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Pickleball Rules: A Beginner’s Complete Guide

Pickleball is played on a court divided by a low net, where players use solid paddles to hit a perforated plastic ball over the net with the goal of winning rallies and scoring points. Games typically begin with an underhand serve hit diagonally across the court, and both the serve and the return must bounce once before players can volley. Volleys are not allowed within the non-volley zone (or the “kitchen”), and only the serving team can score under traditional rules, though rally scoring is sometimes used in casual play. Points are won by forcing opponents into faults such as hitting out of bounds, volleying in the kitchen, or failing to return the ball. Whether playing singles or doubles, understanding proper serve order, court positioning, and respecting line calls and etiquette is key to fair, fun, and competitive play.

In this article, we’ll break down each piece in detail; from court layout to serving technique, scoring variations, fault, and the etiquette that makes pickleball both competitive and welcoming, so you can master every inch of the court.

If you want to dig deeper into other aspects of Pickleball, you can check out “History of Pickleball,” “Why is it called Pickleball’ and “ Pickleball in the Olympics.”  

Court and Equipment

A standard pickleball court is measured with 2-inch lines around the playing surface, distinguishing it from the playing surface. Each side of the net has a 7-ft non-volley zone, aka the kitchen zone; volleying (hitting the ball before ground contact) from within or making contact with this zone is a fault. A pickleball net is 21 feet 9 inches between posts that are 22 feet apart, 36 inches on each side, and 34 inches in the middle (USA Pickleball, 2025).

(Pickleball Court Dimensions from Above In Centimeters and Feet)

Pickleball paddles must be rigid, non-compressible, free of surface features that cause excessive spin, and no more than 24 inches in total length and width (edge guard included) or 17 inches in length (American Pickleball Association, 2024). Pickleball balls are hollow molded plastic with 26–40 holes, 2.87–2.97 in diameter, and a smooth surface for consistent flight (USA Pickleball, 2025).

Pickleball Paddle Pink - Cat

(Pickleball Paddles)

Serving Rules

Serves are executed underhand, with the point of contact below the server's waist and the paddle head below wrist level. The ball must travel diagonally, clear or touch the net, and land beyond the non-volley zone in the opponent's service court. At least one foot is behind the baseline until impact, and only one attempt at a serve is made, unless there is a let and the ball falls in its rightful position (USA Pickleball, 2025).

In pickleball, a "let" serve occurs when the ball touches the net on a legal underhand serve but still lands in the correct diagonally opposite service court beyond the non-volley zone; unlike in tennis, these types of net-clips remain live and must be played, with only those that land out of bounds or in the kitchen treated as faults. (Selkirk Sport, 2024; PlayPickleball.com, 2024; USA Pickleball, 2025).

A drop serve is an alternate serving method where the server releases the ball from one hand and lets it fall naturally to the ground before striking it after the bounce. This type of serve still requires underhand contact below waist level, but it gives players more flexibility in timing and paddle angle. Drop serves are especially helpful for beginners or players looking to improve consistency and control (USA Pickleball, 2025).

Serving Order

Singles

  • When your score is even, serve from the right/even court.
  • When your score is odd, serve from the left/odd court.
  • After each successful rally won as server, you switch sides (right→left→right, etc.) and serve again. If you lose the rally, the serve passes to your opponent with no point awarded (USA Pickleball, 2025).

Doubles

  • First Server begins on the right/even court at the start of each side-out (or at game start when their team score is even; left/odd when odd).
  • Win the rally → switch courts (even→odd or odd→even) and serve again.
  • If the First Server loses the rally, the Second Server (their partner) takes over from their correct court, again alternating sides after each point won.
  • When the Second Server loses their rally, the serve passes to the opposing team’s First Server (USA Pickleball, 2025).

Double Bounce Rule

The pickleball two-bounce rule, or the "two-step" requirement, guarantees that each rally begins fairly and strategically.

Under this rule, the server team should allow the serve to bounce once before the return, and the receiving team should allow that return to bounce once before volleys. After these initial two bounces, players may volley or bounce off a bounce, promoting longer rallies and removing the serve-and-volley advantage (serves the ball and immediately approaches the net to volley) (USA Pickleball, 2025; Paddletek, 2024; Wikipedia contributors, 2025).

