Pickleball is one of the easiest sports to pick up. You can learn the basics in ten minutes and be playing a real game within your first hour on the court. But while the game itself is approachable, the rules can trip up new players -- especially the scoring system and the kitchen. If you have ever watched a game and wondered why someone shouted three numbers before serving, or why a player sprinted backward after hitting the ball at the net, you are not alone.
This guide breaks down every rule you need to know in plain English. No assumptions about what you already understand, no skipping the parts that actually confuse people. Whether you are about to play your first game or you have been playing casually and want to make sure you are doing it right, this is your starting point.
The rules below follow the official USA Pickleball rulebook, which governs recreational and tournament play across the country. Once you understand these fundamentals, you will be able to step onto any court and play with confidence.
The Basics
Before diving into the specifics, here is the big picture of what pickleball looks like.
Pickleball is played on a 20-by-44-foot court, which is the same size as a doubles badminton court. If you are used to tennis, the court will feel noticeably smaller -- roughly a quarter of the size. That compact footprint is part of what makes the game accessible. You do not need to be a distance runner to cover the court.
The game can be played as singles (one player per side) or doubles (two players per side). Doubles is far more common -- it accounts for the vast majority of recreational play. Most of the rules are the same for both formats, with a few differences in serving and scoring that we will cover below.
Players use solid paddles made from composite materials, wood, or carbon fiber. The ball is a lightweight perforated plastic ball -- think of a wiffle ball, but slightly heavier and more durable. Outdoor balls have smaller, more numerous holes than indoor balls, which affects how they fly in wind.
Games are typically played to 11 points, and you must win by 2. In tournament settings, games sometimes go to 15 or 21. The serve starts every rally, and only the serving team can score points -- a detail that surprises a lot of newcomers.
Serving Rules
Every point in pickleball starts with a serve, and the serving rules are specific. Getting these right from the start saves you from a lot of unnecessary faults.
The serve must be underhand. Your paddle must make contact with the ball below your wrist, and the point of contact must be below your waist level (specifically, below your navel). You cannot toss the ball up and smash it overhead like in tennis. This rule keeps the serve from being an overpowering weapon and puts the emphasis on the rally that follows.
You serve diagonally to the opposite service court, standing behind the baseline. The ball must clear the net and land in the correct service area on the other side. Importantly, the serve must land past the kitchen (the non-volley zone line, which we will cover in detail below). A serve that lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line is a fault.
Unlike tennis, there is no second serve. If your serve hits the net and lands out, or goes long, or lands in the kitchen, you lose that serve. One shot, that is it. This makes serve accuracy matter more than power for most players.
There is also a legal alternative called the drop serve. Instead of tossing the ball and hitting it out of the air, you can drop the ball from any natural height (you cannot throw it down) and hit it after it bounces. The drop serve removes the waist-level and underhand restrictions because the bounce naturally limits the ball's height. Many beginners find the drop serve easier to control, and it is perfectly legal at all levels of play.
In doubles, the server keeps serving (alternating between the right and left service courts after each point) until they commit a fault. Then the serve passes to their partner. Once both players on a team have lost their serve, it is a side out, and the other team gets to serve. In singles, when you lose your serve, it goes directly to your opponent.
The Two-Bounce Rule
The two-bounce rule is one of the first things that confuses new players, but once it clicks, it is straightforward.
Here is how it works. After the serve, the receiving team must let the ball bounce once before returning it. They cannot volley the serve out of the air. Then, after that return, the serving team must also let the ball bounce once before hitting their third shot. They cannot charge the net and volley the return.
After those two bounces -- one on each side -- the ball is live. Either team can then choose to volley (hit the ball out of the air) or play it off the bounce. The restriction only applies to the first two shots after the serve.
Here is a concrete example to make it clear. Imagine you serve from the right side of the court. The ball lands in your opponent's service area. They must let it bounce before hitting their return -- that is bounce one. The return comes back to your side. You or your partner must let it bounce before hitting it back -- that is bounce two. After that, anyone can volley or play off the bounce for the rest of the rally.
