Side Out
Also known as: loss of serve
A side out is the moment the serve passes from one team to the other, which happens under side-out scoring when the serving team has no server left in its rotation who has not yet faulted.
A side out marks the transfer of serve from one team to the other. In singles, it happens the instant the server faults, since there is only one server per team. In doubles, it happens once both partners on the serving team have served and faulted in turn — the first partner's fault passes the serve to the second partner rather than immediately causing a side out, and only the second partner's fault ends the team's turn at serve.
Under traditional side-out scoring, a side out is the only way the serve — and therefore the only realistic path to scoring — changes hands, which is why serving well and minimizing unforced faults matters so much in that format. Long rallies that the receiving team wins repeatedly without ever getting the serve back do not move the score at all.
The term is also used informally as a verb — "they sided out" — to describe a team losing its turn at serve, and it appears in score-calling shorthand and match commentary as a quick way to describe a shift in who is serving.
Example
A doubles team's second server nets an easy volley, ending their turn at serve — the players and spectators alike call out "side out" as the serve passes to the opposing team.
Why it matters
Under side-out scoring, forcing a side out is the only way a team can start scoring points of its own — understanding exactly when it happens clarifies why some rallies matter more than others strategically.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a side out happens after the first server's fault in doubles, forgetting the partner still gets a turn
- Confusing a side out with simply losing a rally, when under side-out scoring most lost rallies do not change who is serving
Frequently asked questions
Does a side out happen after just one fault in doubles?
Not usually — the first fault typically passes the serve to the server's partner rather than causing an immediate side out. The side out happens once both partners have served and faulted.
Is a side out the same thing in singles as in doubles?
The concept is the same — the serve passes to the other side — but in singles it happens on the very first fault, since there is only one server per team rather than two.
Related terms
- Serve Rotation (Doubles)In doubles, a team keeps serving with each partner taking a turn as the server, switching service courts after every point won, until the team faults and the serve passes to the opponents.
- Rally Scoring vs Side-Out ScoringSide-out scoring only awards a point to the serving team, while rally scoring awards a point to whichever team wins the rally regardless of who served — both formats exist in pickleball depending on the event.
- Server Number (1 or 2)The server number identifies which of the two partners on a doubles team is currently serving, and is called out as the third number in the score — for example, "4-3-2" means the team's second server is serving.
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