Non-Volley Zone aka “The Kitchen”

The pickleball non-volley zone, sometimes known as "the kitchen,” is 14 feet across the court, 7 feet on each side of the net, and is out-of-bounds for volleys. Any contact of the kitchen line or inside of it when volleying, including a follow-through that sends your foot or paddle into the zone, is an immediate fault.

To legally volley, the players have to fully re-establish both feet beyond the non-volley zone. However, they may enter the kitchen to play balls that have already bounced (USA Pickleball, 2025; ThePickler, 2020; Anderson University, 2017; Big Apple Recreational Sports, n.d.).

Scoring Rules & How to Win in Pickleball

Pickleball uses standard side-out scoring in which points are only scored by the serving team. It typically played to 11 points (win by two), although tournament play will extend to 15 or 21 points on the same margin requirement (PlayPickleball.com, 2023; International Federation of Pickleball, 2019).

All rallies begin with an underhand serve, and when the serving team wins the rally, they receive one point, and the server switches court sides. If the serving team loses the rally, service is alternated to the opponent without a point (PlayPickleball.com, 2023; International Federation of Pickleball, 2019).

In doubles play, both partners serve alternatively before service reverts to the opposing team, with partners switching sides of the court after each point and the scores typically being called out in the format of "server's score - receiver's score - server number" to avoid ambiguity (International Federation of Pickleball, 2019; PlayPickleball.com, 2023).

While side-out scoring remains the official tournament format at USA Pickleball-sanctioned events, provisional rally scoring, where a point is awarded on every rally regardless of the serving side, has been embraced for recreational and team play (USA Pickleball, 2025; PlayPickleball.com, 2024). This optional format can speed up matches and make pickleball scoring more simple for casual players.

Playing Pickleball

Fault Rules

A fault in pickleball is any rule violation that immediately ends a rally, resulting in a side-out (loss of serve) or a point awarded to the opponent (for rally scoring) (PlayPickleball.com, 2024; Wikipedia contributors, 2025). Understanding the most common faults helps you avoid unforced errors and keep the ball in play.

Common Serving Faults

  • Out-of-Bounds Serve: The ball lands outside the correct diagonal service court.
  • Kitchen Serve: A serve lands in the non-volley zone (“kitchen”).
  • Net Serve: A serve fails to clear the net.
  • Foot Fault: Server’s foot touches or crosses the baseline before or during contact. (International Federation of Pickleball, 2019; PlayPickleball.com, 2024).

Common In-Play Faults

  • Ball Out of Bounds: A rally ball lands outside the court lines (PlayPickleball.com, 2024).
  • Double Bounce: The ball bounces more than once before returning.
  • Carry or Catch: The ball comes to rest on the paddle's surface before being released.
  • Double Hit: Player hits the ball twice with one swing.
  • Distraction Fault: An intentional distraction of an opponent while playing the point. (PlayPickleball.com, 2024; Wikipedia contributors, 2025).

Net and Non-Volley Zone Faults

  • Volleying in the Kitchen: Hitting the ball in the air while any part of the player or paddle touches the non-volley zone line or area.
  • Net Contact: Any contact with the net, posts, or cord made by a player or their equipment during a rally.
  • Momentum Fault: Momentum from a volley carries the player or paddle into the kitchen (International Federation of Pickleball, 2019; PlayPickleball.com, 2024).

Line Judgments

  • In-Bounds Shots: If the ball touches any boundary line during play, sideline, baseline, or centerline, it’s considered in.
  • Kitchen Line: If a serve lands on the kitchen line, it’s ruled a fault.

Singles vs. Doubles

In singles play, each player serves until losing a rally or committing a fault. The server begins from the right service court when the score is even, and begins from the left service court when the score is odd. Switching sides after each point won, two numbers are called for scoring (server's score - receiver's score). On a fault serve, it immediately passes to the opponent without any additional serve attempt (PlayPickleball.com, 2023; USA Pickleball, 2025).

In doubles play, each team is given two consecutive serves every service turn. At the start of a game, only one partner serves. When that initial server commits a fault, the serve is passed to their partner. When the other partner fails, the serve is switched to the opposite team. During your service turn, you continue to serve as long as you win points, alternating between the right (even) and left (odd) service courts. After each point, announcing the score as "server's score, receiver's score, server number" to keep track of whose serve is next (International Federation of Pickleball, 2019; USA Pickleball, 2025).

