If you’re new to pickleball (or even if you’ve been playing for a while), you’ve probably had that moment where someone yells, “That’s not legal!” and you have no idea why. 🤔
No worries—we’re breaking down the essential pickleball rules so you can step onto the pickleball courts with confidence.
🚦 The Basics: How Pickleball Works
The Serve 🎯The ball must be hit underhand, below your waist, and land in the diagonal service box. Oh, and no over-the-top spin tricks—you gotta keep it clean.
The Two-Bounce Rule 🔄Both the serve AND the return must bounce before anyone can hit it out of the air. This keeps the game fair and eliminates unfair rush attacks.
The Kitchen (AKA the Non-Volley Zone) 🚫That box in front of the net? It’s sacred. You can’t step in and smash volleys. If your momentum carries you in after a volley—boom, fault.
⚖️ Scoring & Winning
Games are played to 11 points, but you must win by 2 points.
Only the serving team can score.
The score is called in this order: server’s score, opponent’s score, server number (Example: “5-3-1” means the first server’s team has 5, the opponents have 3, and it's the first server’s turn).
⛔️ Common Faults That Trip People Up
Hitting the ball out 🚀
Stepping into the kitchen on a volley
Serving into the net or out of bounds
Not letting the ball bounce on the return
🏆 Play Smarter, Play Better
Now that you know the essentials of pickleball rules, you’ll feel way more confident in your next match. And if you really want to step up your game, check out our pickleball drills, pickleball lessons, and paddle reviews to make sure your skills (and equipment) are on point.
Looking for a place to play? Find the best pickleball courts, leagues, and tournaments near you!
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