Featured Story By Rachael James

APP and PPA Scoring 🏓 Keeping track of points in pro pickleball.🤩

January 21, 2025 13 min watch
PPA Scoring AP Scoring Pickleball ournament Professional Pickleball

Welcome back to our channel! Today, we’re diving deep into the scoring system for pickleball, specifically within the professional divisions of the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA). This information is crucial for anyone considering signing up for these professional tours, so let’s get straight into it.

The PPA scoring system requires a player to win two out of three sets or games. Each set goes up to 11 points, and you must win by two. Therefore, if you win the first set, your opponent wins the second, you would then move onto the third set. After each set or game, players switch sides. However, in the third set or game, players switch sides again at six points. This is due to environmental factors such as the sun’s position. Hence, choosing your starting side wisely is crucial. The PPA scoring also stipulates that you can only score on your serve. Lastly, note that there are no backdraws in PPA. If you lose in the first round of the main draw, you’re out.

Moving onto the APP, the scoring rules for mixed doubles and gender doubles professional division are similar to PPA. It’s two out of three sets up to 11, win by two. However, the APP does include backdraws for their divisions. Once in the backdraw on the APP tour, it’s one set or game up to 15. Similar to the PPA, you can only win points on your serve. If you lose in the first or second round, you’ll be in the backdraw. Losing in the third round doesn’t lead to a backdraw, but you do get a cash prize.

In the singles professional division on the APP tour, scoring is different. Points are won regardless of who is serving, and it’s two out of three sets up to 15, win by two. However, to win the set or game, you must do it on your serve. This can be a bit tricky, especially when you reach the set point or game point. If you’re in the third set, you switch sides at eight points.

If you’re looking to play professionally and haven’t yet, you’ll likely start with the qualifying rounds. The PPA’s qualifying rounds follow the same format as their standard games – best two out of three sets, win by two, up to 11. On the other hand, the APP’s qualifying rounds consist of one set up to 15. Some players prefer the PPA’s longer format for qualifiers as it gives them more time to warm up. These rounds typically occur the day before the tournament starts.

That’s all for the scoring on the APP and PPA tours. Stay tuned for our next video where we’ll continue to provide you with valuable insights into professional pickleball. See you next time!

Key Points

Essential takeaways from the video

  • The PPA and AP professional tours each have their own unique scoring system, with the PPA requiring players to win two out of three sets or games up to 11, with a win-by-two rule.
  • In the PPA, players switch sides after each set or game. If the match goes to a third set or game, sides switch once more at six points.
  • The AP tour also uses a two-out-of-three sets up to 11 win-by-two rule for mixed doubles and gender doubles. However, it has a backdraw where the game is one set up to 15.
  • In the AP tour’s singles division, players can score points whether they are serving or not, and it’s two out of three sets up to 15, win by two.
  • To win a set or game in the AP singles division, a player must win on their serve. If the game reaches 14-14, a player can win the set on their opponent’s serve since it’s a win-by-two rule.
  • For players interested in playing professionally, it’s important to take note of the qualifying rounds. In the PPA, it’s best two out of three sets win by two up to 11, while in the AP, it’s one set up to 15.
  • The qualifying rounds typically take place the day before the tournament, but may occur on the same day depending on the number of qualifiers.

Detailed Comparison

Understanding the key differences

Understanding Tournament Brackets and Draws

A tournament bracket or draw is essentially the roadmap of the competition. It outlines the teams (or individuals in singles) that will be competing against each other, showing their progression through different rounds until a winner is determined.

Main Draw (Front Draw)

  • Starting point for all players
  • For undefeated players only
  • Path to tournament victory

Back Draw (Consolation)

  • Second chance bracket
  • For players with one loss
  • Chance to win prizes

PPA + DUPR + UPA Format

Professional tournaments with high stakes and no back draws.

  • Single elimination format
  • Higher pressure matches
  • Elite competition level

APP + UTR + USAP Format

More opportunities with back draw system.

  • Back draw available
  • More matches guaranteed
  • Prize opportunities in back draw

Whether you’re playing in the main draw or back draw, every match is an opportunity to improve and showcase your skills. Understanding these tournament structures helps you better prepare for competition.

Common Questions About Pickleball Organizations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the scoring system for PPA?
In the PPA, games are scored on a two out of three sets basis. Each set goes up to 11 points, and must be won by two points. The crucial detail is that you can only score on your serve. If the first set is won by you and the second by your opponent, a third set is played. In the third set, sides are switched once a player reaches six points.
How does the scoring system for AP differ from PPA?
The AP follows a similar scoring structure to the PPA for mixed doubles and gender doubles, with games being two out of three sets up to 11, win by two. However, the AP does have a back draw for all of their divisions. Also, once you’re in the back draw on the AP tour, it’s one set or one game up to 15. Another difference is that in the singles professional division on the AP tour, every point counts no matter if you’re serving or not.
What is the ‘win by two’ rule?
The ‘win by two’ rule means that to win a set or a game, a player must have at least two more points than their opponent. If the score is tied at 10 each, for instance, play continues until one player has two more points than the other, making the score 12-10.
What are the rules for switching sides in PPA and AP?
In both PPA and AP tournaments, players switch sides after each set. In the third set of a PPA match, sides are switched once a player reaches six points. In the AP, during the third set, sides are switched when a player reaches eight points.
What is the ‘back draw’ in AP?
In the AP, if you lose in the first or second round, you get to play in the ‘back draw’. These matches are one set or one game up to 15. However, once you’re in the third round and you lose, you do not get to feed into the back draw.