Pickleball Technique of the Week: Scoring, Why the First Score in Doubles Pickleball is "0-0-2"?
If you're new to pickleball, you might be puzzled when the first score in a doubles game is announced as "0-0-2." Here’s a simple explanation:
In doubles pickleball, the score is called out in three parts: the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, and the server number. At the start of the game, no points have been scored, so the first two numbers are both zero. The third number, "2," refers to the server number.
Typically, each team gets two chances to serve before the serve switches to the opposing team. However, to keep things fair and prevent one team from gaining an early advantage, the first team to serve only gets one turn before the serve switches. That’s why the first server in the game is technically counted as the "second" server, even though they’re the first person to serve. This ensures both teams start on equal footing.
So, "0-0-2" means it’s the beginning of the game, the score is 0-0, and the first server is serving as the "second" server—a unique rule designed to balance the game. Once the serve switches to the other team, the regular pattern of "1" and "2" for servers will apply.
In doubles pickleball, the score is called out in three parts: the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, and the server number. At the start of the game, no points have been scored, so the first two numbers are both zero. The third number, "2," refers to the server number.
Typically, each team gets two chances to serve before the serve switches to the opposing team. However, to keep things fair and prevent one team from gaining an early advantage, the first team to serve only gets one turn before the serve switches. That’s why the first server in the game is technically counted as the "second" server, even though they’re the first person to serve. This ensures both teams start on equal footing.
So, "0-0-2" means it’s the beginning of the game, the score is 0-0, and the first server is serving as the "second" server—a unique rule designed to balance the game. Once the serve switches to the other team, the regular pattern of "1" and "2" for servers will apply.