Section 7f of the official USA Pickleball and IFP Rulebook is a violation that governs faults resulting in dead ball fouls in the game of pickleball. Section 7 outlines every fault that exists in the game and a Section 7.f violation is committed when rules for Section 4, Section 9 and Section 11 are broken.
Rule 7f can be found in the USA PICKLEBALL & IFP Official Rulebook (2022) in Section 7 on page 32.
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Section 7.F. is a Violation of Section 4, Section 9 and Section 11 rules
The rule for section 7f can be found on page 32 of the rulebook. To better understand it, let’s take a look at what the sections are that it references.
Section 4 in relation to rule 7f
The serve, service sequence, and scoring rules are all outlined by Section 4 of the rule book. This includes how to serve the ball, player positions when serving, the 10 second rule, and service faults.
There are around 40 rules that can be found in Section 4, so these rules can be applied to Rule 7f. It can be found on page 17 of the rulebook and ranges from rule 4.A to 4.N.
Section 9 in relation to rule 7f
Section 9 rules are for non-volley-zones and violations found therein. This small section of the rule book consisting of 8 rules ranging from 9.A to 9.H. The rules for section 9 include all volleys must be initiated outside of the non-volley zone and a player may enter the non-volley zone at any time except when that player is volleying the ball.
These rules can be found on page 35 of the rule book. Body placement in no volley zones seems to be the biggest caveats to this rule and why fouls would be called during game play.
Section 11 Rules in relation to rule 7f
The rules for section 11 cover all other violations and rules that weren’t applicable for sections 1 through 10. These rules include double hits, switching hands, broken pickleballs, injuries, and distractions.
Section 11 rules can be found on page 42 of the rule book and consist of 16 rules ranging from 11.A to 11.P.
What is a Section 7f Fault?
Now that we know what the Section 4, Section 9, and Section 11 rules are, we can apply them to rule 7f. This means that all faults under these three sections also apply to the Section 7 of the rule book which governs faults.
When the rule book says, “Section 7.F. is a Violation of Section 4, Section 9 and Section 11 rules,” it means that every fault found in Section 4, 9, and 11 is also a fault under Section 7. It’s just a redundant way of consolidating all the faults in the rule book listed for other sections into the fault section that is Section 7.
Applying rule 7f while playing pickleball
A general understanding of all rules is the best way to apply rule 7f while you’re playing. Since rule 7f governs faults for 3 other sections of the rule book, learning the rules of the other sections is paramount in being able to apply it.
Luckily, the faults found in section 7 and else where in the rule book, aren’t difficult to understand and are straight forward. Study the rulebook and learn what constitutes faults and fouls to better judge when the 7f rule has been broken.
Here’s a great video that explains more pickleball rules
About Me
Hi! I’m Marie Spentel. I’ve been an avid Pickleball player for over 2 decades. I worked in several Pickleball leagues and climbed my way up to a 4.5 level rating. These days, I can usually be found practicing court techniques, consulting with others in the industry, and blogging about Pickleball! Read More
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