Open play etiquette: habits regulars notice
Open play runs on a few unwritten rules. Follow these and you’ll be welcome back at any session.
Show up on time, or say so early
Hosts plan games around who’s coming. If you can’t make it, cancel your request as early as you can so someone on the waitlist gets your spot. It’s the first rule of our community code of conduct, too.
Wait your turn and mix it up
- Follow the group’s queue, whether it’s a paddle rack, a whiteboard or the host calling names.
- Come off after your game unless no one is waiting.
- Play with different partners. Open play is for meeting people, not for sticking with one partner all session.
Call the score and your own lines
The server calls the score before every serve, loud enough for all four players to hear. Each team calls the lines on its own side of the net. If you’re not sure whether a ball was out, it’s in.
Good habitIf a call is disputed, replay the point and move on. A friendly game is worth more than one point.
Keep it safe
- Call “ball!” and stop play when a ball rolls onto your court or the next one.
- Wait for the point to end before you walk behind or across a court.
- Warm up before you play hard, and drink water between games.
Play to the level of the game
Don’t smash at a new player standing at the kitchen line. Keep the ball in play for players still learning, and save your hardest shots for games where everyone’s ready for them.
Say thanks
Tap paddles at the net after each game and thank the host before you leave. Hosts remember the players who make sessions fun.
FAQ
What’s a paddle tap?
At the end of a game, players meet at the net and tap paddles. It’s pickleball’s handshake.
What if someone keeps making bad calls?
Replay the point and tell the host after the game. If it’s about someone on Sponty, email hello@aureonlabs.com.ph.
Can I bring my own balls?
Yes, but use the ball the group is playing with unless everyone agrees to switch.
