Complete Guide · Updated 2025

Pickleball Rules: The Complete Guide

Everything you need to know — serving, the kitchen, the two-bounce rule, scoring, and faults. Whether you're a beginner stepping on court for the first time or an experienced player looking to brush up, this is your guide.

Table of Contents

  1. 1. What Is Pickleball?
  2. 2. The Court & Equipment
  3. 3. Serving Rules
  4. 4. The Two-Bounce Rule
  5. 5. The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone)
  6. 6. Scoring
  7. 7. Faults
  8. 8. Doubles Rules
  9. 9. Common Questions

Section 1

What Is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. It is played on a court roughly the size of a badminton court, using a solid paddle and a perforated plastic ball (similar to a wiffle ball).

The game can be played as singles (one player per side) or doubles (two players per side), and is suitable for all ages and skill levels. It is currently the fastest-growing sport in the world, with millions of players across North America, Europe, and beyond.

Quick Facts

  • → Invented in 1965 in Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA
  • → Fastest-growing sport in the USA and Europe
  • → Played on a 20×44 ft court (same width as doubles badminton)
  • → Games typically played to 11 points, win by 2
  • → Governed by USA Pickleball (USAPA) officially

Section 2

The Court & Equipment

The Court

A pickleball court measures 20 feet wide by 44 feet long for both singles and doubles. The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches high at the centre.

The court is divided into:

  • → Non-Volley Zone (the Kitchen): A 7-foot zone on each side of the net where volleys are prohibited.
  • → Service boxes: Two service areas on each side of the court, left and right of the centreline.
  • → Baseline: The back boundary line on each end.

Equipment

  • → Paddle: Solid (not strung), made of wood, composite, or graphite. Max size: 24 inches combined length and width.
  • → Ball: Perforated plastic (wiffle-style). Outdoor balls have smaller holes and are harder; indoor balls have larger holes.

Section 3

Serving Rules

The serve initiates every rally. Pickleball serving rules are strict and very different from tennis.

The serve must be underhand

  • → The paddle must contact the ball below the server's waist (navel height).
  • → The paddle head must be below the wrist at the point of contact.
  • → The arm must move in an upward arc at the time of contact.

Serve Placement

  • → The serve is always hit diagonally cross-court into the opposite service box.
  • → The ball must clear the non-volley zone (kitchen) completely — a serve landing in the kitchen is a fault.
  • → The serve must land inbounds — within the service box and not on the NVZ line.

Other Serving Rules

  • → One serve attempt only — there are no second serves (except in certain recreational formats).
  • → Both feet must be behind the baseline when serving.
  • → The server must announce the score before serving.
  • → Let serves (ball clips the net but lands in) are replayed.

Section 4

The Two-Bounce Rule

The two-bounce rule (also called the double-bounce rule) is one of the most important and unique rules in pickleball. It exists to prevent the serving team from rushing the net immediately and ending rallies too quickly.

How it works:

1

The serving team hits the serve. The receiving team must let the serve bounce before returning it — they cannot volley it.

2

The receiving team returns the serve. The serving team must also let this return bounce before hitting it — they cannot volley it either.

→

After both of these bounces have occurred, either team may volley or let the ball bounce — their choice.

Violating the two-bounce rule is a fault — the rally ends and the opposing team wins the point or regains serve.

Section 5

The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone)

The kitchen is the informal name for the Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) — the 7-foot area on each side of the net. It is the most strategically important part of the court, and its rules are frequently misunderstood.

The core rule

You cannot volley the ball (hit it before it bounces) while standing in the kitchen, or while your momentum from a volley carries you into the kitchen.

What you CAN do in the kitchen:

  • → Enter the kitchen to play a ball that has already bounced inside it.
  • → Stand in the kitchen any time you are not volleying.

What you CANNOT do:

  • → Volley while standing in the kitchen or on the kitchen line.
  • → Let your forward momentum carry you into the kitchen after a volley — even if the volley itself was taken outside the kitchen.
  • → Have any part of your body or clothing touch the kitchen line while volleying.

