Buzz
Pickleball is an exciting and fast-paced sport that merges the best parts of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. Its growing popularity is due to the fact that it requires very little equipment and is easy for beginners to enjoy. All you need is a paddle, a pickleball, and a pickleball court. Whether you're playing singles or doubles, familiarize yourself with the court layout and learn a few simple rules for an engaging and competitive game!
Steps to Follow
Getting Started with the Game
Locate a pickleball or badminton court for your match. While pickleball and badminton courts are the same size, the key difference is that the pickleball court features a net that's set to a height of 34 inches (86 cm). You can search online for nearby pickleball courts, or visit a gym that offers badminton and pickleball courts for your convenience.
- Pickleball courts may be found indoors or outdoors.
Tip: When using a badminton court, be sure to adjust the net to the correct height for pickleball play.
Pick between 2 players for singles or 4 players for doubles. Pickleball can be enjoyed with 2 people facing off in singles play, or with 2 teams of 2 players each in doubles. Both types of games use the same court, the same number of faults before a serve is lost, and typically play to 11 points.
- Doubles is the most common format in pickleball.
Play with one pickleball and a paddle for each player. Pickleball paddles are designed specifically for the game: they're smaller than tennis racquets but larger than ping-pong paddles. Every player needs their own paddle, and you'll also need a pickleball, a lightweight ball with holes like a whiffle ball.
- Pickleballs come in a variety of colors for you to choose from.
How to Serve the Pickleball
Begin your serve from behind the baseline of the right service court. When you serve to start a game or round of pickleball, you must do so from behind the baseline, which is the 20 ft (6.1 m) line at the end of the court. To start the game, stand behind the baseline on the right side.
- The squares in front of the baseline are called the right and left service courts.
- After the game starts, you’ll alternate between these two service courts when serving.
Note: In a singles match, the server serves from the right service court when their score is even, and from the left service court when their score is odd, after each fault.
Serve the pickleball using an underhand strike below the waist. Hold the pickleball at your side with one hand and your paddle in the other. To serve, drop the pickleball and hit it with an underhand swing.
- If you strike the ball above waist level, or if the ball bounces before being hit, it counts as a fault.
Ensure the ball clears the net and bounces once in the opposite service court. Aim for the diagonally opposite service court when serving so the ball bounces once there. Avoid hitting the net or sending the ball past the opposing team’s baseline before it bounces on the opposite service court.
- For example, when serving from the right service court, the ball must bounce in the opposing team’s right service court, which is diagonally across from you.
- If your serve hits the net or goes past the sideline or baseline before bouncing, it’s considered a fault.
Switch service courts after scoring a point. Once your serve is in play and the ball is returned, it continues until a fault is made—such as the ball going out of bounds, hitting the net, or bouncing more than once. If the opposing team commits a fault during your serve, you score a point. After each point, change to the opposite service court for your next serve.
- For instance, if you served from the right service court and scored, your next serve will come from the left service court.
- Only the serving team can score points!
Let the opponent serve after 2 faults. In singles, each player is allowed 2 faults before they lose the serve. In doubles, when one player commits a fault, their partner gets a chance to serve. If both players on a team commit faults, then the serve is turned over to the other team.
Score a point if it’s your serve and the opponent commits a fault. After the ball is served and the 2-bounce rule is followed, both teams hit the ball back and forth to keep the game going. If a team makes a mistake, such as sending the ball out of bounds or letting it bounce twice, the play stops and the ball is served again. If it’s your team’s serve and the other team faults, your team earns a point.
- If your team faults during your serve, no point is awarded. However, if you commit 2 faults, it’s the other team’s turn to serve.
Volleying the Pickleball
Wait for the serve to bounce before returning it. The ball must bounce once on the service court after being served. Once it has bounced, use your paddle to return it over the net, aiming for one of the opponent's service courts.
- The return can land on either of the opponent’s service courts.
Let the ball bounce once before returning it after the serve. According to the two-bounce rule, both the serve and its return must bounce once on the service court before either team can volley the ball. After the opposing team returns your serve, allow the ball to bounce on the service court before hitting it back with your paddle.
- If the return doesn’t land and bounce on a service court, it’s considered a fault, and the serving team earns a point.
Volley the ball before or after it bounces, once the two-bounce rule is followed. Once the two-bounce rule is completed, you may volley the ball either before it touches the ground or after a bounce. Be sure to keep the ball in bounds and avoid hitting the net while sending it back to the other side.
- You can’t hit the ball more than once or pass it to a teammate.
- If the ball bounces on the sideline or baseline, it’s still in play. However, if it lands outside the lines, it’s out of bounds, resulting in a fault.
Don’t stand in the kitchen while volleying the ball. The kitchen, or non-volley zone, is the small rectangular area located in front of each side of the net. You cannot volley the ball if you're standing within this area or if your foot touches the line; doing so results in a fault. Be sure to stay clear of the kitchen before you hit the ball back to your opponent.
- If a serve lands in the kitchen, it’s also considered a fault.
Note: If you accidentally step on the kitchen line due to your momentum, even after hitting the ball, it’s still a fault.
Keep volleying the ball until a fault occurs. Maintain the rally by hitting the ball back and forth with your opponent. There is no limit to how many volleys can happen during the game. If it's your serve and the other team commits a fault, you score a point and serve again. If you make a fault during your serve, you'll get another chance to serve without scoring a point. If you commit 2 faults while serving, the other team gets to serve.
- Games are typically played to 11 points, and a team must lead by at least 2 points to win. However, in tournaments, games may be played to 15 or 21 points, with the same 2-point lead rule for victory.
How to Win a Game
Reach 11 points to be in the running for victory. Track the points scored by each team throughout the game. Once a team reaches 11 points, they are eligible to win. However, they must also have a 2-point lead when they hit 11 points to secure the win.
- For example, if the score is 10-4, and the team with 10 points scores again, they win the game.
Secure a 2-point advantage after reaching 11 points to win. Once a team hits 11 points, they need to have a 2-point lead to win the game. If they don’t have that 2-point cushion, the game continues until they do.
- For instance, if you score 11 points but your opponent has 10, you must score another point to make it 12-10 to win.
Note: In pickleball tournaments, games are frequently played to 15 points, with a 2-point lead necessary to claim victory.
Play 3 games in total to determine the winner of a match. Due to the fast-paced nature of pickleball, matches are usually made up of 3 games. To win the match, your team must win 2 out of the 3 games.
- In some tournaments, matches may consist of 5 games.
What You’ll Need
- Pickleball paddles
- Pickleball
- Water and towel
