Quick answer: There is no pickleball taunting rule today. Pro pickleball is debating whether to add one after a screaming-heavy singles match at the PPA Chicago Cup, and the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook that governs sanctioned amateur events never uses the words taunting, screaming or celebrating. What it does penalize is objectionable language, profanity and threats.
The 30-second version
- The spark: Maria Ford’s nonstop screaming in a PPA Chicago Cup singles win over Genie Bouchard, per pickleball.com columnist Jim Kloss.
- The proposal: Kloss’s October 14 rule would judge volume, frequency and direction, starting with a warning.
- The pushback: players including Kate Fahey, Anna Bright and Zane Navratil objected. Fahey asked why women’s screaming draws criticism and men’s trash talk doesn’t.
- Your rulebook: USA Pickleball’s Section 22 penalizes profanity, language aimed at a person and threats.
What started the pickleball taunting rule debate?
A women’s singles match at the PPA Chicago Cup started the pickleball taunting rule debate this month.
In his October 14 column, Kloss wrote that Bouchard won the first game against Ford. He said Ford then screamed after almost every point in games two and three, mostly into the air but sometimes toward Bouchard. Ford won. No penalty was called, and Bouchard refused to tap paddles at the end.
Kloss wrote that the UPA rulebook, which governs the pro game, has no definition of unsportsmanlike conduct, lists only a few specific behaviors, and has nothing on taunting. His proposed rule would have referees weigh six factors: how often the noise comes, how loud it is, whether it’s aimed at an opponent, whether it’s words or just a yell, whether it follows an opponent’s error, and whether profanity is used or implied. A first offense would draw a warning.
He named Ford and Kate Fahey as examples.
Who is pushing back, and why?
Several pros pushed back on the idea, and their strongest argument is about fairness, not noise.
Fahey posted on X that singling out her yelling, but not men who trash talk at the net, was “disingenuous.” The Dink’s Erik Tice also reported that Hayden Patriquin and Eric Oncins traded words at the same event, and that Patriquin acknowledged insulting Oncins.
- Anna Bright dismissed the proposal on X, per The Dink.
- Zane Navratil argued in a video that emotion and controversy sell the sport.
- Kloss answered in a second column on October 26, arguing that the NFL first adopted an anti-taunting rule in 1984 and still enforces one.
- Tice’s middle ground: allow celebrations, penalize screaming in an opponent’s face or repeated insults.
As of October 28, I found no announcement from the PPA or MLP of a rule change.
What does the USA Pickleball rulebook say about taunting?
The 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook has no taunting rule. I searched the whole document and found zero uses of “taunt,” “scream,” “yell” or “celebrate.” Section 22, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, covers the closest things:
- 22.B.1: objectionable language aimed at another person draws a warning.
- 22.B.2: audible or visual profanity draws a warning. The rulebook’s definition of profanity includes gestures.
- 22.D.3 and 22.D.4: extremely objectionable language and threats draw a technical foul, which costs a point.
- 22.B.10 and 22.D.8: catch-alls for “other” unsportsmanlike behavior, which a referee could apply to taunting.
- 22.F.1: a technical warning plus a technical foul, or three technical warnings, forfeits the game.
What does this mean for New England players?
If you play sanctioned tournaments in New England, a referee can already penalize words aimed at you. A wordless scream isn’t named anywhere, so it would come down to the referee’s judgment under the “other behavior” catch-all.
In open play at your town courts, no referee will call any of it. Our etiquette guide covers the unwritten rules; the distraction rule and hinder rule handle noise during a rally. For the full rule set, see pickleball tournament rules, then browse our New England tournament calendar.
FAQ: the pickleball taunting rule
Is there a taunting rule in pickleball?
No. Neither the USA Pickleball rulebook nor, according to Jim Kloss, the UPA rulebook used by the pro tours has a rule that names taunting. A rule was proposed in October 2026.
Can you get a penalty for screaming in pickleball?
The USA Pickleball rulebook doesn’t name screaming. A referee could treat it as “other” unsportsmanlike behavior, but the named offenses are profanity, objectionable language aimed at a person, and threats, which draw warnings or technical fouls under Section 22.
What happened between Maria Ford and Genie Bouchard?
According to Jim Kloss, Ford screamed after nearly every point in games two and three of their PPA Chicago Cup singles match, won it, and Bouchard refused to tap paddles afterward.
What does a technical foul cost in pickleball?
One point. Under rule 22.E.1, the offender loses a point, or the opponent gains one if the offender’s score is zero. It does not change the server.
Do these rules apply in open play?
Not in practice. Open play has no referee, so conduct is settled by etiquette and club rules.
