Calling "OUT" should be so simple….right?

Even at the highest level Pickleball is slightly different from other racket ball games, because players make most of the line calls. So, when you watch a PPA tournament, you will see the players making line calls and only go to the umpire when there is a line call dispute.

Very honourable, BUT when it comes to “OUT” calls things are not always so clear cut.

I mean a ball is either out or in…right? No wrong?

Calling the ball out can be somewhat of an artform in pickleball.

 Let’s start with the easy one. The ball drops outside the line. So, the call is “OUT”.  But out is not always out. You see if the bottom of the ball hits outside the line, but the side of the ball is over the line (e.g. you can’t see any daylight between the whole perimeter of the ball and the line, the ball that bounces out is actually in – clear? Probably not 😊 

The problem is that many people are unaware of this rule, this leads to mid game debates, with four players on all fours placing a ball in various scenarios on and near the line in an attempt to show your opponent why the out ball is actually in !

Next is the “Shouting Out Before it Bounces Call”  this is the one where the receiving player has clearly been beaten by the shot but in desperation not to lose the point shouts “out” before the ball bounces. It can also be known as the “wish hard enough and maybe it will be out call”. Now the issue here is when the ball drops in, whether the receiver is so “hardheaded” they stick with their “advance call” – despite how “nice” we pickleballers are we see that a lot.

Then we have the “Out Warning Call” this is the one, where you shout to your partner that the ball is going out, so that they leave it and don’t hit it. But this leaves us open to a couple of problems. First (as often is the case when I do this), the ball bounces in by about a meter, resulting in your partner forcing a smile across their really pissed of face as you apologies and they tell “it doesn’t matter, no problem” through gritted teeth, The other is that your partner hears your “out warning” and catches the ball and claims the point. When your opponent’s look quizzingly at what is going on, you simply say, it was going out so i caught it 😊

One of the more baffling out calls is the “Optical Illusion Out Call” usually practiced by the older amongst us who vision isn’t what it used to be. The rule in pickleball is that the receiver makes the line call and even if you disagree the receiver can make the final judgement. With the optical illusion, the ball bounces a meter or so in, three players on the court are already moving to position for the next point, one receiver calls out. Everyone including any spectators protest “it was clearly in” but the optical illusion protagonist, insists they saw what they saw …and it’s their call !

Sometimes out calls can be very honourable. Like with the “Good Sportsman Out Call” that’s where the call is marginal, and both receivers are not sure, so they call it “in”, but like a white knight the rescue, the person who played the shot calls “out” on themselves. Faith in humanity is restored…..apart from with the partner of the “self outer” who is thinking “WHY  did you give them that point, just keep quiet in future!”

We actually have a second variant of the “Good Sportsman Out Call” here, the receiver calls out, but the receivers partner over rules and shouts, “no no that was good the ball was in” the result is the same with partner of the over ruler thinking “WHY  did you give them that point, just keep quiet in future!”

and finally we have rare one, but still a classic  “self-predicted out call”  this is where the player hits the ball, instantly feels its going out , so shouts “out” as they hit it, the other team looks baffled, like “why are they calling out” and if the ball does indeed bounce out, we are all good. But if the self-predicted out is incorrect and the ball bounces in, the argument can commence as the receiving teams call “distraction” – what’s distraction? I hear you ask. That’s a topic for another blog!