All other rules, including the two-bounce requirement and non-volley zone ("kitchen") restrictions, apply equally to both singles and doubles.

Etiquette and Key Terms

Pickleball Etiquette

  • Clear Score Calls: Always announce the score loudly and clearly before each serve.
  • Honest Line Calls: Call "in" or "out" honestly; your honesty keeps the game nice and competitive.
  • Safe Court Movement: Avoid walking behind active play to prevent distractions and potential collisions. 
  • Sportsman’s Tap: After each point, lightly tap paddles with your opponents as a sign of respect and friendship (USA Pickleball, 2025).

Pickleball Terms 

  • Dink: A dink is a soft, controlled shot that arcs just over the net into the non-volley zone to draw opponents forward. The name “dink” came from the light “dink” sound made on contact; players embraced it to describe this finesse stroke.
  • Erne Volley: A quick volley hit right outside the sideline in the kitchen, which is typically played to surprise an opponent by an accelerated angled shot (Davidson & Wilson, 2023). The move was named by fellow players who saw Erne Perry use it in tournaments. As it gained popularity, the name stuck as a tribute to his unique style. 
  • ATP (“Around The Post”): A spectacular shot played around the net post rather than over it, causing the ball to go straight to the opponent’s court (Davidson & Wilson, 2023).

If you want to know more details about “Pickleball Terms,” you can read here.

 

Get Ready to Hit the Court with PickleballGoats.com

Now that you’ve got the basics of pickleball, from court rules to quirky kitchen faults. You’re all set to join the pickleball party. At PickleballGoats.com, we serve up funny, pickleball apparel and accessories designed for players who dink different. Grab a paddle (or a funny t-shirt) and get ready to have fun on the court

 

References

American Pickleball Association. (2024). Court specifications and equipment standards. APA Press. https://apapickleball.org/court-specifications-equipment-standards

Anderson University. (2017). Pickleball rules [PDF]. Anderson University. https://www.anderson.edu/uploads/1/9/2/2/19224861/pickleball_rules.pdf

Big Apple Recreational Sports. (n.d.). Pickleball rules. Bigapplerecsports.com. https://bigapplerecsports.com/pickleball-rules

Davidson, T., & Wilson, R. (2023). The evolution of pickleball strategy. Journal of Racquet Sports, 12(3), 78–92.

International Federation of Pickleball. (2019). Pickleball rules summary. International Federation of Pickleball. https://ifpickleball.org/rule-summary

International Federation of Pickleball. (2021). Official rulebook. IFP. https://ifpickleball.org/official-rulebook

Paddletek. (2024). The two‑bounce rule of pickleball. Paddletek. https://paddletek.com/two-bounce-rule

PlayPickleball.com. (2023). Pickleball scoring rules 101: Basic pickleball rules. https://www.playpickleball.com/scoring-rules-101

PlayPickleball.com. (2023). What are the rules for singles pickleball? https://www.playpickleball.com/rules-for-singles

PlayPickleball.com. (2024). 2025 USA Pickleball rule changes: Rally scoring is now legal. https://www.playpickleball.com/2025-rule-changes-rally-scoring

PlayPickleball.com. (2024). Pickleball faults. https://www.playpickleball.com/pickleball-faults

PlayPickleball.com. (2024). What is a pickleball let serve? https://www.playpickleball.com/let-serve

Selkirk Sport. (2024). Understanding let serves in pickleball. https://www.selkirk.com/understanding-let-serves

Sport & Fitness Industry Association. (2025). Topline participation report. SFIA. https://www.sfia.org/reports/2025-topline-participation-report

ThePickler. (2020). Pickleball kitchen rules – Learn important non‑volley zone rules. https://thepickler.com/kitchen-rules

USA Pickleball. (2025). Official pickleball rulebook. https://usapickleball.org/official-rulebook

USA Pickleball. (2025). Official rulebook (Section 4.A.2). https://usapickleball.org/official-rulebook#4A2

USA Pickleball. (2025). Official rulebook (Sections 4.B.4–4.B.5). https://usapickleball.org/official-rulebook#4B4-4B5

USA Pickleball. (2025). Official rulebook (Sections 6–7). https://usapickleball.org/official-rulebook#6-7

Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Fault. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fault_(pickleball)

Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Pickleball. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickleball

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