- A regular sized pickleball court is 44×6 meters, with center lines separating the serving sides. The 2.5 meters from each side of the non-volley zone of the net is called the ‘kitchen’. Each game is usually played first to 11 points, won by 2.
- You cannot play volleyball (hit the ball in the air) while standing in the non-volley zone, also known as the ‘kitchen’. This rule helps promote fair play. You can hit the ball inside the NVZ (non-volley zone) after the ball has bounced.
- You may only hit a volley across the kitchen if you do not step into the kitchen. You can also jump to the side of the field and hit the ball in the air. This is called an ‘Ernie’.
- Serves must make contact with the ball below the navel, are served from behind the baseline, with the server turning sides after a rally has been won. During each service, the ball may not end up in the kitchen or on the back kitchen line. The ball must land diagonally across the court into the service court. The serve may hit the net as long as it still lands in the appropriate box.
- What is the 2 Bounce Rule? After a serve, the ball must bounce once on each side of the net before they can hit the ball in the air (or a volley can be made).
- Hitting the ball on the line in Pickleball is considered ‘in’. This applies to both the sideline and the baseline.
- Only the serving team can score a point by winning the rally. The rally refers to a series of continuous shots exchanged between players or teams until a point is scored.
- Before each serve, the score is announced, starting with your team’s score, followed by your opponent’s score. When playing with teams, you end the score with the number of server you are (1st or 2nd). Example: Server 1 Team 1 announces 5-7-1 before serving. The rally results in an error for team 1 and the serve goes to server 2, team 1, who announces 5-7-2 before serving. The second rally also results in a foul for team 1, with the serve now going to server 1. Team 2 announces 7-5-1 before serving.
- Each game starts with the serving team having the advantage. This means they start with the 2nd server on the right side of the court. Each subsequent turn begins with the first server on the right. After they make a mistake, it goes to their partner as the second server. If they also make a mistake, the ball and serve go to the other team.
- Balls hit out of bounds or into the net, causing the ball to bounce twice on your side, will result in a foul.
There you have it! The Top 10 Pickleball Rules for Beginners.
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