Although it’s been around since the 1960s, pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in America. Combining elements of games like tennis and ping-pong, pickleball is great for both exercise and entertainment. No matter what your age or skill level is, knowing the rules of pickleball is an essential first step to playing.
Table of Contents
The Rules of Pickleball
1. The First Serve Rules
Pickleball is played on a court that is similar to a tennis court. It has an outer rectangle (which serves as the out-of-bounds line) that contains 6 inner sections (3 on each side). Which team goes first is up to the players. But the first serve is made from the right-hand side of the court, from behind the baseline (labeled A on the diagram above). The ball can be served in one of two ways. One way is a volley serve, which is an underhand serve where the ball doesn’t bounce off the court before being hit. The second way is called a drop serve. In this serve, you allow the ball to bounce off the court before hitting it underhand across the net.
2. The Double-Bounce or Two-Bounce Rule
Once the pickleball has been served, the double bounce rule states that it must bounce off the court once on the receiving side before being hit back across the net. Then, it must bounce off the court on the initial server’s side once as well before being returned.
Other Common Faults
3. Bouncing Twice on One Side
After the first serve and initial plays, the ball can then be volleyed from either side. This means it can be hit in the air, without hitting the court first. You can still allow it to bounce once before hitting if you like; however, if you allow the ball to bounce twice before returning the ball to the other side, it’s considered a fault for you or your team.
4. Out of Bounds
Another fault is if the ball is returned across the net but crosses the out-of-bounds line. Whenever you hit the ball to the other side, it must either be hit in the air or bounce within the court lines for it to count for your team.
5. Hitting the Net
Hitting the ball into the net is also a common occurrence that will result in a fault for you or your team.
6. Volleying in the Non-Volley Zone / Kitchen
After the initial plays, it is perfectly fine to volley the pickleball back and forth across the net. That is, as long as you do so without stepping into those inner blocks next to the net known as the non-volley zone or the kitchen.
The Rules of Scoring and Player Rotation
Two of the most challenging aspects to grasp about pickleball are the player rotations and scoring.
7. Only the serving side can win points during a rally
No matter if you’re playing a one-on-one game or in teams, only the side that served can earn points during a rally. A rally is the span of back-and-forth gameplay that occurs after a serve until there is a fault by either team.
Teams
If the receiving team caused the fault, the serving team would receive a point. In this scenario, the same player from the serving team would re-serve the ball to start another rally. Only this time he or she would serve from the left side of the court (labeled B in the diagram above). They would continue to switch back and forth, serving from the left and right side of the court until their team caused a fault.
Single Players
If you’re playing against one other person and they caused the fault, then you would re-serve from the left-hand side of the court. You would continue to alternate serves between the left-hand side to the right until you caused a fault. It would then be the other person’s turn to serve.
When it’s your turn to serve again, you’ll use your score to determine which side to serve from. If you have an even score, you’ll start serving from the right side. If you have an odd score, you’ll start on the left.
Another option, more common in competitive play, is having players switch sides of the court after each rally.
8. In teams, both players receive a turn to serve
In a singles game, once the serving side loses a rally by causing a fault, the other side gets a turn to serve. But in games with two players on each side, the second player gets a turn to serve (starting from the left if they have an odd number of points or the right if it’s even). Once they receive another fault it’s called a sideout and the serve will go to the opposing team.
9. The first team to reach 11 points and be ahead by at least 2 wins
Whichever team can score 11 points and be ahead by at least 2 points (11 to 8, for example) wins the game. In most recreational play, teams play five games (determining a winner based on which team won the majority) and switch sides after each game. But you can choose to switch sides during the game as well. For example, some players agree to switch after every rally (common in competitive play), or every 2 serves for single-player games, etc.
Conclusion
Once you learn the basics, pickleball is a fun sport to play. Though challenging at first, the more you practice, the easier it’ll get. Whether you’re into competitive play or recreational, pickleball offers several perks that extend beyond the court.
FAQ
What do the 3 numbers in pickleball mean?
If you’ve heard three numbers called out before a serve, they are as follows: the serving team’s points, the receiving team’s points, and the server number (1 or 2).
Why can’t you serve overhand in pickleball?
There are only two ways of serving allowed in pickleball; a volley or a drop serve. Both of these are underhand serves, requiring the ball to be hit below your waist. However, while overhand serves aren’t allowed, you can hit the ball overhead during the game.
What is a dink in pickleball?
A dink is a low hit that lands in the kitchen of the receiving side and makes it more difficult for the opposing team to return.
Can you step on the line when serving in pickleball?
A player must stay behind the baseline during a serve. If their foot crosses over the line during the serve, it is considered a fault.