Pickleball rules.

1

The goal

Hit the ball over the net. A rally ends when someone cannot return it.

2

The court

The kitchen is the 7-foot zone on each side of the net. Behind it, each side has a left and a right box.

A ball on a line is in.

Left box Right box Kitchen Kitchen Left box Right box Net Back line Back line

3

Serving

Stand behind the back line. Hit the ball into the diagonal box, past the kitchen.

Swing up from below your waist, or drop the ball and hit it after it bounces. One try.

Serve from here Land here

4

Two bounces

The serve and the return must each bounce before you hit them. After that, you can hit the ball out of the air. That is a volley.

1 2 Serve bounces Return bounces Then volleys are allowed

5

The kitchen

No volleys in the kitchen or on its line, even if momentum carries you in.

Step in only to hit a ball that has bounced.

✕ ✓ In the air: no Bounced: yes Kitchen Kitchen

6

Scoring

Only the serving side scores. Win a rally as the server for a point. Win it as the receiver for the serve.

First to 11 wins, by 2.

7

Calling the score

Before each serve, the server calls the score: yours, theirs, then server 1 or 2 (doubles only).

A new game starts at “0, 0, 2”.

4Your score
2Their score
1First server

8

Doubles serving order

Each side has two servers. The first serves until the side loses a rally. Then the partner serves. Lose again and the serve passes to the other side.

A turn starts from the right. When the serving side scores, the partners swap sides and serve again. Only the scoring side swaps.

S P S P Point Turn starts on the right Point won: swap sides

S server P partner

9

Faults

A fault loses the rally. Server fault: the serve passes on. Receiver fault: the server scores.

  • Ball lands out
  • Ball hits the net
  • Two bounces
  • Volley in the kitchen
  • Ball hits you
  • Serve in the wrong box

10

Switching ends

At 6 points in a game to 11, teams swap ends. The same server continues.