Pickleball rotation for 9 players: who sits out each round

Updated October 11, 2026. Every schedule on this page was generated by Sitout's own rotation engine.

• 2 courts
• 1 court
• Sit-out counts
• Other player counts
• How to run it
• FAQ

9 players on 2 courts: 1 sits out each round

Each round, four teams play on two courts and one player sits out. Players are listed in sign-up order. Nobody has sat out at the start, so the first name on the list sits first, and the sit-out works its way down the list.

Every player sits out once and plays 8 games. All 36 possible partnerships happen exactly once, so nobody has the same partner twice. Opponents spread out too: 34 of the 36 pairs of players face each other 1 to 3 times.

Who partners whom

Find two names to see the round in which they're partners. Every pair appears exactly once.

9 players on 1 court: 5 sit out each round

With one court, only 4 of the 9 can play, so 5 sit out each round. Over 9 rounds everyone sits out 5 times and plays 4 games. Because more people sit than play, some players sit two rounds in a row. Sit-outs still never differ by more than one between any two players. If you can get a second court, take it: everyone plays 8 of 9 rounds instead of 4.

Sit-out count for each player

After 9 rounds, every player has the same number of sit-outs and games on either setup.

Other player counts

The same rule for 5 to 16 players, on as many courts as each group can fill (4 players per court). Each table runs until everyone has sat out once. Groups of 8, 12 and 16 fill their courts exactly, so nobody sits.

• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 10
• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• 16

For 4 to 32 players on 1 to 8 courts, see how many players you need for a round robin.

How to run a 9-player rotation

1. Use two courts if you can

   With two courts, 8 play and 1 sits out each round. On one court, 5 of the 9 sit out every round.

2. Write the names down in order

   Sign-up order is fine. The order only breaks ties, so it doesn't matter who goes first.

3. Pick who sits out

   Each round, the player with the fewest sit-outs sits. On a tie, whoever sat longest ago sits, then whoever is higher on the list.

4. Give everyone new partners

   Pair each player with someone they haven't partnered yet. The 2-court table above does this for you: in 9 rounds, everyone partners everyone else once.

5. Keep score per player

   Each player gets their team's result for that game. Rank by win rate, then point difference per game, then total points.

6. Handle a late arrival

   Someone who arrives mid-night starts level with the fewest sit-outs so far, so they aren't benched round after round to catch up.

Questions about 9-player rotations