Paddle Tennis Rules

(a)	All lines shall be 2" wide.
(b)	All dimensions shall be measured to outside of lines, except for center line.
(c)	Lines for doubles and singles are identical.

COURT DIAGRAM (Click here for court diagram.)

NET POSTS AND NETS

The net shall be 22' long by 2'6" wide.

NET CONSTRUCTION (Recommended)

Heavy cotton, tarred, or Deluxe braided polyethylene; similar to Gold Medal Paddle Tennis Net; Douglas Net, and Carron Net with steel cable.
FENCE

(1) Height:	Minimum of 10' high
(2) Length & Width:	Dimensions fence to fence are: Tournament 40' wide x 80' long.

COURT SURFACES (The same as for conventional tennis courts.)

(1) Composition:

Textured acrylic finish, similar but not limited to Plexipave, Laycold, Kemiko, Play-On, etc.; also Clay, Har-Tru, Omni-Turf and Mod-Sod.

(2) Color (Suggested):

Hard court playing surface to be green or light-blue; side and rear areas to fencing to be Terra-cotta.

(3) Lighting:

(1) Height:	Pole mounted lighting fixtures to be not less than 20' high.
(2) Brightness:	30 footcandles reading at court surface evenly distributed. (Recommended)

BALL & PADDLE

(1)

The Ball shall be a pressurized tennis ball approved by the United States Tennis Association for tournament play which has its internal pressure reduced by being punctured so that when dropped from a height of 6'0" to the playing court surface, the bounce will be not less than 31" nor more than 33". Puncturing with a hypodermic needle or safety pin is a simple method of achieving the required bounce.

(2)

The Paddle shall be made of solid material or materials, and shall be not more than 9 1/2" x 18". It may be perforated and/or textured, but shall contain no strings; all paddles are subject to approval by the U.S. Paddle Tennis Association.

ATTIRE

(1)

(2)

Rule 2: Permanent Fixtures

Permanent court fixtures include: The net, posts, cords, or metal cable, strap and band, back and side stops, chairs and their occupants, umpires, judges, linesmen, ball persons when in their assigned positions and all other fixtures above or around the court.

Rule 3: Server & Receiver

The players stand on opposite sides of the net. The player who serves the ball shall be called the Server. The player receiving shall be called the Receiver. (Serving team or Receiving team)

Rule 4: Choice of Side & Service

(1)	The right to serve or receive, in which case the other player shall choose the side; or
(2)	The side, in which case the other player shall choose the right to serve or receive.

Rule 5: Service

The Server may choose either method of serving, that is bouncing the ball or projecting it into the air before striking it with the paddle. However, whichever alternative he chooses, he must continue to serve in that manner for the entire set. In other words, he cannot switch from a bounce serve to the projecting serve at will; although he may change his manner of serving at the commencement of a new set.

The serve must land within the service area on the Receivers side diagonally from where the Server stands. If the serve fails to land within said area or if the Server strikes the ball higher than 31" above the court surface at the instant of impact the serve is a fault and the Server loses that point.

One ball only shall be used during a set. Server may not substitute another ball during an unfinished set without consent of opponent or tournament official, nor may Server hold another ball when serving.

Rule 6: Footfault

Not touch, with either foot, any area other than behind the base line within the imaginary extensions of the center line and side line before contact is made between the ball and paddle.

If this rule is violated, a Footfault shall be called and the Serving Team will lose the point.

Rule 7: Alternate Courts

(1)	Service shall begin in the right hand or "deuce" court at the start of every game and shall progress from there to the left hand or "ad court," thus alternating at each point until the game is completed. If the ball is served from the wrong court, and is not detected, all points scored will stand, but the correct station shall be assumed immediately after the mistake is discovered.
(2)	The Served ball shall land in the diagonal court in that area bounded by the service line (not the base line), the longitudinal center line, and the net.

Rule 8: Fault

(1) The Service breaches any part of rules 5 or 6.

(2) The Server, in attempting to serve, misses the ball.

(3) The ball served touches a permanent fixture (other than the net, strap or band) before hitting the ground.

Rule 9: Receiver

The ball may not be served until the Receiver is ready. If he attempts to return a serve, he is deemed "ready." If the Receiver indicates he is "not ready", and the service is a fault, he may not claim the point. The serve is replayed as a "let" ball.

Rule 10: Let

When a "let" is called under the rules, or to provide an interruption to play, the point shall be replayed.

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