Pickleball Rules

Serving

  1. The server must stand behind the baseline and within the sideline boundaries.
  2. The serve must be made diagonally cross-court to the opponent’s service court.
  3. The serve must be underarm, with the paddle striking the ball below waist height.
  4. The ball must clear the net and the non-volley zone line (kitchen line) and land within the correct service court.
  5. Only one serve attempt is allowed per point. If the server swings and completely misses the ball, it is not considered a fault.
  6. Serves that hit the net and land in the correct service court beyond the non-volley zone line are live balls and should be played.

Receiving

  1. The receiving team/player must allow the served ball to bounce once before returning it.
  2. The return must also bounce once on the serving team’s side before it can be volleyed.

Volleying

  1. After the ball has bounced once on each side (as per the Two-Bounce Rule), players may volley (hit the ball in the air).
  2. Volleys are not allowed within the non-volley zone (commonly referred to as the “kitchen”).

Scoring

  1. Only the serving team/player can score points.
  2. Matches are typically played to 11 points, and a team/player must win by a margin of 2 points.
  3. A point is scored when the opposing team commits a fault, such as failing to return the ball within the court boundaries or committing an infraction.

Faults

Faults include:

  • Failing to clear the net.
  • Failing to clear the non-volley zone line on a serve.
  • Hitting the ball out of bounds.
  • Volleying within the non-volley zone.
  • Allowing the ball to bounce more than once on your side.
  • Violating the Two-Bounce Rule (not letting the serve or return bounce once before hitting).
  • Touching the net or posts during play.

A fault by the serving team results in the loss of serve (either to the second server in doubles or a side-out to the opposing team).

Service Rotation

  1. In singles and doubles, the server alternates serving from the right-hand service court when their score is even and from the left-hand service court when their score is odd.
  2. In doubles, both players on a team have the opportunity to serve before the serve rotates to the opposing team, except at the start of the game, when only one server is allowed.

Non-Volley Zone (Kitchen)

  1. Players cannot volley (hit the ball in the air) while standing in the non-volley zone.
  2. Players may step into the non-volley zone to play a ball that has bounced but must exit the zone before volleying.

Line Calls

  1. Players are responsible for making their own line calls.
  2. If there is any doubt, the benefit should be given to the opponent.
  3. Balls that land on the line are considered in.