Sometimes writing articles for pickleball can be tough. Trying to paint a picture with words to explain a concept can be a challenge.
I was recently editing an article on stacking for another blog site. In the article, the author, while attempting to verbally describe where players in a doubles game should be positioned, used the terms, “even court” and “odd court.” It was implied that the even court was the right court, and the odd court was the left court.
Technically, he’s not wrong. If you refer to the current 2023 USA Pickleball rulebook, you will see references to “right/even” and “left/odd” throughout. At the very beginning of the rulebook, in Section 1 – THE GAME, it says, “….. The court is divided into right/even and left/odd service courts.”
I don’t understand how pairing right with even, and left with odd is necessary. In fact, it can lead to confusion when trying to describe where all players should be positioned.
Let’s start by agreeing that “even” and “odd” refer to the score. Even numbers are 0,2,4, etc. Odd numbers are 1,3,5, etc. Knowing your score, and whether it’s an even or odd number, helps you to know which side of the court you should be on.
Here’s the problem. The rules book always refers to the right service court as even and the left service court as odd. But that only applies to the starting server. It doesn’t apply to both players.
Think about it. The non-serving partner starts the game in the left service court. The score is zero (0). Doesn’t that make the left side court his even court?
They win the rally, and now have one (1) point. They switch sides putting the server on the left and the non-server on the right. Doesn’t that make the right court the non-server’s odd court? See what I mean? The terminology only applies to the starting server and receiver!
As I see it, whichever court you start the game in is your even court, whether it be left or right.
Here’s a few examples that speak to my point from the 2023 USA Pickleball rulebook:
Section 2.B – lines and areas
- Rule 2.B.6 – Right/Even Court. The service area on the right side of the court when facing the net.
- Rule 2.B.7 – Left/Odd Court – The service area on the left side of the court when facing the net.
How can that make sense to the non-server or non-receiver? Why not just, “right court” and “left court”? It’s important to note that this section is referencing doubles play. Also important to note that YES, even and odd courts DO apply to singles play.
Throughout the rule book there is continued reference to the right/even court, all pertaining to the first server or receiver’s position. No where is there any reference to the non-server or non-receiver.
Perhaps the rules committee thought that any player with a brain could reverse what they were saying and figure it out. I find it to be a blatant and wrong assumption.
There’s an easy solution. Call the right court the “right court”, and the left court the “left court”! And explain simply that whichever court you start in is your even court, making the opposite court your odd court!
It’s really that simple. But, I’ve been told many times, “Betsy, not everyone thinks like you!”
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Crazy Pickleball Lady 
Betsy, your assessment and reasoning are spot on. My wife and I have started playing pickleball and the official rules describing proper starting positions after each side out are terrible! They have made this such a confusing thing to understand. I believe the majority of doubles players don’t actually understand the odd/even placement after a side out. I think most doubles players “luck out” in being on the correct serving and receiving sides simply because the non serving partner typically covers the opposite side from the server. But if a team decided to play every rally (except the first serve return) with partner A covering the right side and partner B covering the left side, then they wouldn’t necessarily “luck out” at side out and always be on the correct side to start serving. That is why you’d have to understand the odd/even scoring system, even in doubles, to place each partner in the correct starting position for serving or receiving. The rules people need to find a better way of describing this in the offical rules. And you are 100% correct. Pairing right side with even side only applies to server number 1. Server number 2 has his even side on the left. The rules don’t describe this distinction at all!
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To be more clear about your last sentence, identifying where you are by score applies to where you start the game. Whatever court (server or non-server) I start in, the score will always be even (since the starting score of 0 is even) when I’m in that court. Try not to confuse that with Server 1 or Server 2. Those identifications apply only to whoever is in the right hand court to serve after a side out.
You’re so right about how confusing it can be, especially for new players just learning! And a written article doesn’t always make the fog any lighter!
Thanks for reading!
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It’s very simple: That team’s score will be an even number if THE SERVER WHO FIRST SERVED IN THE GAME FOR THAT TEAM IS IN THE RIGHT HAND (OR EVEN, OR DEUCE) COURT. This works for both teams.
EG: The first server starts (in the right court) at “zero, zero, start”. That team wins a point, and that server moves to the left (or odd, or in tennis, the “ad”) court, and the score is “one, zero, start”. Then the other team makes a good shot, and they get the serve (but the players on both teams do NOT move), so the first server on the initial receiving team (and now has the serve) announces the score as “zero, one, I’m one (the first server). That team wins a point, that server moves (with the ball) to the left court and the score is 0ne, one, I’m one. The other team makes a good shot, and the serving team MOVES THE BALL (NOT THE PLAYERS) to the other server WHO IS IN THE RIGHT COURT, and the score is one, one, I’m two. Note that the initial server, for both teams, is in the left court, and the scores for both teams is odd.
So whenever the person who started the game serving for that team is in the right (or even, or, in tennis, the deuce) court, that team’s score is even. And when a serving team makes a fault, the BALL (NOT the player) moves to a new serving court, either to server #2 or to the other team. When a team wins a point, the BALL (and the player) moves to a new court.
So, it’s very important to remember which person started the game serving, whether that team was start or not. And then you can figure out whether the score was odd or even, and probably the right number – or vice versa.
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Oh geez!! It can be simple if you just say, ” I’ll always be even whenever I’m on the right side of the court! ” Sometimes, too much information can be very confusing.
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Hi Jean! But does that apply to both players? What if I’m the non-starting server or non-receiver, and start on the left? See my point? The left side is their even side!!
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To simplify things, I think lefty’s should be banned from pickleball! Case in point, I bought a new paddle last week, !$220! Couldn’t play with it worth a – – – -, Upon further examination, I saw a little stenciled L on the handle. Seeing how I’m a righty and had already used it , no return allowed, – – – – lefties,,,
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Good points. It took me a few weeks to figure out what they were saying. Eventually they’ll sort it out. Or not.
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Too many tennis heads on board.
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