Pickleball rules

The basics

Pickleball is played with solid paddles and a light plastic ball with holes, on a badminton-sized court with a net slightly lower than tennis (34 inches in the middle). The goal: hit the ball over the net into your opponent's court so they can't return it.

• The ball must stay inside the lines. A ball touching any line is in - except a serve landing on the kitchen line, which is out.
• The ball can bounce only once per side.
• A rally ends when a player hits the ball out, into the net, or fails to return it before it bounces twice.

Serving

• Serve underhand, making contact below your waist, with at least one foot behind the baseline.
• Serve diagonally to the opposite service court. The serve must clear the kitchen, including its line.
• You get one attempt per serve (no second serve), except if it touches the net and lands in - that's replayed as a "let" in casual play.
• Start serving from the right-hand court. Each time you win a point while serving, switch sides with your partner and serve again.

The two-bounce rule

After the serve, the receiving team must let the ball bounce once before returning it, and then the serving team must also let it bounce once. After those two bounces, players can volley (hit it in the air) or play it off the bounce.

Scoring

• Only the serving team can score points.
• Games are usually played to 11 points, and you must win by 2.
• In doubles, the score is called as three numbers: your score, their score, server number (1 or 2). For example, "4-2-1".
• Both partners serve before the serve passes to the other team - except at the very start of the game, when only one partner serves (that's why the first call is "0-0-2").

The kitchen (non-volley zone)

The kitchen is the 7-foot zone on each side of the net - it's where most of pickleball's strategy happens.

• You cannot volley (hit the ball out of the air) while standing in the kitchen or touching its line.
• Your momentum can't carry you into the kitchen after a volley either.
• You can step into the kitchen any time to play a ball that has bounced.
• Soft shots that drop into the kitchen are called dinks - mastering them is the key to good pickleball.

Singles vs doubles

• Doubles (2 vs 2) is the most popular format and a great way to start. Partners each serve in turn, as described above.
• Singles (1 vs 1) uses the same court. You serve from the right when your score is even and from the left when it's odd. There's only one server per side, so the score is called with two numbers.

Court etiquette

• Arrive a few minutes early and finish on time - the next group is waiting for their slot.
• Call the score before every serve, loudly enough for everyone to hear.
• Make line calls on your side of the court fairly; if you're unsure, the ball is in.
• If a ball rolls onto another court or area, wait for the rally to finish before retrieving it.
• Wear non-marking court shoes, and bring water.
• Tap paddles at the net after the game. Have fun and be kind to beginners!

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