The purpose of this rule is to prevent serve-and-volley dominance. Without it, the serving team could blast a serve and immediately rush the net to put away the return. The two-bounce rule forces both teams to play at least one groundstroke, which keeps rallies longer and makes the game more strategic.
You will sometimes hear this called the "double bounce rule," which is the same thing. Just remember: the serve bounces, the return bounces, and then anything goes.
The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone)
The kitchen is pickleball's most distinctive rule, and it is the one that generates the most confusion and the most arguments during recreational play. Understanding it well will save you a lot of frustration.
The kitchen is the 7-foot zone on each side of the net, marked by a line running across the full width of the court. Its official name is the non-volley zone, and that name tells you exactly what the rule is: you cannot hit a volley while standing in the kitchen.
A volley means hitting the ball out of the air before it bounces. If the ball has bounced in the kitchen (or anywhere else), you are free to step into the kitchen and play it. The restriction only applies to volleys.
Here is where it gets nuanced and where most mistakes happen. The rule is not just about where your feet are when you make contact with the ball. It also covers your momentum. If you are standing behind the kitchen line and you volley the ball, but your forward momentum carries you into the kitchen -- even one step, even a toe on the line -- that is a fault. Your follow-through after a volley cannot take you into the kitchen either. If your paddle swing pulls you forward and you stumble into the zone, the point is over.
This means that after you hit a volley near the kitchen line, you need to stay balanced and controlled. Many experienced players develop a habit of planting their back foot or even stepping backward after a volley at the net, specifically to avoid getting called for a kitchen violation.
Here are the common kitchen mistakes that catch beginners:
- Volleying while standing in the kitchen. The most obvious violation. If any part of your body is touching the kitchen or the kitchen line and you volley, it is a fault.
- Momentum carrying you in after a volley. You hit a great volley from behind the line, but your forward step lands in the kitchen. Fault.
- Dropping something in the kitchen. If your hat, sunglasses, or paddle falls into the kitchen during or after a volley, that is technically a fault too.
- Touching the kitchen line. The line is part of the kitchen. Stepping on it during a volley is the same as being in the zone.
You can enter the kitchen any time you want -- there is no rule against standing in it. You just cannot volley from there. Many players stand in the kitchen between rallies or move through it during play. The restriction only activates when you hit the ball out of the air.
Scoring
Pickleball scoring is the part of the game that makes newcomers' heads spin, especially in doubles. But once you understand the pattern, it becomes second nature.
The most important rule: only the serving team can score points. If the receiving team wins the rally, they do not get a point -- they get the serve. This means that games often feel back-and-forth, because you have to earn the right to serve before you can put points on the board.
Doubles Scoring
In doubles, the score is called as three numbers: the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, and the server number (1 or 2).
For example, if you hear "4-2-1," it means the serving team has 4 points, the receiving team has 2 points, and the first server on the serving team is currently serving. If that server faults, the serve goes to their partner, and the score would be called as "4-2-2." If the second server also faults, it is a side out, and the other team takes over serving.
There is one exception at the very start of the game. On the first service turn, only one player on the starting team gets to serve. This prevents the team that serves first from having too big an advantage. The score to start the game is "0-0-2" -- signaling that when this server faults, it will be an immediate side out. After that initial turn, both players on each team get to serve before the serve switches sides.
The server number (1 or 2) refers to the serving order for that particular service turn, not a permanent designation. Each time your team gets the serve back, the player in the right-hand court becomes server 1, and the player in the left-hand court becomes server 2.
Singles Scoring
Singles scoring is simpler. There are only two numbers: your score and your opponent's score. No server number is needed because there is only one player on each side. The server serves from the right court when their score is even and from the left court when their score is odd.
Winning the Game
Standard games are played to 11 points, win by 2. So if the score reaches 10-10, play continues until one team leads by 2 (12-10, 13-11, and so on). Tournament games may be played to 15 or 21, still win by 2.
Common Faults
A fault is any action that stops the rally and results in a dead ball. If the serving team faults, they lose the serve. If the receiving team faults, the serving team scores a point.
