Pickleball

Kris has been teaching Pickleball since 2018 and playing racquet/paddle sports all his life. Originally from Connecticut, Kris is retired from the United States Air Force. After leaving NASA in 2002 he remained in the military industrial aerospace business until moving to Florida in 2015. Kris and his wife Debbie live here in Verandah where they both are very active in the local Pickleball Community. Kris offers a simple, efficient approach to the game. Whether you are a beginner looking for the “right way” to start or a tournament player looking to sharpen a specific skill, Kris will get you there.

Clinics and Lessons are offered by Kris Johanessen, our Independent Pickleball Pro. Call Kris today to schedule a Pickleball or Tennis Lesson / Clinic.

All courts are restricted to Verandah members and member guests* for “Open Play” from 8AM to 8PM. (These hours may change) *Rules for Guests: Guests are typically someone visiting a member and may play with that member. Guests may not be a non-member playing on a regular basis.

No courts can be reserved except for clinics and lessons by our pickleball pro. Please bring your own paddle and balls for open play. Paddles & a limited amount of balls will be available for purchase in the fitness center. Contact Alex Mabred for questions on paddles (his info is under "Meet the Pro").

Open Play:

Court availability is controlled by players signing up on the "whiteboard" mounted in the pickleball cabana. Players MUST sign up on the whiteboard to be eligible to play. There are four slots per block. You may sign up in ANY available slot OR you may start a new block. When a court is available, the next full block of four on the whiteboard draws a line through their names and enters the court to play. Play is limited to ONE eleven-point game.

1. If a foursome wants to sign up to play together, they can do so by putting their four names in a box, even if there is an incomplete box already on the board, however, that group may not go out ahead of anyone waiting for other players to complete their foursome (The only exception to this is if the people waiting give that group permission to go ahead.)
2. There may be times where skill levels need to mix together because there aren’t four of one particular skill level present. Please be kind and gracious if this should happen.

Safety reminder: Members should know that stability and balance are necessary as players move around the court to return the ball during play, therefore just like any sport, there is a risk of injury while playing pickleball.

Court Etiquette: Call out the score loudly before you serve There are 3 different numbers to keep track of and everyone from beginners to advanced players can get confused. Therefore, having a constant update at the beginning of each serve is so helpful (and mandatory in tournaments). So, call out the score loudly so that things don’t get off track.

  Ball management If a ball gets caught on your side of the net, but it needs to go to your opponent, don’t weakly throw the ball back over. Make sure it reaches your opponent. The same is true if a ball lands in your court from another court; find out which court the ball belongs to and return it to the other court, without smashing it back. If a ball is going towards another court, do NOT chase it ONTO the other court. Stop, yell “Ball on Court”, and let the other people stop play and retrieve the ball. Try to have a few balls in your pocket. This keeps people from having to hunt down balls all the time. If someone goes out of their way to get a ball for you, say thanks for going through the trouble.

Watch the outbursts There’s nothing worse than being partnered with someone who curses loudly or constantly smacks their paddle on their leg. There’s nothing wrong with being competitive and passionate about pickleball; but try to recognize that you’re not playing for the championship game. Your behavior influences the people around you and you are responsible for that!

Court Safety:

Call out “BALL ON COURT” loudly if a ball rolls into your court If you hit a ball into another court, or you see a ball land in your court, call out “Ball on Court” loudly and immediately AND STOP PLAY. It is easy for players who are focused on the ball in their court to not notice an errant ball. This is a serious safety issue as a player who steps on a ball could easily fall and sustain an injury such as spraining their ankle, breaking a bone, or, worse, hitting their head against a wall.

Be aware of where your partner is If you are near your partner with an overhead slam opportunity where you may hit them, stop playing. Let the ball drop. Lose the point. Do NOT hit your partner.

USA PICKLEBALL RULES SUMMARY

Basic Rules

• Pickleball is played either as doubles (two players per team) or singles; doubles is most common
• The same size playing area and rules are used for both singles and doubles

The Serve

• The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc when the ball is struck.
• Paddle contact with the ball must not be made above the waist level.
• The head of the paddle must not be above the highest part of the wrist at contact.
• A ‘drop serve’ is also permitted in which case none of the elements above apply.
• At the time the ball is struck, the server’s feet may not touch the court or outside the imaginary extension of the sideline or centerline and at least one foot must be behind the baseline on the playing surface or the ground behind the baseline.
• The serve is made diagonally crosscourt and must land within the confines of the opposite diagonal court.
• Only one serve attempt is allowed per server.

Serving Sequence

• Both players on the serving doubles team have the opportunity to serve and score points until they commit a fault *(except for the first service sequence of each new game).
• The first serve of each side-out is made from the right/even court.
• If a point is scored, the server switches sides and the server initiates the next serve from the left/odd court.
• As subsequent points are scored, the server continues switching back and forth until a fault is committed and the first server loses the serve.
• When the first server loses the serve the partner then serves from their correct side of the court (except for the first service sequence of the game*).
• The second server continues serving until his team commits a fault and loses the serve to the opposing team.
• Once the service goes to the opposition (at side out), the first serve is from the right/even court and both players on that team have the opportunity to serve and score points until their team commits two faults.
• In singles the server serves from the right/even court when his or her score is even and from the left/odd when the score is odd.

Scoring

• Points are scored only by the serving team.
• Games are normally played to 11 points, win by 2.
• Tournament games may be to 15 or 21, win by 2.
• When the serving team’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) the player who was the first server in the game for that team will be in the right/even court when serving or receiving; when odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) that player will be in the left/odd court when serving or receiving.

Two-Bounce Rule

• When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning, and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning, thus two bounces.
• After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley the ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it off a bounce (ground stroke).
• The two-bounce rule eliminates the serve and volley advantage and extends rallies.

Non-Volley Zone

• The non-volley zone is the court area within 7 feet on both sides of the net.
• Volleying is prohibited within the non-volley zone. This rule prevents players from executing smashes from a position within the zone.
• It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player steps on the non-volley zone, including the line and/or when the player’s momentum causes them or anything they are wearing or carrying to touch the non-volley zone including the associated lines.
• It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by momentum into or touches the non-volley zone, even if the volleyed ball is declared dead before this happens.
• A player may legally be in the non-volley zone any time other than when volleying a ball.
• The non-volley zone is commonly referred to as “the kitchen.”

Line Calls

• A ball contacting any part of any line, except the non-volley zone line on a serve, is considered “in.”
• A serve contacting the non-volley zone line is short and a fault.

Faults

• A fault is any action that stops play because of a rule violation.
• A fault by the receiving team results in a point for the serving team.
• A fault by the serving team results in the server’s loss of serve or side out.

Determining Serving Team

• Players should wear proper athletic attire that is comfortable for the climate.
• Shirts must be worn at all times.
• Comfortable court shoes are a must; sneakers or running shoes do not supply the right kind of support for the side-to-side action inherent in pickleball.
• Eye protection is highly recommended.
• As for accessories, players may wear hats, visors, sweatbands and light jackets or sweatshirts for cold outdoor play.