3 Reasons You Need to Use Rally Scoring

Have you tried rally scoring?  If not yet, here are the top three reasons for using rally scoring.

Rally scoring, where points can be won by either side regardless of who serves, has been embraced by pro tournaments like the MLP (Major League Pickleball) but has yet to become the norm.  It is a hot issue that truly divides players, both recreational and the pros.

That said, in the spirit of sportsmanship and open-mindedness, we encourage you to give it a try. You might find it surprisingly enjoyable, and we will argue it can improve your game in ways you may not have considered.

If you haven’t yet used rally scoring and would like to know the ins and outs of how rally scoring works, click here.

Reason #1 Rally Scoring Gives You Immediate Feedback

The best reason to use rally scoring, in my opinion, is that it provides immediate feedback about how you are playing.

In a game scored the traditional way, many errors we make get masked. These errors will show up in the final score, but we are shielded from feeling an immediate effect.

Take a missed third shot. In traditional scoring, missing a third shot is just a sideout.

No big deal…

…Or so it appears.

The reality is that rally scoring makes all errors equal.

Serve-side errors, including those missed third shots, will show up in the final score of the game.

Yet, in a traditional scoring game, the “pain” of these errors is not evident at the moment. As a result, we are less likely to make in-game adjustments whenever we miss a serve-side shot in a traditional scoring game. “It’s just a sideout” after all.

In a rally scoring game, that same missed third shot costs us a point. Our “lizard” brain kicks in and says, “What the #%%^$?” Because we feel immediate pain, we are more likely to take action around it.

Next time we are on the serve side, we are more likely to take extra care to avoid missing our third shot again. Perhaps we bend our knees a bit more. Make sure our body is set to hit the ball. Or give ourselves a better margin for error.

Whatever we do, the fact that we ceded a point in the last rally is more likely to spur us onto corrective action sooner than in a traditional scoring game where that same missed third just resulted in us tossing the ball over to the other team for them to serve.

Reason 1 to start using rally scoring: a more transparent connection between play and results.

Wait!  Won’t Rally Scoring Change Pickleball?

The most common pushback to rally scoring is that it will change the nature of the game. The reality, however, is that rally scoring does not change the texture of a game, with one exception: how long a game lasts.

The good folks over at Real Clear Stats tested rally scoring against traditional scoring along 5 different metrics, including whether rally scoring made it harder for the team that was trailing to come back and win the game. What they found was that the texture of a pickleball game was not impacted by the use of rally scoring when compared to games where traditional scoring was used.

The only place where there was a difference was in game completion time. The takeaway: there is no downside to the game when you pivot from traditional to rally scoring.

If you want to read the full Real Clear Stats article on rally vs traditional scoring, you can check it out here.

Reason #2: Rally Scoring Keeps Games Moving

Another great reason to use rally scoring is that it keeps games moving better in open or rotational play.

As you undoubtedly know, games using traditional scoring can get bogged down. There can be stretches where teams cannot get off their score and end up “stuck” for a bit.

In an open or rotational play setting, this score “sticking” can be problematic. You will have some courts that finish quickly, while a court here and there will just drag on forever.

In open play, you get stagnation, with players waiting longer than normal sometimes and getting antsy or frustrated. In rotational play, you get players waiting around for the delayed courts to finish.

This is where rally scoring can save the day. As I mentioned above, the only difference that was found between traditional and rally scoring games was in time consistency. Specifically, rally scoring games conclude within a tighter band – i.e., they are more likely to conclude around the same time than traditional scoring games.

In open play, rally scoring would help the courts keep flowing. It is important to note that rally scoring games are not faster than traditional scoring games. It is just that they do not get stuck as frequently as traditional scoring games. As a result, there is less chance of a long wait gap in open play from a stuck game.

In rotational play, you gain the benefit of all courts being on a closer schedule. This keeps the rotations on track and everyone playing.

Reason 2 to start using rally scoring: greater time predictability in open and rotational play settings.

Reason #3: Rally Scoring is Coming (Probably)

The final reason to start using rally scoring is because it is likely coming to our sport in any event.

We are not the first sport to use serve-side-only scoring. Volleyball used to be scored this way. Only the serving team could score a point. Otherwise, it was a sideout.

After over a century since its inception, in 2001, volleyball went the way of rally scoring. Pickleball is already using it in certain formats (MLP) and it has even made it into the rule book as a provisional rule for singles.

As pickleball seeks to continue to grow as a TV sport, rally scoring will likely gain more favor. Increased time certainty allows for easier programming. And it provides increased time certainty.

To be clear, there is no indication of an imminent move to rally scoring by USA Pickleball. But, if I was a betting person, I would say it will be adopted in some manner within the next 3 years. And five years from now I believe most of us will be using rally scoring.

In the meantime, give it a try.

If you would like to learn more about the Strategies of Rally scoring, click here to get our Free Guide.