Here are the most common faults you will encounter:
- Ball hit out of bounds. If the ball lands outside the court lines (the lines are in), the last team to hit it committed the fault.
- Ball hit into the net. If your shot does not clear the net, that is a fault on you.
- Volleying from the kitchen. Hitting the ball out of the air while any part of your body is in the non-volley zone, or being carried into it by momentum after a volley.
- Violating the two-bounce rule. Volleying the serve return (as the serving team) or volleying the serve itself (as the receiving team) before the required bounces have happened.
- Ball hit before it crosses the net. You cannot reach over the net to hit the ball on your opponent's side. The ball must cross the plane of the net before you can make contact. (There is a narrow exception: if the wind or spin carries the ball back over the net to your opponent's side without you touching it, they can reach over to play it.)
- Touching the net. If your body, clothing, or paddle touches the net or the net post during a rally, that is a fault.
- Serving to the wrong court. The serve must go to the correct diagonal service area. If it lands in the wrong court, it is a fault.
Doubles vs. Singles
While the core rules are the same, doubles and singles play differently in practice.
Doubles is by far the more common format, making up over 90% of recreational play. It is more social, more strategic, and less physically demanding than singles. In doubles, court positioning is everything -- you and your partner work together to control the net and create angles. You will hear terms like stacking (a formation where both players line up on the same side before the serve) and switching (trading sides after a shot to stay in optimal position). Communication with your partner -- calling "mine" or "yours" -- is essential.
Singles requires significantly more fitness and court coverage. You are responsible for the entire court by yourself, so the game rewards speed, stamina, and shot placement. The scoring is simpler (just two numbers), and you serve from the right when your score is even and the left when it is odd. Singles play tends to be more aggressive, with bigger swings and more attempts to put the ball away.
If you are just starting out, doubles is the way to go. It is more forgiving, more fun with a group, and teaches you the core strategies of the game. Singles is a great workout and a good way to sharpen your individual skills once you have the fundamentals down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the ball hit the kitchen line on a serve?
No. The serve must land beyond the kitchen and its lines. The kitchen line is considered part of the non-volley zone, so a serve that clips it is a fault. This is different from every other line on the court -- for non-serve shots, a ball landing on any line is considered in. But on the serve, the kitchen line is out.
What happens if the ball hits the net on a serve?
If the serve hits the net but still lands in the correct service area (past the kitchen), it is a let -- you replay the serve with no penalty. There is no limit to the number of lets. If the ball hits the net and lands out of bounds or in the kitchen, it is a fault. Note that the let rule applies only to serves. During a rally, if the ball clips the net and goes over, play continues.
Can you step into the kitchen before the ball bounces?
Yes. You can enter the kitchen at any time. The only restriction is that you cannot volley (hit the ball out of the air) while you are in the kitchen or moving into it. So if you see a ball about to bounce in the kitchen, you can step in, wait for the bounce, and play it. You just cannot hit it before it bounces while you are in that zone.
What is the difference between a volley and a groundstroke?
A volley is when you hit the ball out of the air before it bounces on the ground. A groundstroke is when you hit the ball after it has bounced once. This distinction matters most around the kitchen, because volleys are prohibited in the non-volley zone while groundstrokes are perfectly fine there. Most rallies involve a mix of both -- volleys at the net and groundstrokes from the baseline.
Do you have to call the score before every serve?
Yes. In both recreational and tournament play, the server is expected to call the score clearly before serving. In doubles, that means all three numbers (serving team's score, receiving team's score, server number). In singles, it is two numbers. Calling the score ensures everyone on the court agrees on the count and helps prevent disputes. In casual games, people sometimes get lazy about this, but it is a good habit to develop from the start.
Now Go Play
The best way to learn pickleball rules is to get on the court and play. The two-bounce rule and the kitchen will feel awkward for the first few games, but they will become instinct faster than you expect. Do not worry about getting every detail right immediately -- recreational pickleball is forgiving, and most players are happy to help newcomers figure things out during a game.
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