If there is one rule in pickleball that causes more confusion, more arguments, and more incorrect confident statements than any other, it is the kitchen rule. The non-volley zone -- affectionately called "the kitchen" by every pickleball player on the planet -- is the defining feature of the sport. It is what keeps pickleball from turning into a net-rushing smash fest, and it is what makes the game so strategically rich.
But despite being the most important rule in the game, it is also the most misunderstood. You have probably heard people say "you can't step in the kitchen" as if it were a lava pit. You have probably seen someone get called for a violation and have no idea whether the call was right. You may have committed kitchen faults yourself without realizing it.
This guide breaks down the pickleball kitchen rule completely. What it actually says, what it does not say, the specific scenarios that trip people up, and how to use the kitchen strategically once you understand the rule inside and out. If you are new to pickleball, start with our complete rules guide and how to play guide for the full picture, then come back here for the deep dive on the kitchen.
What Is the Kitchen in Pickleball?
The kitchen is the 7-foot zone on each side of the net, extending the full 20-foot width of the court. It is marked by a line -- the kitchen line -- that runs parallel to the net, 7 feet back from it. The official name in the USA Pickleball rulebook is the non-volley zone (NVZ), but almost nobody calls it that in casual play. Everyone says "the kitchen."
The kitchen includes the kitchen line itself. This is a critical detail that catches a lot of players off guard. When we say "in the kitchen," we mean anywhere inside that zone including the line. If your toe is on the line, you are in the kitchen.
The kitchen exists on both sides of the net. Each team has their own non-volley zone to worry about. The zone is always there -- it does not activate or deactivate based on game situations. It is a permanent feature of the court.
So why does pickleball have this zone? Without it, the dominant strategy would be for players to camp at the net and smash every ball out of the air before it bounces. Taller players and players with fast reflexes would have an enormous advantage. The kitchen forces players to stay back from the net when volleying, which creates space for soft, strategic shots -- particularly the dink -- and makes the game accessible to a much wider range of athletes.
The Basic Kitchen Rule: No Volleying in the Non-Volley Zone
The fundamental rule is straightforward: you cannot hit a volley while standing in the kitchen or while touching the kitchen line.
A volley is any shot where you hit the ball out of the air before it bounces. If the ball has not touched the ground and you make contact with it, that is a volley. The kitchen rule says you cannot do that while any part of your body, clothing, paddle, or anything you are wearing or carrying is touching the kitchen zone or its line.
That is it. That is the core rule. Everything else is just clarification of edge cases and momentum scenarios that flow from this single principle.
To put it even more simply: if the ball has not bounced yet and you want to hit it, your feet (and everything else) need to be completely behind the kitchen line, on the non-kitchen side of the court.
When Can You Enter the Kitchen?
Here is where the biggest myth in pickleball gets debunked: you can enter the kitchen any time you want. There is absolutely no rule against standing in the kitchen. You can walk through it, stand in it between rallies, or camp in it during a point. The kitchen is not off-limits.
The restriction is specifically about volleying. You cannot hit the ball out of the air while you are in the kitchen. But if the ball bounces first? You are completely free to step into the kitchen and play it.
This happens constantly during real games. When your opponent hits a soft dink that lands in your kitchen, you step into the kitchen, let the ball bounce, and hit a groundstroke back. That is perfectly legal. You are in the kitchen, but the ball bounced, so it is not a volley. No violation.
Here are common scenarios where entering the kitchen is completely legal:
- Playing a ball that bounced in the kitchen. Step in, hit it after the bounce, no problem.
- Standing in the kitchen between rallies. You can hang out there all day if you want. Just make sure you get behind the line before you try to volley anything.
- Moving through the kitchen to get into position. If you need to cross the kitchen to get somewhere on the court, go for it.
- Standing in the kitchen while your partner volleys. Your partner's volley has nothing to do with your position. You being in the kitchen does not affect their shot.
The key takeaway: the kitchen only becomes a problem when you combine two things -- being in the zone and hitting a volley. Remove either element and you are fine.
Common Kitchen Violations
Now let's get into the specific situations that actually cause faults during games. These are the plays that generate arguments at open play sessions across the country.
Momentum Carrying You into the Kitchen
This is the most common kitchen violation at every level of play. Here is the scenario: you are standing just behind the kitchen line. A ball comes at you fast, and you reach forward to volley it. Great shot -- but your forward momentum carries you across the kitchen line after you make contact.
That is a fault. Even though your feet were behind the line when your paddle touched the ball, the rule covers your momentum after the volley. If anything about the act of volleying causes you to enter the kitchen -- a step forward, a stumble, a lunge -- the volley is a fault. It does not matter that you made contact from a legal position. If you end up in the kitchen as a result of the volley, you lose the rally.
