In the world of racket sports, one game has been steadily gaining popularity for its unique blend of tennis, badminton, and ping pong elements - pickleball. If you're new to this exciting sport or looking to brush up on the rules, you're in the right place. The handy guide below outlines the basic rules of the game. For a comprehensive listing of the rules, please download the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook .
The Players & Court Dimensions
Pickleball can be played as doubles (two players per team) or as singles; doubles is the most common.
The pickleball court is rectangular, measuring 44 feet long and 20 feet wide.
The same court dimensions are used for both singles and doubles play.
The net height is 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle.
The court is striped like a tennis court with right and left service courts.
There is a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of the net (commonly referred to as "the kitchen”).
Scoring Rules & Terms
Points are only scored when serving.
Typical games are played to 11 points (must win by 2 points).
A Fault is a loss of the rally resulting in a point for the opposing team, a loss of the serve, or a side-out.
A Side-Out is when a team or player loses the serve and service is awarded to the opposing side.
The right side of the court is the even side. The left side of the court is the odd side.
After a side-out or at the start of the game the serve always starts on the right/even side.
Serving Sequence Rules
Singles
The first serve for each player is done on the right-hand/even side.
If the server wins their first serve, that player makes the next serve on the left-hand/odd side.
The player continues to serve, switching between the right and left sides until they fault. The serve then goes to the opponent.
If the server’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, etc.), the serve must be from the right-hand/even side of the court and served to the receiver’s right-hand/even side of the court.
If the server’s score is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc.), the serve must be from the left-hand/odd side of the court and served to the receiver’s left-hand/odd side of the pickleball court.
When serving, you say your score first, then your opponent’s score.
At the start of a game the score is 0-0.
Doubles
The first serve for each team is done on the right-hand/even side.
In doubles, at the start of a new game just one player on the serving team will serve until a rally is lost or a fault is committed (a side out). After the first side out, the other team serves.
Once the first side out of the game occurs, both players on a team then serve until their team commits two faults. For example, once the first server of a team loses a rally, the first server’s teammate then serves until he/she loses a rally, which then results in a side-out with the serve going to the opposition. The exception to this rule, as mentioned above, is the first serve of the game where a side out occurs after only one fault is committed.
As subsequent points are scored, the server switches positions with his/her teammate (right court/left court) and serves to the opposite court side. You only switch serving positions with your teammate when your team scores a point on a serve.
When the serving team’s score is an even number the player who was the first server in the game for that team will serve from the right-hand/even side court; when the score is odd that player serves from the left-hand/odd side court.
When serving, you say your score first, then your opponent’s score, then your server number (1 or 2).
At the start of a new game the score is 0-0-2.
Your server number may change during the game depending on your position when you side out. Sometimes you are server 1, sometimes you are server 2.
Serve Rules
Server Position: The server must stand behind the baseline with at least one foot in contact with the ground while serving. Failure to do so results in a fault.
Serve Direction: The serve is made diagonally crosscourt and must land within the confines of the opposite diagonal court. If a serve hits the net, but still lands in the correct service court, play continues without interruption.
Underhand Serve: The serve must be made underhand with the server’s arm moving in an upward arc when the ball is struck. Paddle contact with the ball must not be made above the waistline (navel level) when serving.
Volley Serves & Drop Serves: Both volley serves and drop serves are permitted. Volley serves are more traditional and are performed by tossing the pickleball in the air and striking the ball with your paddle before it bounces on the court. Drop serves are performed by dropping the pickleball to the ground from any natural height, either by using your hand or letting the pickleball roll off your paddle, and then striking the ball after the first bounce off the court.
Forehand & Backhand Serves: You may hit the serve with either a forehand or backhand motion.
Non-Volley Zone/Kitchen: On serves, the pickleball may not land in the Non-Volley Zone (also known as the Kitchen) or on the Non-Volley Zone line, as each of these scenarios results in a fault.
Two-Bounce Rule: When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning, and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning, thus two bounces. After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley the ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it off a bounce (ground stroke).
Out of Order Serves: The serving team must maintain the correct serving sequence. Failure to do so results in a fault.
Non-Volley Zone (The Kitchen)
The non-volley zone (a.k.a. the kitchen) is the court area within 7 feet on both sides of the net.
Volleying is prohibited within the non-volley zone to prevent players from executing smashes from a position close to the net.
It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player steps on the non-volley zone, including the line and/or when the player’s momentum causes them or anything they are wearing or carrying to touch the non-volley zone including the associated lines.
It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by momentum into or touches the non-volley zone, even if the volleyed ball is declared dead before this happens.
A player may legally be in the non-volley zone any time other than when volleying a ball.
Line Calls
A ball contacting any line, except the non-volley zone line on a serve, is considered “in.”
A serve contacting the non-volley zone line is short and a fault.
Determining Serving Team
Generally, a coin toss is used to determine which team or player has the first choice of service or side.
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