How To Play Pickleball: Rules Of The Game And Best Tips

Pickleball continues to be a popular sport across the United States. Players are attracted to how fun of a sport it is, as it combines elements of tennis badminton, and ping pong. It’s easy to learn how to play, featuring just a few rules. In this post, we will lay out all the rules of the game to learn how to play pickleball and add some tips for enhancing performance. 

About Pickleball

The sport itself was invented back in 1965 and named after its inventor’s family dog, Pickles. Pickleball combines aspects of tennis, table tennis, and badminton. It is played on a court with a net using paddles and a plastic ball. Rules of the game include serving underhand with the paddle below the waist. The ball must go diagonally across the court, with the server alternative service courts until an error is made. Only the serving team scores points, and games are played to 11 points. 

Where To Play Pickleball 

Pickleball is played on a court that is 20×44 feet and features a net that is lower than that on a tennis court. 

Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash

Equipment Needed 

Pickleball paddle (larger than pin-pong paddle, but smaller than tennis racket).

Pickleball balls (has holes and is similar to a wife ball).

Basic Pickleball Rules: Scoring

Only the person or team serving can score points.

The player/team wins at 11 points.

The winner must win by 2 points.

Tip: The score must be called out before each serve. This includes their score or team’s score first, then the opponents’ score, and the serving number. 

Basic Pickleball Rules: Serving

To serve, the ball must make contact with the paddle below the waist. It must be an underhand serve, with the ball going across the court in a diagonal past the non-volley zone known as “the kitchen.”

Tip: Players can enter the kitchen to play a ball that has bounced. Make sure to exit before playing a volley. 

If playing doubles, one partner on the same team serves. Once a fault is made, the opponent serves. After the opponent’s fault, the other teammate serves. Then the opponent’s teammate is up so that each team has two serves.  

The Double-Bounce Rule

The receiving team must allow the ball to bounce once before returning, and the serving team must allow the ball to bounce before returning. Once the ball bounced both times, it can be played off the bounce (groundstroke) or can but hit directly without it bouncing first (from the volley). 

Faults

Not following the double-bounce rule, hitting the ball out of bounds, clearing the net, or stepping into the kitchen zone are all reasons to be at fault. 

Pickleball Playing Tips

It’s important to master the serve to keep the ball. In pickleball, it’s more about being steady and consistent with the ball than powerfully striking it hard. Soft shots, specifically in the kitchen, known as dinking as the best kinds of winning shots since they throw off the opponent. 

Always have your paddle up and in front ready for the play. Pickleball requires focus and patience when learning the ropes. 

It’s best to think light on the feet, taking small steps to help with balance. 

Be mindful of the non-volley zone to avoid stepping in and being at fault, which is common for beginners.