Pickleball Rules: The Complete Guide to Scoring, the Kitchen and Serving

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and it is very easy to start playing. It has a few unique rules, especially the kitchen and the double bounce rule, that are important to know. This guide walks through every pickleball rule simply so you can get on court and play correctly from your very first game.

The court

A pickleball court is the size of a doubles badminton court, about 6.1 by 13.4 metres, with a low net in the middle. You can play singles or doubles, but doubles is the most popular format.

In the area next to the net, 2.13 metres on each side, sits the kitchen (non-volley zone), an area with special rules we will cover below.

How to serve in pickleball

The serve in pickleball is underhand. You hit the ball below waist height with the paddle head below your wrist, sending it diagonally into the opposite service box.

Your feet must stay behind the baseline during the serve. Unlike tennis, pickleball usually gives only one serve attempt.

• Contact below waist height
• The paddle head below the wrist
• Serve diagonally to the opposite box
• One serve attempt

The double bounce rule

This is one of the most important and unique rules in pickleball. After the serve, the receiving side must let the ball bounce once before hitting it. Then the serving side must also let the ball bounce once on their first return.

Only after both sides have taken that first bounce may you start hitting balls out of the air (a volley). This rule prevents an unfair advantage for the server and extends the rallies.

The kitchen, a no volley area

The kitchen is the 2.13 metre area on each side of the net. The main rule: you may not hit a volley, meaning a ball out of the air before it bounces, while standing in the kitchen or touching its line.

You may step into the kitchen to play a ball that bounced there, but after a volley your momentum must not carry you into the kitchen. This is one of the places beginners get wrong most often.

• No volley inside the kitchen or touching the line
• You may enter the kitchen to play a ball that bounced
• Even your momentum after a volley cannot carry you into the kitchen

The scoring system

In pickleball only the serving side can score points. If the receiving side wins a rally, it does not get a point but instead the right to serve.

Games are usually played to 11 points, with a lead of at least two. In doubles, both players on a team serve in turn before the serve passes to the opponents, and the score is called with three numbers: the servers score, the receivers score and the server number.

Common rule mistakes for beginners

Most beginner mistakes involve the kitchen and the double bounce rule. Practising them deliberately improves your game quickly.

• Volleying while standing in the kitchen or on the line
• Forgetting the double bounce rule and rushing the net too early
• Serving above waist height
• Thinking you can score even when you are not serving

Frequently asked questions