Was that ball in?

First of all, the rules

Pickleball line calls (Rule 6)

Except for the serve, any ball in play that lands in the correct court or touches any court line is 'in' (Rule 6.A.).

During the serve, the ball must clear the non-volley zone (kitchen) and the non-volley zone line (kitchen line) (Rule 6.B.).

The ball must also land cross-court from the server, between (or on) the baseline, centre line, and sideline (but outside the kitchen and kitchen line) (Rule 6.A.).

Players are responsible for calling the lines on their side of the court (Rule 6.C.1.).

Any ball that cannot be called 'out' will be considered 'in' (Rule 6.C.3.).

A player cannot claim a replay because the ball was not seen or there is uncertainty (Rule 6.C.3.).

Spectators should never be consulted on any line call (Rule 6.C.4.).

In tournaments

After a rally ends, a player who does not make a call may appeal to the referee to make the call if they did not clearly see the ball (Rule 6.C.3.).

The opponents may appeal to the referee the decision of the receiving team.

If the referee is uncertain of position, the ball is 'in' (Rule 6.C.3.).

The moment the receiving player or team appeals to the referee, they lose their right to make a subsequent 'in' or 'out' call for that rally (Rule 6.C.3.).

In doubles play: If one player calls the ball 'out' and the partner calls it 'in', then doubt exists and the team's call will be 'in' (Rule 6.C.8.).

Common misunderstandings

The part of the ball that actually touches the ground needs to touch the line to determine whether it is in or out. Any part of the ball that occupies the airspace over the line does not determine whether a ball is in or out. Rule 6.C.6 states 'Players shall not call a ball “out” unless they can clearly see a space between the line and the ball as it hits the ground'. This is actually misleading and should be interpreted as 'they can clearly see that there is a space' as it depends entirely upon the position of the player in relation to the line.

The kitchen line is a part of the kitchen, so when the ball hits the kitchen line, it means the ball is in the kitchen.

You can call a ball out immediately after you or your partner has hit it but before an opponent returns it.

In doubles, it does not have to be the player who is nearest the ball who makes the call.

Things to remember

Line calls in pickleball are one of the crucial pieces of etiquette you need to learn when you start playing pickleball. This is because, unless you are a pro or playing in a tournament, pickleball is heavily self-regulated.

It is the responsibility of the receiving player or team to call the ball out. The serving team must accept the receiving team's decision. However, the receiving team must strive for accuracy and operate under the principle that all questionable calls must be resolved in favour of the opponent.

In doubles, if one player calls the ball out and the other player did not see it, the call stands.

The correct hand signal for indicating that a ball is out is by raising the index finger. The correct hand signal for indicating that a ball is in is extending the hand with the palm downward. These are inherited from official tennis signals. Before the ball lands on the court, if a player yells “out,” “no,” or any other communication that may warn their partner that the ball will land out, it is not considered an 'out' call — it is considered partner communication only.