Pickleball Rules for Beginners: The 5 Rules to Start Playing

Rule 1: The Serve Must Be Underhand

Every point in pickleball starts with a serve. Unlike tennis, you can't slam it overhand. The serve is meant to start the point, not end it. Here are the key things to remember about the serve:

• Underhand Motion: You must hit the ball with an underhand swing, and your paddle must make contact with the ball below your waist.
• Behind the Line: At least one of your feet must be behind the baseline when you hit the serve. You cannot step on or over the line during your serving motion.
• Serve Diagonally: You must serve cross-court to the service box diagonal from you. The serve must clear the non-volley zone (the 'kitchen').
• One Attempt: You only get one chance to hit a good serve. If it goes into the net or out of bounds, it's a fault, and you lose your serve (or your partner serves, if in doubles).

Rule 2: The Double Bounce Rule

This is one of the most unique and important basic pickleball rules. It might sound confusing, but it's simple once you see it in action. It's also called the 'two-bounce rule'.

Here's how it works: 1. First Bounce (Return): After the serve, the receiving team must let the ball bounce once on their side before they can hit it back. 2. Second Bounce (Serve Team): When the ball comes back to the serving team, they also must let it bounce once on their side before they can hit it.

After these two bounces have happened (one on each side), players are free to either volley the ball (hit it out of the air) or play it off a bounce. This rule prevents teams from rushing the net and smashing the ball right after the serve, which leads to longer, more exciting rallies.

Rule 3: Stay Out of the Kitchen (The Non-Volley Zone)

The 7-foot area on both sides of the net is called the Non-Volley Zone, or more famously, 'the Kitchen.'

The main rule is simple: You cannot hit a volley while standing in the kitchen. A volley is a shot where you hit the ball out of the air before it bounces.

• You cannot step on the kitchen line or into the kitchen during your volley motion.
• If your momentum from a volley carries you into the kitchen, it is also a fault.

Can you ever go into the kitchen? Yes! You are allowed to step into the kitchen at any time to hit a ball that has already bounced. This is a very common shot called a 'dink.' You just have to make sure you get both feet back out of the kitchen before you hit your next volley.

Rule 4: Scoring (The Basics)

Scoring can seem a little tricky at first, but you'll get the hang of it quickly. Here are the simple pickleball rules for scoring:

• Only the Serving Team Scores: This is the most important part. You can only win a point if you or your partner served.
• Games to 11: Most games are played to 11 points, and you must win by 2.
• Calling the Score: Before each serve, the server announces the score by saying three numbers: [Your Score] - [Their Score] - [Server Number (1 or 2)]. For example, if your team is serving, you have 5 points, they have 3, and you are the first server for your team in that rally, you would call out "5-3-1".

Rule 5: What is a Fault?

A fault is any action that stops play because of a rule violation. When a fault occurs, the rally is over. If the serving team commits the fault, they lose their serve. If the receiving team commits the fault, the serving team scores a point.

Here are the most common faults for beginners:

• Hitting the ball into the net.
• Hitting the ball out of bounds (outside the court lines).
• Violating the Double Bounce Rule (volleying the ball before it has bounced once on each side).
• Violating the Kitchen Rule (volleying the ball while standing in the non-volley zone).
• The serve fails to land in the correct diagonal service box.