This is why you will see experienced players develop a distinctive backward lean or weight shift when they volley near the kitchen line. They are deliberately keeping their momentum going backward so that nothing pulls them forward into the zone.
Your Partner Touching You into the Kitchen
This one surprises a lot of people. If you volley the ball from behind the kitchen line, and then your doubles partner grabs you or touches you to stop you from falling into the kitchen, that is a fault -- but only if, without their assistance, your momentum would have carried you in. The rule also works in reverse: if your partner pushes you into the kitchen during or after your volley, that is also a fault.
The principle is simple. After a volley, you must re-establish yourself outside the kitchen under your own control. Your partner cannot pull you back, catch you, or prop you up if you are falling toward the zone.
Dropping Something in the Kitchen
If you volley the ball and anything you are wearing or carrying falls into the kitchen during or as a result of the volley, it is a fault. Your hat blows off into the kitchen during your follow-through? Fault. Your sunglasses fall off your face and land in the zone? Fault. Your paddle slips out of your hand and skids into the kitchen? Fault.
This rule exists because the principle is that nothing connected to you should touch the kitchen during or after a volley. It sounds extreme, but it rarely comes up in practice. Just be aware that it is technically in the rulebook.
Volleying While Any Body Part Touches the Kitchen
This one seems obvious, but it catches players in subtle ways. If even one toe is on the kitchen line when you volley, it is a fault. If your knee touches the ground inside the kitchen while you lunge for a volley, it is a fault. If your hand touches the kitchen surface while you reach for a low volley, it is a fault.
Any physical contact between any part of your body and the kitchen area (including the line) during a volley is a violation. No exceptions.
Kitchen Line Foot Faults
The kitchen line deserves its own section because it causes so many disputes. The kitchen line is part of the kitchen. This is different from how lines work during general play, where a ball on the line is considered "in." For the kitchen rule, the line is in -- meaning if you are touching it, you are in the kitchen.
Here are the foot fault scenarios you need to know:
- Toe on the line during a volley. Even if 95 percent of your foot is behind the line, if your toe is touching it when you volley, it is a fault.
- Stepping on the line after a volley due to momentum. Same as the momentum rule above, but specifically about the line. Landing on the line is the same as landing in the kitchen.
- Heel on the line. Your entire foot does not need to be in the kitchen. Any contact with the line counts.
- Foot sliding onto the line. If you shuffle forward and your front foot slides onto the line during a volley, that is a fault even if you started behind it.
In recreational play, these calls are often hard to see and harder to agree on. In tournament play, referees watch the kitchen line like hawks. The best habit is to give yourself a few inches of buffer behind the kitchen line when you are positioning yourself for volleys. That small margin of safety prevents a lot of close calls.
Strategy Tips: Using the Kitchen to Your Advantage
Understanding the kitchen rule is step one. Using it strategically is where the real game begins. The kitchen is not just a zone to avoid -- it is the most important area on the court for winning points.
Master the Dink
The dink is a soft, arcing shot that lands in your opponent's kitchen. Because the ball bounces before they can play it, your opponent has to either let it bounce and hit a groundstroke from inside the kitchen, or back up and play it from behind the line. Either way, the dink keeps the ball low and forces your opponent into a defensive, controlled game rather than an aggressive one.
Good dinking is the foundation of high-level pickleball. Dink rallies are where you probe for weaknesses, create angles, and wait for your opponent to pop the ball up high enough to attack. If you can dink consistently and with placement, you will beat players who are more athletic but less patient.
Own the Kitchen Line
The most dominant position on the court is standing just behind the kitchen line. From there, you can volley balls before your opponent has time to react, you can hit dinks with precision, and you can cut off angles. Getting to the kitchen line and staying there is the number one strategic objective in every pickleball point.
After the two-bounce rule is satisfied, move forward. Do not hang out at the baseline. The team that controls the kitchen line controls the point. When both teams are at the kitchen line, the game becomes a chess match of soft shots, placement, and patience.
Use the Kitchen Strategically on Defense
When you are under pressure, the kitchen can be your best friend. If your opponent is attacking you with hard shots, a soft reset into their kitchen forces them to slow down. They cannot smash a ball that barely clears the net and drops into the kitchen -- the angle is not there. A well-placed kitchen shot neutralizes power and brings the point back to an even footing.
Stay Balanced After Every Volley
Build the habit of staying balanced and controlled after every volley near the kitchen line. Plant your back foot. Keep your weight centered or slightly back. Do not lunge forward unless you absolutely have to. The best kitchen players look calm and grounded at the net because they have trained themselves to absorb shots without letting momentum carry them into the zone.