The momentum rule — a common mistake

If you volley near the kitchen and your momentum carries one foot into the kitchen after the shot, it is a fault — even though you were outside when you hit the ball. You must regain balance and establish both feet outside the kitchen before volleying again.

Section 6

Scoring

Only the serving team can score

If the receiving team wins the rally, they do not score a point — they win the serve (called a side-out). Points are only scored by the team that is currently serving.

Game formats

  • → Standard: First to 11 points, win by 2.
  • → Tournament: Often played to 15 or 21, win by 2.
  • → If tied at 10-10 (in an 11-point game), play continues until one team leads by 2.

Calling the score — Doubles

In doubles, the server must call the score as three numbers before each serve:

5 – 3 – 2

Serving team score · Receiving team score · Server number (1 or 2)

At the start of the game, the first serving team begins with only one server (server 2) — this prevents one team from having a large advantage at the start.

Calling the score — Singles

In singles, only two numbers are called: server score – receiver score. The server serves from the right side when their score is even, and from the left side when their score is odd.

Section 7

Faults

A fault ends the current rally. If the serving team commits a fault, they lose the serve (side-out). If the receiving team commits a fault, the serving team scores a point.

Common faults:

  • →
    Ball out of bounds — the ball lands outside the court boundaries.
  • →
    Ball hits the net — the ball does not clear the net.
  • →
    Kitchen volley — volleying while standing in or touching the non-volley zone line.
  • →
    Serve lands in the kitchen — the serve must clear the NVZ entirely.
  • →
    Two-bounce rule violation — volleying before the required bounce on serve or return.
  • →
    Touching the net — any player, clothing, or paddle touches the net or post during play.
  • →
    Illegal serve — overhand serve, paddle above wrist, or contact above waist height.
  • →
    Ball bounces twice — the ball bounces a second time on your side before you return it.

Section 8

Doubles Rules

Doubles is the most popular format in pickleball. Most rules are the same as singles, with a few important differences.

Serving order

  • → Both players on a team serve (except at the very start of the game — the first team begins with only one server to reduce early-game advantage).
  • → When a team wins the serve from a side-out, the player on the right side serves first.
  • → If the serving team scores, the two partners switch sides — the scorer now serves from the other side.

Receiving team positioning

  • → Only the player in the correct diagonal service box can receive the serve.
  • → The receiving team's positions do not switch after points — only the serving team rotates.

Court positioning tip

The most effective doubles strategy is to get both players to the non-volley zone line as quickly as possible after the two-bounce rule is satisfied. Controlling the kitchen line wins rallies.

Section 9

Common Questions

Can you step into the kitchen in pickleball? +
Yes — but only to play a ball that has already bounced inside it. You cannot be in the kitchen and volley. If your momentum carries you into the kitchen after a volley, it is a fault even if you were outside when you hit the ball.
Is the kitchen line in or out? +
For ball landing: the kitchen line is considered in for serves (a serve landing on the kitchen line is a fault). For all other shots, all lines are in except the baseline/sidelines out-of-bounds. For volleying: touching the kitchen line while volleying is a fault — treat it as part of the kitchen.
What is a "dink" in pickleball? +
A dink is a soft, controlled shot hit from near the kitchen that arcs just over the net and lands in the opponent's kitchen. It is one of the most important shots in pickleball — used to neutralise aggressive play and set up winning opportunities. The word "dink" is even part of our app name!
Can the serve bounce before being hit? +
There are two legal serve methods: the volley serve (ball tossed in the air and hit before it bounces) and the drop serve (ball dropped and allowed to bounce before being hit). The drop serve has no restrictions on paddle angle or arm motion — only the underhand requirement applies to the volley serve.
What happens if the ball hits the net post? +
If the ball hits the net post and lands inbounds, it is a live ball and play continues. If it lands out of bounds, it is a fault.
How do you win a pickleball game? +
Reach 11 points (win by 2) before your opponent. Remember: only the serving team can score. Games go to 15 or 21 in some tournament formats, also win by 2.
Pickleball paddle

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