Pickleball Rules

Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. Here are the basic rules for playing pickleball:

 

Court and Equipment:

  • The court dimensions are 20 feet by 44 feet for both singles and doubles.
  • The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches high in the middle.
  • Players use paddles made of wood or composite materials and a perforated plastic ball similar to a wiffle ball.
Serving:
  • The serve must be made underhand and the paddle must contact the ball below the waist.
  • The server must have at least one foot behind the baseline and cannot step into the court until after contact.
  • The serve is made diagonally crosscourt and must land within the confines of the opposite diagonal court.
  • The ball must clear the net and not land in the non-volley zone (kitchen).
Scoring:
  • Only the serving team can score points.
  • Games are typically played to 11 points, and a team must win by 2 points.
  • Points are scored when the opposing team faults (fails to return the ball, hits the ball out of bounds, etc.).

Double Bounce Rule:

  • When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce once before returning it.
  • The serving team must then let it bounce once before returning it.
  • After these two bounces, the ball can be volleyed or played off a bounce.
Non-Volley Zone (Kitchen):
  • The non-volley zone extends 7 feet from the net on both sides.
  • Players cannot volley the ball while standing within this zone.
  • Players can enter the zone to play a ball that has bounced but must exit before volleying again.

Faults:

  • Hitting the ball out of bounds.
  • Not clearing the net.
  • Volleying in the non-volley zone.
  • Violating the double bounce rule.
  • Serve faults (not clearing the net, serving to the wrong area, stepping over the baseline, etc.).

Doubles Play Specifics

  • Serve Sequence:
    • Both players on the serving team have the opportunity to serve and score points until a fault is made.
    • The first serve of the game is made from the right-hand court.
    • After each point, the server switches sides with their partner and continues serving from the other side.
    • When the first server loses the serve, the second partner serves from the same side.
  • Serving Rotation:
    • After both players on the serving team have served and made faults, the serve passes to the opposing team.
    • This continues until one team wins by reaching the required points with a 2-point lead.

Singles Play Specifics

  • Serve Sequence:
    • The server serves from the right-hand court when their score is even and from the left-hand court when their score is odd.

These are the fundamental rules for pickleball. There are additional nuances and rules for more advanced play, but these basics will get you started on the court.