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The Basics

Pickleball is a racket sport that combines elements of tennis and badminton. It's played with a lightweight paddle and a plastic perforated ball on a court that's similar in size to a badminton court. Although Pickleball was invented in 1965 in Washington state, it has surged interest since the turn of the century. It's suitable for all ages and skill levels and has become one of the most popular and fastest growing sports in the world!

What are the basic rules?

You can play pickleball as doubles or singles and both doubles and singles use the entire pickleball court. You may determine who serves first during a game by any method you choose (coin flip, paddle spin or recognised side of court, etc.)

Serving

  • When volley serving, your arm must be moving in an upward arc when you hit the ball, your paddle must contact the ball below your waist level, and the head of your paddle may not be above the highest part of your wrist when the paddle hits the ball.
  • Alternatively you may use the 'drop serve' and the previous rule does not apply.
  • When you hit the ball while serving, your feet must not touch the court or outside the imaginary extension lines of the center line and sideline.
  • One foot must be behind the on the ground or floor.
  • Each server is only allowed one serve attempt.
  • In doubles, to begin a game, only one player has a turn to serve but continues to serve until the serving team loses a rally, when the serve goes to the opposiition, known as a side-out. For the remainder of the game, both players of each team have turns to serve.
  • The first serve of each side-out is made from the right-hand court. The serve must be made diagonally cross-court and land within the receiver's court, bounded by but including the sideline, center line, and baseline, and outside of the kitchen (including outside the kitchen line).
  • If a point is scored, the server switches sides and initiates the next serve from the lefthand court whilst, in doubles the partner moves to the right side. As subsequent points are scored, the server and partner continues to switchs ides until a fault is committed and the server loses the serve.
  • When the first server loses the serve the partner then serves from the side of the court where they remain.
  • The second server continues serving until his team commits a fault and the team then loses the serve to the opposing team.
  • In singles the server serves from the right-hand court when his or her score is even and from the left when the score is odd.

The non-volley zone or kitchen

  • The non-volley zone (or kitchen) is a 7-foot (214 cm) area on each side of the net. If any part of a player's feet are in the kitchen or are on the kitchen line, they must not volley the ball but can hit it after it bounces.
  • The rule most people don't know: the “Momentum Rule” in the Kitchen. It is a fault if the player’s momentum causes them or anything they are wearing or carrying to touch the non-volley zone in the course of volleying. You hit a volley just outside the kitchen but can't stop yourself stepping forward into the kitchen. It is still a fault.

The 2-bounce rule

  • When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning it, and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning, thus two bounces.
  • Striking the ball before it has bounced once on either side of the court incurs a fault.
  • After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may hit the ball in the air or after one bounce.

Scoring

  • Rule 4.A.1. The entire score must be called before the ball is served.
  • In non-officiated games (witout a referee) it is up to the serving player to call the score before commencing the serving motion. In a tournament, failure to call the score is a fault. In a rec game, it is good etiquette for one of the serving team to call the score.
  • It is helpful to remember the starting positions of the players. The players of each team that start the game on the right-hand side will always be on that side when their score is even and on the left when it is odd.
  • Points are scored only by the serving team.
  • Games are normally played to 11 points, win by 2.
  • Tournament games may be to 15 or 21, win by 2.
  • When the serving team’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) the player who was the first server in the game for that team will be in the right-side court when serving or receiving; when odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) that player will be in the left-side court when serving or receiving.

Faults 

It is a fault if:

  • the ball lands out of bounds or fails to land over the net.
  • a player, or anything they are wearing or holding, touches the net or net post while 
    a rally is ongoing.
  • a ball hits a player or anything they are wearing.
  • a ball hits any permanent object before bouncing on the court.
  • a ball bounces twice before being struck by the receiver.
  • If the receiving team incurs a fault, the serving team wins a point.

It is not a fault if:

  • a serve hits the net but stil lands in the receiver's court, it is not a fault. There is no let given for this occurrence.

If a rally is interupted by a ball or another person entering the area of the court, the rally is replaid with the same server without incurring a fault.

For the full list of Pickleball rules, head over to USA Pickleball and download the latest rulebook.