Pickleball Rules for Beginners: The 10 Rules You Need to Know

Pickleball is famously easy to pick up — most people are rallying within their first hour. But a handful of rules make it different from tennis, badminton or table tennis, and they trip up almost every beginner.

Here are the 10 rules you need to know to play your first game with confidence.

Quick context: pickleball is played on a 20 × 44 ft court (the same size as a badminton doubles court) with a net that is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle. You use a solid paddle and a plastic ball with holes. Most social games are doubles.

#1. The serve is underhand

The serve must be hit underhand. With the standard volley serve, you contact the ball below your waist with an upward swinging motion.

You can also use the drop serve: drop the ball from your hand, let it bounce, and hit it — any stroke is allowed as long as you simply release the ball (no throwing or spinning it down).

#2. Serve diagonally, from behind the baseline

When you serve, at least one foot must be behind the baseline, and neither foot may touch the court inside the baseline until you hit the ball. The serve goes diagonally cross-court and must land in the opposite service box, beyond the kitchen line.

You get one attempt per serve. A serve that clips the net and still lands in the correct box is in play — there are no "lets".

#3. The two-bounce rule

This is the rule that makes pickleball pickleball. After the serve:

1. The receiving team must let the serve bounce before returning it.
2. The serving team must let that return bounce before hitting it.

Only after those two bounces can players volley (hit the ball out of the air). The rule stops the serving team from rushing the net and keeps rallies going.

#4. The kitchen (non-volley zone)

The kitchen is the 7-foot zone on each side of the net. The rule is simple once you know it:

• You cannot volley while standing in the kitchen or touching the kitchen line.
• If your momentum after a volley carries you into the kitchen, it is still a fault — even after the ball is dead.
• You can step into the kitchen at any time to hit a ball that has bounced.

So the kitchen is not off-limits — only volleying in it is.

#5. Only the serving side scores (traditional scoring)

In traditional pickleball scoring, you can only win a point when your side is serving. If the receiving side wins the rally, they do not get a point — they win the serve instead (a "side out").

Some leagues and events use rally scoring, where every rally wins a point regardless of who served. Always check before you start.

#6. Games go to 11, win by 2

Most games are played to 11 points and must be won by 2 — so 11–9 wins, but 11–10 keeps going. Some tournaments play to 15 or 21.

#7. Calling the score in doubles: three numbers

In doubles, the server calls three numbers before each serve:

1. The serving team's score
2. The receiving team's score
3. The server number — 1 or 2

For example, "4–2–1" means the serving team has 4, the receiving team has 2, and this is the team's first server.

Each team gets two servers per turn (server 1, then server 2) before a side out — except at the very start of the game, when only one player serves. That is why every game starts with "0–0–2".

#8. Switch sides when you win a point on serve

When the serving team wins a point, the server switches sides with their partner and serves again from the other box. The receiving team does not switch. When the serve passes to the second server or to the other team, players stay where they are.

A handy check: when your team's score is even, the player who served first in the game for your team should be on the right; when it is odd, on the left.

#9. Lines: in means in

A ball that lands on any line is in — except that a serve landing on the kitchen line is a fault (it is short).

#10. The most common faults

A rally ends in a fault when a player:

• Hits the ball out or into the net
• Volleys before the ball has bounced once on each side (breaks the two-bounce rule)
• Volleys from the kitchen or touches the kitchen line while volleying
• Lets the ball bounce twice before hitting it
• Touches the net with their body or paddle while the ball is in play
• Serves from the wrong box, or the wrong player serves

#Pickleball etiquette for your first open play

• Call your own lines fairly and quickly; if you are not sure, it is in.
• Say the score clearly before every serve.
• Rotate off the court when your game ends at busy open plays — the paddle stack or queue decides who is next.
• Tap paddles at the net after the game.

#Where to play your first game

The fastest way to improve is to play with people at your level. In the Piklepad app, you can find open play and doubles near you, see the level of every game, and join in one tap — then log your score and watch your rating grow.

Rules summarized for recreational play. For sanctioned tournaments, always check the current official rulebook used by your event.