Common Kitchen Myths Debunked
Let's clear up the misconceptions that circulate at every public court.
Myth: "You can never step in the kitchen." Reality: You can enter the kitchen any time you want. The only restriction is that you cannot volley while in the kitchen. If the ball bounces, you can stand in the kitchen and hit it all day long.
Myth: "You have to wait for the ball to bounce before entering the kitchen." Reality: You can be standing in the kitchen before the ball even gets to your side of the court. You just cannot volley from there. If a ball is coming toward you and it has not bounced, step out of the kitchen before you hit it, or let it bounce first.
Myth: "If the ball bounces in the kitchen, only the person closest to it can play it." Reality: There is no rule about who can play a ball that lands in the kitchen. Either player on a doubles team can step in and play it, as long as the ball has bounced.
Myth: "You can jump over the kitchen line to volley." Reality: This one is technically true but almost impossible to execute legally. If you jump from behind the kitchen line, volley the ball while airborne, and land outside the kitchen (to the side, for example), it is legal. But if you land in the kitchen -- which is what happens 99 percent of the time -- it is a fault. The Erne shot, where a player jumps around the kitchen and lands outside the sideline, is the most common version of this move at advanced levels.
Myth: "The kitchen rule only applies during volleys near the net." Reality: The kitchen rule applies to all volleys, regardless of where on the court you are standing. If you are somehow standing in the kitchen and you volley a ball that is 10 feet in the air, it is still a fault. Location of the ball does not matter -- your location matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you reach over the kitchen to volley a ball as long as your feet are behind the line?
Yes. You can extend your paddle and arm over the kitchen as far as you want, as long as no part of your body is touching the kitchen or the kitchen line. The restriction is about physical contact with the zone, not about the airspace above it. Many volleys at the kitchen line involve reaching your paddle well into the space above the kitchen while your feet stay planted behind the line. Just make sure your momentum does not carry you forward into the zone after the shot.
What happens if I volley and then fall into the kitchen?
It is a fault. No matter how long after the volley you fall into the kitchen, if it was caused by the momentum of the volleying action, it is a violation. There is no time limit on this. If you volley the ball, teeter on the line for three seconds, and then fall in, it is a fault because the volley caused you to enter the kitchen. You need to fully re-establish your balance outside the kitchen before the volley is considered complete.
Can both feet be in the air when I volley near the kitchen?
Yes, but your landing determines whether it is legal. If you jump from behind the kitchen line and land behind the kitchen line after volleying, the shot is legal. If you land in the kitchen or on the kitchen line, it is a fault. This applies to the "Erne" shot -- an advanced move where a player jumps laterally around the corner of the kitchen to volley the ball, landing outside the sideline of the kitchen. It is spectacular when it works and completely legal as long as you do not touch the kitchen zone.
Is the kitchen rule different in singles vs. doubles?
No. The kitchen rule is exactly the same in singles and doubles. The non-volley zone is the same size, the same restrictions apply, and the same momentum rules are in effect. The only practical difference is that in singles, you are the only person responsible for your own kitchen violations, whereas in doubles, you also need to be aware of the rule about your partner touching you or pushing you into the kitchen during a volley.
Can I stay in the kitchen the entire point?
Technically, yes. There is no rule that requires you to leave the kitchen. However, staying in the kitchen is a terrible strategic decision because you cannot volley from there. Any ball that comes to you in the air would have to be left alone or you would commit a fault. In practice, players step into the kitchen to play bounced balls and then immediately step back behind the kitchen line to be ready for volleys. Camping in the kitchen puts you at a massive disadvantage.
What is the "Erne" and is it legal?
The Erne (named after Erne Perry, the player who popularized it) is an advanced move where a player positions themselves outside the sideline of the kitchen -- either by jumping around the corner of the non-volley zone or by running around it -- and volleys the ball from there. Because the player is outside the kitchen boundaries (past the sideline), the volley is legal. It is one of the flashiest plays in pickleball and perfectly within the rules, as long as the player does not touch the kitchen or its lines during the process.
Make the Kitchen Your Weapon
The kitchen is not an obstacle -- it is the heart of the game. Once you understand exactly what the non-volley zone rule says (and what it does not say), you stop being afraid of the kitchen and start using it to your advantage. Dink into it, control the line behind it, and stay balanced when you volley near it. That combination will make you a better pickleball player than raw power ever will.
If you are still building your foundation, check out our complete pickleball rules guide for the full rulebook breakdown, or start from the beginning with our how to play pickleball guide. The kitchen might be the most misunderstood rule in the sport, but now you understand it better than most people on the court. Time to put that knowledge to work.
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