progression helps you track where you are in the service rotation, especially during competitive play.

Singles Side Out Rules

The pickleball side out rules for singles differ slightly from doubles:

The server serves from the right court when their score is even and from the left when their score is odd
When the server faults, a side out immediately occurs (since there's no second server)
After a side out, the receiving player becomes the server

Singles side outs happen more frequently than in doubles, creating a faster back-and-forth rhythm to the game.

Common Side Out Scenarios In Pickleball

Now let's examine specific gameplay situations that result in pickleball side outs:

Non-Volley Zone Violations

When serving or receiving, stepping into the non-volley zone (kitchen) and volleying the ball results in an automatic fault. For the serving team, this means:

If committed by the first server: service passes to the second server
If committed by the second server (or in singles): a side out occurs

Precision footwork around the kitchen line remains crucial for avoiding these costly faults. Using responsive paddles like The Apollo with its Toray T700 Carbon Fiber surface gives players better control and reaction time at the kitchen line.

Double Bounces and Out-of-Bounds Plays

Other common scenarios leading to side outs include:

Can the ball bounce twice on one side in pickleball? No, allowing the ball to bounce twice on your side before returning it results in a fault.
Hitting the ball out of bounds
Failing to clear the net with your return
Touching the net with your body or paddle during play

Each of these violations, when committed by the serving team, results in either passing the serve to the second server or triggering a side out.

Side Spin and Special Serves

Many players wonder, is side spin serve legal in pickleball? Yes, side spin serves are legal as long as they comply with all other serving rules. The serve must:

Be hit underhand
Contact the paddle below waist level
Have an upward arc
Land in the correct service court

Side spin can be a strategic weapon in your serving arsenal, making returns difficult for opponents. Paddles with textured surfaces like The Athos with its Kevlar by DuPont surface excel at generating spin while maintaining control, giving you an edge when serving.

The Role Of Side Outs In Pickleball Strategy

Understanding side out scoring in pickleball transforms your strategic approach to the game. Unlike rally scoring where points can be scored by either team, pickleball's side-out scoring system means only the serving team can score points.

Leveraging Serving Opportunities

Since scoring can only happen when your team serves, maximizing each serving opportunity becomes critical. Strategic considerations include:

Being more aggressive when serving, knowing you can only add to your score during this phase
Playing more conservatively when receiving, focusing on forcing a side out rather than attempting risky winners
Developing consistent serves that put pressure on opponents without risking faults

Players who excel at serving with paddles like The Gaia, which offers a perfect balance of power and control, often dominate matches by capitalizing on their serving opportunities.

Defensive Strategies to Force Side Outs

When your opponents are serving, your primary goal shifts to forcing a side out to regain serving privileges. Effective strategies include:

Focusing on deep, consistent returns that push opponents back from the kitchen line
Aiming returns toward the middle of the court to create confusion between opponents
Targeting the weaker player of opposing teams
Using soft, controlled dinks to increase the likelihood of opponent errors

The goal while receiving isn't necessarily hitting winners but encouraging unforced errors from your opponents to regain the serve.

Side Out Scoring Versus Rally Scoring

The key difference between side out scoring in pickleball and rally scoring lies in who can score and how possession changes.

Side Out Scoring (Traditional Pickleball System)

Only the serving team can score points: The receiving team must first win a rally to gain the serve before they can score. This system emphasizes strategic play and rewards teams for maintaining control of the serve.
A side out occurs when both servers lose their rally, transferring serve to the opponent: In doubles, each team gets two chances to serve before a side out occurs. If both servers lose their rally, the opposing team gains control of the serve.
Encourages strategic play, as teams must earn the right to score by holding serve: Teams focus on strong serves and controlled rallies to maintain their advantage. This format forces players to balance aggressive play with patience and consistency.
Games can be longer since points are not awarded on every rally: Because only the serving team can score, matches tend to last longer. This allows for extended rallies, momentum shifts, and more opportunities for strategic gameplay.

Rally Scoring (Used in Other Sports Like Badminton & Volleyball)

A point is awarded on every rally, regardless of who serves: Unlike side out scoring, rally scoring allows either team to score on any rally. This speeds up the game and removes the need to win a serve before scoring.
No side outs, as teams continuously score throughout the game: There is no need to win a serve before earning points. The game moves faster, and both teams remain engaged in every rally without waiting for service possession.
Faster-paced games, since each rally results in a point: Rally scoring leads to quicker games because points are awarded after every rally. This reduces downtime and makes the match progress at a consistent and predictable pace.
More predictable game length, as every rally contributes to the final score: Rally scoring ensures that games progress steadily, making it easier to estimate match duration. There are fewer extended periods without scoring, keeping gameplay structured.

Common Side Out Rule Misconceptions

Several misconceptions about pickleball side out rules frequently cause confusion among players:

The "Let" Serve Misconception

Unlike tennis, pickleball has no "let" serves:

If a served ball touches the net and lands in the correct service court, play continues
If the served ball touches the net but doesn't land in the correct service court, it's a fault

This rule often surprises new players coming from tennis backgrounds.

Learn more on why let serves are not allowed in pickleball.

Confusion About Server Rotation

The serving sequence in doubles pickleball follows specific patterns:

Only the player in the correct position based on score serves
Both players on a team must fault before a side out occurs
After a side out, the player in the right/even court of the receiving team becomes the server

Understanding these rotations prevents unnecessary side outs due to serving out of position.

Conclusion: Mastering Side Outs for Better Pickleball

Mastering pickleball side out rules creates a solid foundation for improving your game. Side outs represent more than just technical rules they form the rhythm and strategic framework of pickleball, dictating when to be aggressive and when to play conservatively.

As you practice, focus on serving consistency, proper court positioning, and minimizing unforced errors to reduce side outs when your team serves. When receiving, develop strategies to force side outs from your opponents to regain serving privileges and scoring opportunities.

Whether you're a beginner or advanced player, investing in quality equipment makes a difference in your performance. Explore Helios Pickleball's custom paddle options to find the perfect paddle that matches your playing style and helps you minimize errors that lead to side outs.

With consistent practice, strategic awareness, and proper equipment, you'll soon find yourself controlling the side out rhythm of matches rather than being controlled by it the mark of a truly skilled pickleball player.

FAQs

What is a side out in pickleball?

A side out occurs when serving privileges transfer from one team to the opposing team. In doubles, this happens after both players on the serving team have committed faults, while in singles, it occurs immediately after the serve.

What is the difference between side out scoring and rally scoring?

Side out scoring only allows the serving team to score points, with possession changing after serving team faults. Rally scoring awards a point to whichever team wins the rally, regardless of who served, making games typically faster.

Who serves after side out in pickleball?

After a side out in doubles, the player positioned on the right/even court of the receiving team becomes the first server. In singles, the receiving player becomes the server after a side out occurs.

Does the serving team switch sides in pickleball after scoring?

Yes, when the serving team scores a point, the server switches sides (from right to left or left to right) before serving again. This alternating pattern continues as long as they continue to score points.

When do you switch sides of the court in pickleball games?

Players switch sides of the court when the first game ends and between subsequent games. In tournament play, players also switch sides during a game when the combined score reaches multiples of 6 (6, 12, 18) in games played to 11.

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