Pickleball: Navigating the Game

So it is your first time playing Pickleball? Maybe you are a beginner still wanting to learn more? Or does someone who played a while ago need a refresher on the game? Well, you came to the right spot! Here, we will give you a general understanding of the rules to further your knowledge!

Let’s start with the general dimensions of the court:

1. The court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long for both singles and doubles

2. The net is 36 inches at each net post, and 34 inches in the center

3. On each side of the net, there is a line 7 feet from the net. This is called the “No Volley Line,” commonly referred to as the “Kitchen.”

   1. It is precisely what it entails; you cannot take a volley out of the air if you are inside the Kitchen. If you do so, you lose the point automatically.

4. There is a 15-foot-by-10-foot Right and Left Service area on each side of the net.

Now that you understand what the court looks like, let’s examine the rules and how to play.

1. The Basics

   1. Pickleball is played with small paddles made of either wood, composite, or graphite (wood = heaviest, graphite = lightest). The ball is a polymer ball similar to a waffle ball.

   2. You can only score when your team is serving.

   3. Serving/Scoring

      1. Each player (in doubles, singles is by yourself) only has one serve; if you miss, it either goes to your partner or back to your opponent.

      2. The serve must be underhanded.

      3. You lose that point if the serve goes out of the correct service box.

         1. NOTE: This is also considered out if you serve and the ball bounces in the kitchen.

   4. What happens if the ball hits the net?

      1. While serving:

         1. If the ball hits the net and falls into the service box, this is considered a “let,” and you receive another attempt at a serve. If the ball bounces in the “Kitchen,” this does not count as a let, so the point is over.

      2. During the point:

         1. The ball is allowed to hit the net and come over into play. As difficult as it often is, you must get the ball and put it back into play.

            1. NOTE: The point is over if the ball hits the net and goes out.

   5. If you win the point, you continue serving until you lose a point.

      1. The serve always starts in the correct service box, no matter who is on that side. For it to count, it must always be served to the opposite service box and must not land in the kitchen.

      2. That person serving is “server one.”

         1. They call the score in their favor, for example, 3-0, 1. (the score, then their server number)

            1. NOTE: If the scorer is losing, the score is still called in their favor, so it would be 0-3, 1 (score of serving team losing 0-3, and server 1)

      3. Once a point is lost, the next person serves (in doubles, this is server two)

         1. 1. Score would then be announced 3-0, 2

         2. IMPORTANT: The serving side must remember that the ball MUST bounce twice before it can be volleyed (hit a ball out of the air). This means their serve must bounce in, and then the return must bounce in before they can take anything out of the air.

         3. After the 2 balls bounce in, anything can be hit, except hitting a volley in the kitchen.

            1. NOTE: If the ball bounces first, you can step into the kitchen. However, after striking the ball, you must immediately get out of the kitchen.

         4. When a game starts, only one person on the team gets to serve. Then, your opponent starts the rotation of both players serving.

            1. NOTE: The first team to serve can win as many points as possible, but only one person is serving. For example, the team could go on a 7-0 run and then lose the next point, so their opponents begin their serve. On the other hand, if the serving team loses that first point, the other team serves.

   6. Unlike tennis, the scoring is in intervals of 1. To win the game, you must score 11 points or more, and you must win by two points.

Although this may seem like a lot of information, and maybe it is, the game is easy to grasp and really fun. If you have heard that this is only an older person’s game, do not let that deter you from playing because that is only partially true. Yes, it draws an older crowd because of its low impact on your body, but it is a game for everyone!