What Is Pickleball? Think of it as a mix of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong — played on a smaller court with a paddle and a plastic wiffle-like ball. You can play 2v2 (doubles) or 1v1 (singles). Same court, same rules either way. Serving — How to Start a Rally How to serve correctly: Always serve underhand — no overhead smashes to start a point Your paddle must contact the ball below your belly button At least one foot must be behind the baseline when you hit — you can't step on or over the line until the ball leaves your paddle Serve diagonally — if you're on the right side, the ball must land in the opponent's left service box You only get one serve attempt (unlike tennis where you get two) Example: Imagine you're standing behind the right side of the baseline. You drop the ball and swing underhand, sending it diagonally to your opponent's right service box. It must land inside that box — not in the kitchen (more on that shortly), not out of bounds. The one exception — Let Serves: If your serve clips the net but still lands in the correct box, that's a "let" and you get to serve again. No penalty. Scoring — How You Actually Win Points Only the serving team can score. If you're receiving and you win the rally, you don't get a point — you just get the serve back. Games go to 11 points, win by 2 (so 11-9 is fine, but 11-10 means keep playing) A match is best of 3 games — the third game, if needed, is only to 5 points, win by 2 Example: Your team is serving and wins the rally → you score a point. But if the other team wins that rally, no point for them — they just take over the serve. Service Sequence in Doubles — The Part Everyone Gets Confused By This is the trickiest part of pickleball, so let's break it down step by step. Both players on a team get to serve — but not at the same time. They take turns. Here's how it flows: Server #1 starts serving from the right side Every time your team scores, you switch sides with your partner and serve again When Server #1 makes a fault (loses the rally), the serve passes to Server #2 — who serves from wherever they're currently standing on the court When Server #2 also faults, the whole serve goes to the other team (called a "side-out") On a side-out, the new serving team's first serve always starts from the right side Example: You start serving (Server #1), you score three points in a row — you've now switched sides twice. You finally miss — your partner (Server #2) now serves. They win a couple rallies, then they fault too. Now the other team gets the serve. That's a side-out. The very first serve of each game is special: Only one player gets to serve before a fault causes a side-out. This stops the first-serving team from having too much of an advantage at the start. In singles, it's simpler: serve from the right when your score is even, from the left when it's odd. The Double-Bounce Rule — Nobody Rushes the Net Immediately When a point starts: The receiving team must let the serve bounce before hitting it back The serving team must then let that return bounce before playing it After those two bounces happen — one on each side — both teams can either let the ball bounce again OR hit it out of the air (called a volley). Example: You serve → your opponent lets it bounce, then returns it → you let that bounce, then hit it back. After this exchange, the kitchen chaos begins. Before those two bounces, nobody can volley. Why does this rule exist? It stops the serving team from rushing to the net and smashing the return before the other team is ready. It forces at least a short baseline rally to start every point, which makes the game fairer and more fun. The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone) — The Sacred 7 Feet The kitchen is the 7-foot zone on both sides of the net. It's the most unique rule in pickleball. The golden rule: You cannot volley while standing in the kitchen. Period. More specifically: If your feet are touching the kitchen line or inside it when you hit a ball out of the air → fault, you lose the rally If you volley a ball and your momentum carries you into the kitchen even after you've hit it → still a fault You can walk into the kitchen anytime — just not to volley Example: The ball comes to you at the kitchen line, floating perfectly for a smash. If your feet are on or past that line when you hit it out of the air — fault. But if the ball bounces inside the kitchen first? Step right in and hit it — that's totally fine. Another example: You're just outside the kitchen, you volley the ball, and your follow-through carries you stumbling inside the kitchen. Even though the ball is already gone — fault. Your momentum got you. The kitchen exists to prevent players from standing at the net and smashing everything downward. It forces strategy over pure power. Line Calls — In or Out? Simple rule: If the ball touches any line, it's in — just like tennis. One exception: If your serve lands on the kitchen (non-volley zone) line, that's a fault. The serve must clear the kitchen entirely, including the line. Faults — Ways to Lose a Rally A fault stops play immediately. Here's what causes one: What HappenedExampleServe lands outside the service boxBall lands in the kitchen or out of boundsBall hit into the netOn serve or any rally shotVolleying before the two bounces happenRushing the net on the first shot of a rallyBall lands out of boundsShot goes long or wideVolleying from inside the kitchenStanding in the kitchen, hitting it out of the airBall bounces twice before you hit itYou were too slow getting to a short shotYou or your paddle touches the netReaching over or crashing into the netBreaking a service ruleServing overhand, stepping on the line before hitting, etc.Ball hits you or your clothingStepping into a ball's path during a rally Consequence of a fault: If the receiving team faults → serving team gets a point If the serving team faults → they lose the serve (or side-out if both servers have faulted) Starting the Game Flip a coin. The winner chooses either: Which side of the court they want, or Whether they want to serve first or receive first Quick Reference Card RuleKey NumberKitchen zone size7 feet from netPoints to win a game11 (win by 2)Points in game 35 (win by 2)Match formatBest of 3Serves per team rotation2 (except game start)Serve attempts per turn1 The best way to learn these rules? Get on a court. The double-bounce rule and kitchen rule will feel natural within 20 minutes of playing — they're what make pickleball pickleball. 🎯
Sign in to interact with this post
Sign In