Pickleball rules, made simple

The serve

Underhand only, with paddle contact below your waist. Serve diagonally crosscourt from behind the baseline — the ball must clear the non-volley zone and land in the opposite service court. Under current rules, a serve that clips the net and still lands in is played (no replay).

Scoring

Games are usually to 11, win by 2. Only the serving side can score. In doubles the score is called as three numbers — your score, their score, and the server number (1 or 2).

The two-bounce rule

After the serve the receiving team must let it bounce, then the serving team must let the return bounce. Only after those two bounces may either side volley (hit it out of the air).

The kitchen (non-volley zone)

The 7-foot zone on each side of the net. You can't volley while standing in it or touching its line. You may step in to play a ball that has already bounced — just be fully out before your next volley.

Faults

It's a fault to hit the ball out, into the net, to volley from the kitchen, to volley before the two bounces happen, or to break the serve rules. A serving-side fault ends the serve; a receiving-side fault gives the servers a point.

Line calls

A ball touching any line counts as 'in' — with one exception: a serve that lands on the kitchen line is a fault.

The official rulebook

This is a friendly summary to get you on the court. For tournament play and every edge case, USA Pickleball publishes the complete official rules.

Rulebook © USA Pickleball — linked here for your convenience.