If you’re here, you’ve finally been introduced to one of the fastest-growing sports in America. As a beginner, it can be a little confusing what the pickleball rules are, how the court works, and how to count scores. So here is your basic beginner-friendly guide for how to play pickleball.
The Pickleball Court
First, let’s take a look at the pickleball court. The pickleball court is about half the size of a tennis court. You may have seen some tennis courts with pickleball lines drawn on top of it. It is 44’x20′ with a 36-inch net.
The small rectangle closest to the net is called the kitchen or the non-volley zone. There are two special rules with the kitchen you should know. The first is that if the ball is on the kitchen or the kitchen line on a serve, it is out. The second is that no player must step foot in it and hit the ball without letting the ball bounce first.
That means spiking the ball in the air is not allowed while the player’s feet are in the kitchen or on the kitchen line. If the player’s feet fall on the kitchen or the kitchen line right after the spike due to loss of balance, that is still considered at fault.
How To Play Pickleball
Pickleball is usually played as a doubles game, meaning it is played with two players on each side. The game is usually played to 11 points, winning by 2 points. A one-on-one singles game can be played but it is usually more common to play doubles in most recreational plays. Each player will stand on their own side during the game and only switch sizes when they serve the ball and win the point. We will go over this in detail later.
The Pickleball Serve
The first thing to learn how to play pickleball is the serve. In pickleball, the serves must be done crosscourt and the ball must land in the rectangle court diagonally opposite from the server. The player on the right of the serving side always serves first. Once the point is won, the players will alternate sides.
The pickleball serve is an underhand serve where your paddle must contact the ball below your navel. The tip of your paddle must also be under your wrist when the paddle contacts the ball. The server’s feet must also be behind the baseline. While you may drop the ball and hit it once it reaches below your navel, you CANNOT bounce the ball on a serve. A serve is considered out if it falls in the kitchen or the kitchen line. If it lands on the centerline, baseline, or sidelines, it is considered in.
At the start of each game, only one player (the player on the right of the court) will be allowed to serve. Once the serve faults, the ball will be given to the opponent. Then the player on the right on the opponent’s side will start the serving. And both players on each side will be given a service for the rest of the game.
Pickleball Positions
Both players on the serving teams should be behind the lines. The opponents can stand staggered. The player receiving the serve stands behind the court lines while the other player stands by the kitchen line. Why is that? Because the goal of both players is eventually to move up by the kitchen line. It is a lot easier to defend and attack when a player is by the kitchen line as opposed to standing back.
However, the receiving player should stand back during a service so that they have room to return the serve. But, the player by the kitchen line is already there to return any subsequent ball that will be returned by their opponent.
The Pickleball Game
The pickleball doubles game will start with one team serving first. However, only the player on the right, Player 1, will get to serve for the first game. If the serving team gets the point, the two players will swap positions and Player 1 will continue to serve. If the opposing team wins the point, they will take the ball.
There is a special rule at the beginning of each service that MUST be followed. That is that the ball must bounce twice before anyone can hit the ball in the air. The served ball will be the first bounce and the return will be the second bounce. Once the two bounce is completed, players can either volley in the air or play the ball off of the bounce.
The player on the right will always be Player 1. For each point that is won during Player 1’s serve, Player 1 and Player 2 will swap court positions. So Player 1 will be now on the left and Player 2 will be on the right. This will continue until the team makes a fault and then it will be Player 2’s turn to serve. Once the team faults again, it will be side out and the opponents will take the serve.
Keeping Scoring
A team can only score points when they’re serving. The same player will continue to serve until their team faults. And then the second player will serve until the team faults again. At that point, it will be side out and the opposing team will take over the serve.
The scoring is kept with the serving player’s score, the opponent’s score, and the player number that is serving. For example, if the serving team’s score is 1, the opponent’s score is 2, and the first player is serving, the player will say out loud “1,2,1”. If the team faults without scoring any points, the second player will serve and they will say “1,2,2”.
As mentioned before, the game is played until 11 points, win by 2 points. So if a team has 10 points, the opposing team must win by 2 points or have 12 points.
Last Tips
Learning how to play pickleball is similar to other racket sports such as tennis, ping pong, cricket, and badminton. In fact, players with a racket sports background transition extremely well into pickleball. But even if you don’t have any racket sports experience, you will find that pickleball is easy to pick up and love.
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