The template
Everything in [BRACKETS] is yours to replace. Section 6 is optional — delete it if you do not photograph sessions.
ASSUMPTION OF RISK, RELEASE AND WAIVER OF LIABILITY
Program: [CLINIC OR LESSON NAME]
Provider: [YOUR BUSINESS NAME], [CITY, STATE] ("the Coach")
READ CAREFULLY BEFORE SIGNING. THIS AGREEMENT RELEASES THE COACH FROM LIABILITY AND AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS. DO NOT SIGN UNLESS YOU HAVE READ IT IN FULL.
1. ASSUMPTION OF RISK
I understand that pickleball involves inherent risks, including but not limited to: slips, trips and falls on court surfaces; collisions with other players, nets, fencing or equipment; being struck by a paddle or ball; sprains, strains, fractures and other orthopedic injuries; overexertion, dehydration and heat illness; and, in rare cases, serious injury, permanent disability or death. I understand these risks cannot be eliminated regardless of the care taken by the Coach. I choose to participate voluntarily and I accept these risks.
2. PHYSICAL CONDITION
I confirm that I am physically able to participate in the Program, or that I have consulted a physician and been cleared to do so. I will tell the Coach about any medical condition, injury or medication that could affect my safe participation, and I will stop and notify the Coach if I feel unwell during a session.
3. RELEASE
In consideration of being permitted to participate, I release and agree not to sue the Coach, and the Coach's employees, contractors, assistants and volunteers, for any claim arising out of ordinary negligence in connection with my participation in the Program. This release does not apply to gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct, and it does not release any claim that cannot be released under the law of [STATE].
4. VENUE
I understand that sessions may take place at public or privately owned courts that the Coach does not own or control, and that the Coach is not responsible for the condition of those facilities. I agree to follow the posted rules of any venue where the Program takes place.
5. EMERGENCY CARE
If I am injured and unable to consent, I authorize the Coach to arrange emergency medical care on my behalf. I am responsible for the cost of any medical treatment I receive.
6. PHOTO AND VIDEO [ OPTIONAL — DELETE IF NOT USED ]
I grant / do not grant (circle one) the Coach permission to use photographs and video of me taken during the Program for instructional and promotional purposes, without compensation.
7. GENERAL
This is the entire agreement between me and the Coach on this subject. If any part of it is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. This agreement is governed by the law of [STATE].
I HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT, I UNDERSTAND IT, AND I SIGN IT VOLUNTARILY.
Participant name (print) ______________________________________
Signature ____________________________________ Date __________
Phone ____________________ Email ______________________________
Emergency contact ____________________ Phone __________________
IF THE PARTICIPANT IS UNDER 18
I am the parent or legal guardian of the participant named above. I have read this agreement, I consent to their participation, and I agree to its terms on my own behalf and, to the extent permitted by the law of [STATE], on theirs.
Parent/guardian name (print) __________________________________
Signature ____________________________________ Date __________
What a waiver actually does
A waiver is not a force field. It is evidence. It documents that a specific adult was told about specific risks and agreed to accept them before they stepped on court, which is what a court looks at if a claim is ever filed.
It also has hard limits, and they are the same in every state:
No state enforces a waiver of gross negligence. Releases covering reckless or intentional conduct are unenforceable as a matter of public policy essentially everywhere. If you set up a drill you knew was dangerous, a signature does not help you.
A waiver stops you losing, not being sued. Anyone can still file. The waiver is the defense you raise.
Vague waivers fail. The common reasons courts throw them out are unclear language, burying the release in fine print, and the version on file not matching what the signer says they saw.
Where waivers do not work
Enforceability is state law, and the variation is real. If you coach across a state line, the rule that applies is generally where the activity happened.
| State | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Virginia | Strictest in the country. Courts will not enforce a pre-injury waiver for personal injury under any circumstances. Rely on insurance and safe operations instead. |
| Louisiana | Statute voids clauses limiting liability for physical injury. Waivers are not a defense to a personal-injury claim. |
| Montana | Statutorily prohibits exculpatory clauses releasing a party from negligence. |
| Connecticut | Technically permitted, rarely upheld in personal-injury cases. |
| Most other states | A well-written, properly administered waiver signed voluntarily by an adult can protect against ordinary-negligence claims. Around twenty states apply notably strict standards to how it is drafted and presented. |
Coaching in Virginia, Louisiana or Montana does not mean skip the waiver — the assumption-of-risk and medical-consent sections still do useful work, and venues often require one. It means do not treat it as your protection. Insurance is.
Minors
Get a parent or guardian signature on every under-18 student. Understand what it does and does not cover: several states refuse, on public-policy grounds, to let a parent sign away a minor's own right to sue. What the signature reliably covers is the parent's own claims, consent to participate, and authorization for emergency care. Those are worth having.
How to actually run it
Signed before the first session, not during it. A waiver signed in the parking lot while a clinic is starting is the kind of fact that gets used against you.
One waiver per student per season, not per session. Re-sign when your terms change.
Keep the signed copy, not just a checkmark. If a claim comes years later you need to produce the document that person actually signed.
Digital is fine and usually better. A timestamped digital record proves which version was signed and when. Going digital will not fix a badly drafted waiver, but it makes a good one easier to defend.
Questions coaches ask
Do I need a waiver to coach pickleball?
No law requires one. But a signed waiver documents that the student was told about the risks and agreed to them, which is the part that matters if something goes wrong. Most venues that rent courts to coaches require one anyway, and most insurers expect to see them.
Does a waiver mean I cannot be sued?
No. A waiver makes a lawsuit harder to win, not impossible to file. No U.S. state enforces a waiver that tries to release gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional conduct. It covers ordinary negligence, and only where it is well drafted, clearly written, and voluntarily signed.
Are waivers enforceable in every state?
No. Louisiana, Montana and Virginia refuse to enforce pre-injury personal-injury waivers as a matter of public policy. Connecticut courts rarely uphold them. In roughly 46 states a well-written, properly administered waiver signed by an adult can protect against ordinary-negligence claims.
Can a parent sign away a child’s right to sue?
Not reliably. Several states refuse to enforce parental waivers of a minor’s own injury claims on public-policy grounds. A parent signature is still worth collecting, and it does cover the parent’s own claims and the medical-consent piece, but do not treat it as a shield.
Does a digital signature count?
Yes, in general. Going digital does not rescue a badly drafted waiver, but a digital record with a timestamp is usually stronger evidence than a paper form in a folder, because you can show exactly which version was signed and when.
What should I do besides collecting a waiver?
Carry liability insurance, know your venue’s own requirements, and keep the courts and equipment in reasonable condition. A waiver is one layer. It is not a substitute for insurance or for running safe sessions.
This is not legal advice. It is a starting document written from published guidance on how waivers are treated in the United States, not by a lawyer and not for your jurisdiction. Waiver law is state law and it changes. Before you use this with real students, have a lawyer licensed in your state review it, and carry liability insurance regardless of what anyone signs.
Paddle Up tracks who has signed.
Waiver status sits on the student's record next to their payments and attendance, so you can see the unsigned ones before the session instead of after. Free for your first 8 students, and nothing about this template is gated.
Join the beta →Sources
Waiver enforceability by state: Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, Exculpatory Agreements and Liability Waivers in All 50 States · Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Liability Waivers in the United States · Louisiana Law Review · Cheng & Guttel, Unenforceable Waivers, Vanderbilt Law Review · SportRisk. Last reviewed August 2026.