Every sport that features a net to divide two players or teams has a scoring system to determine the winner. The fundamental unit of scoring is called a point. When a pre-defined number of points are won, a player or team wins a set or a game. Furthermore, in most sports, multiple sets or games need to be won to win the match.
When the score is tracked by points, there are two ways in which teams or players can see progress on the scorecard. The first is called rally scoring. It is a common and easy to remember method of keeping score. When a player or team wins a point irrespective of the serving side, they earn a point. The other method is called side out scoring.
Side out scoring differs fundamentally from rally scoring in that a player or side can win a point only on their serve. This means that if a receiving player or team wins a point, then they don’t earn a point. Instead, they just get their serve back. This now gives them an opportunity to score points on their serve.
The phrase ‘side out’ denotes that the serving side lost a point on their serve. Thus, that side is out from serving further. The most prominent sports to use the side out scoring system are volleyball and pickleball. In the latter, the doubles scoring might become a bit tedious to keep a track of.
If a doubles team is serving at a score of 5-3-1, it means that this side is leading the match by 5-3. The third digit, (1 or 2) denotes the number of the server. If a point is lost at 5-3-1, then the score becomes 5-3-2. This means that now it is the turn of the second player of the doubles team to serve. If the team loses the next point on this player’s serve, then the score becomes 3-5-1; meaning that now it is the turn of the other team to serve. It is always important to remember that the score of the serving team or player is reported first.
Side out scoring in pickleball is followed in international events where sets are played as best of eleven points. Rally scoring is often used in leisurely events and club tournaments to keep a fast paced progression of matches.
