Should Pickleball Serve Rules Change? Data Says, 'No Need'
Last Edited
Aug 21 2024
Category
News
Last week, there was a rumor floating around that the PPA Tour would be making rules changes regarding the serve. Key word there: rumor.
A video posted by pro Grayson Goldin appeared to show a referee at a recent match explaining a rule that would force pros to serve into a box within four feet of the baseline.
In a recent issue of our newsletter, we confirmed that these propositions were just assumed and not reflective of actual planned changes by PPA/UPA-A.
The very idea of any rules changes caused immediate backlash, with some pros taking to Twitter to denounce any serve changes whatsoever.
“…We should stop messing with the rules of the best game ever created and just enforce the current serve rule more strictly…” — Pro James Ignatowich on Twitter
Good news, though. We spoke with Jason Aspes, president of UPA, who told us:
“We’re constantly looking to improve the rules, but this video of the new service line is not something that’s being seriously considered.” — Jason Aspes, president, UPA-A
So the pickleball serve isn't necessarily changing at the pro level any time soon, or at least not in the way some community members feared it would.
Still, the question is reverberating throughout the community: is the serve too powerful in pro pickleball?
If you're looking for more powerful serves, consider any of our favorite power paddles, like the elongated Engage Pursuit Pro MX.
Data: Pro Serves Aren't Overpowered (Yet)
There's no question that pro pickleball players currently play the most power-focused version of pickleball to have ever existed.
The serve has likely never been faster. But is it actually a problem? Data suggests the answer is, "no," or at least "not yet."
Real Clear Stats has been collecting data on pro pickleball for years. According to their findings, the serving team (in Major League Pickleball format) only wins the point less than half the time:
Has the serve become too weaponized in pro pickleball? 🤔
— Real Clear Stats (@statsrealclear) August 17, 2024
The style of the game seems to be shifting, but are serving teams more or less successful than in the past?
Let’s over 60,000 rallies of data we’ve collected since 2022. pic.twitter.com/VMQ81HF051
Across 60,000 rallies and two years of data collected, the serving team's win percentage in MLP events never goes above 45%.
Related: How You Should Serve in Pickleball, According to a Pro
Numbers don't lie, but they do require interpretation. So let's look at another source of data on the subject, this time from pro player Zane Navratil's recent poll on X:
Are massive serves a problem in professional pickleball? @Pickleball @PPAtour
— Zane Navratil (@ZaneNavratil) August 16, 2024
The fans and followers of Zane who responded to his poll may or may not comprise the most representative cross-section of the pickleball community.
But there were over 620 of them who voted, so at least the sample size is somewhat large.
In any case: neither the win percentage numbers nor the fans who watch pro pickleball seem to be on the side of changing serve rules.
And for those afraid of pro pickleball's influence on the recreational scene: how much harm is the local yokel who thinks he's Tyson McGuffin really causing when he shoots 8/10 serves into the net?
(Check out Tyson's paddle here if you want to add power to your serve, btw).
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