Pickleball Rules, Simply Explained

Pickleball is a paddle sport played on a badminton-sized court with a low net and a plastic ball with holes. Most games are doubles, two against two. The rules fit on one page, and this guide covers all of them. Pickleball Pro, our free pickleball game, uses the same rules, so you can practise them in a match as soon as you've read them.

The court and equipment

The serve

• Serve underhand from behind the baseline, with at least one foot on the ground behind it.
• Hit the ball below your waist with an upward arc. You can also drop the ball and hit it after the bounce (a drop serve).
• Serve diagonally into the opponents' service court. The ball must clear the kitchen: a serve that lands on the kitchen line is a fault. A serve that lands on any other line of the service court is in.
• You get one serve per point. A serve that clips the net and lands in the right court is in play (there are no "lets").
• The server switches sides (right to left, left to right) after every point their team wins.

The two-bounce rule

The ball must bounce once on each side before anyone can volley it. The receiving team lets the serve bounce before they return it, and the serving team lets the return bounce before they hit the third shot. After those two bounces, players can volley (hit the ball out of the air) or play it off the bounce.

The kitchen (non-volley zone)

• You may not volley while standing in the kitchen or touching its line.
• Your momentum can't carry you into the kitchen after a volley, even after the point is over.
• You can step into the kitchen at any time to play a ball that has bounced, such as a dink.
• The Erne is legal: you jump around the kitchen corner, outside the court, and volley the ball without touching the kitchen.

Pickleball scoring

Standard pickleball uses side-out scoring, where only the serving team can win a point. If the receiving team wins the rally, they don't score. They win the serve instead, which is called a side out.

• Games are played to 11 points, and you must win by 2. Tournaments also play games to 15 or 21.
• In doubles, both partners serve before the serve passes to the other team.
• At the start of a game, the first serving team gets only one server. That's why the first score is called 0-0-2: the game starts as if the first server has already lost the serve.

How to call the score

The server calls three numbers before each serve: the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, then the server number (1 or 2). "4-2-1" means the serving team has 4, the receivers have 2, and the first server is serving. In singles, you call just the two scores.

Some events now try rally scoring, where a point is scored on every rally whoever serves. Recreational play and Pickleball Pro use traditional side-out scoring.

Faults: how you lose the rally

• Hitting the ball out (a ball that touches a line is in, except a serve that lands on the kitchen line)
• Hitting the ball into the net
• Letting the ball bounce twice on your side
• Volleying before the two-bounce rule allows it
• Volleying from inside the kitchen or on its line
• The wrong player serving or returning the serve
• The ball hitting you or your partner, or you touching the net

Doubles positioning basics

1. The receiving team starts with one player at the baseline (the returner) and one up at the kitchen line.
2. Return the serve deep, then move up to join your partner at the kitchen line.
3. The serving team stays back until the return bounces, then plays the third shot, often a drop, and moves forward.
4. Once all four players are at the net, the point becomes a dinking battle until someone hits a ball high enough to attack.

You can try all of this in the pickleball game. Pick Coached Match to be walked through the serve, the return, the drop and the dink, or read how to play Pickleball Pro for the controls.

Questions

What are the basic rules of pickleball?

Serve underhand and diagonally. Let the serve and the return each bounce once (the two-bounce rule). Don't volley from inside the kitchen. Only the serving team scores, and games go to 11, win by 2.

Why is the first score in pickleball 0-0-2?

In doubles, only one player on the first serving team serves at the start of a game. Calling it 0-0-2 treats that player as the second server, so the next lost rally is a side out.

Can you step in the kitchen in pickleball?

Yes, as long as you aren't volleying. You can step in to play a ball that has bounced, such as a dink, but you can't volley while touching the kitchen or its line.

Is a serve that hits the net a fault?

No. A serve that clips the net and lands in the correct service court is in play. There are no lets in pickleball.

How many points do you need to win a game of pickleball?

Most games are played to 11 points, and you must win by 2. Tournaments sometimes play games to 15 or 21.