Pickleball Rules

The official pickleball rules are maintained by the International Federation of Pickleball. For a more complete understanding of the rules of pickleball, Download the Official Pickleball Rulebook PDF or try out the Free Pickleball FYI mobile app, available for iPhone and Android, which has Rules, Frequently Asked Questions, Etiquette, and more.

Pickleball Basics

Pickleball is a paddle sport that blends aspects of tennis, table tennis, and badminton. Pickleball is most popular as doubles (2 vs 2) but is also played as singles (1 vs 1). The ball is similar to that of a wiffle ball but slightly heavier. Rallies are played by hitting the ball back and forth over a low net and continue until the ball lands out of bounds or bounces twice. Points can only be scored by the serving team.

Pickleball Court

The pickleball court is 44ft by 20ft (about half the size of a tennis court). Picklebal courts can be indoors (often on a wooden gym floor), or outdoors on asphalt or concrete. A center-line splits each end in which is only used during the serve. There is a 7ft area on both sides of the net where players are not allowed to hit the ball out of the air (the "Non Volley Zone" - see below).

Pickleball Serve

Unlike tennis, a pickleball server's arm must move in an upward arc. Often referred to as an "underhand serve", though any upward arc will suffice. The pickleball must be hit while the ball is at or below the waist, and no part of the paddle may be above the server's wrist at the moment of contact. Serves are hit diagonally and must land in the opposite diagonal box of the court. (Note: there is also a drop-serve, which allows the server to drop the ball and hit it after it bounces without the same rule limitations as mentioned above).

While the above serve description is the most common, recent rule changes have added the "drop serve" as another option. A server may drop the ball from their hand (without propelling it up or down), let the ball bounce, and hit it however they'd like. The drop serve is not restricted by the above-mentioned rules like upward arc, below the waist...etc.

Pickleball Serving, Receiving, and Switching Sides

In doubles, each player on the serving team gets a chance to serve. That player continues to serve as long as the rally ends in a point. If they fail to get a point, their partner serves and continues to serve as long as each rally ends in a point. After the second server, when the rally ends without a point, the opposing team gets their chances to serve.

When a point is scored, the players on the serving team swap sides. So if player A is serving from the right side, and they score a point, the players swap sides, and then player A serves again, but from the left side.

The 2-Bounce Rule of Pickleball

The "2-bounce rule" is a unique pickleball rule that requires the ball to bounce twice before any player may volley the ball (hit the ball out of the air before it bounces). After the server serves, the receiving team must let the ball bounce once (the 1st bounce) before they hit it back. Then the serving team must also let it bounce (the 2nd bounce). After that, players may hit the ball out of the air or let it bounce once before hitting it.

Pickleball Scoring

Pickleball is most often played in games to 11 points (win by two). Only the serving team can score. A point is given at the end of a rally if the receiving team hits the ball out, fails to hit the ball before it bounces a second time, or does anything that results in a fault. The score is said as three numbers. For instance, a score of 3-9-2 means that the serving team has 3 points, the receiving team has 9 points, and the it's the team's 2nd server (more about this below).

Non-Volley Zone (aka "The Kitchen")

The non-volley zone, also commonly referred to as "the kitchen", is a 14ft wide area with 7ft on each side of the net. It's denoted by the non-volley zone line and represents the area on the court where players may not volley the ball (hence its name). Other than during a volley, players may enter the non-volley zone at any time.

Want to Learn More About Pickleball and its Rules?

Download the Official Rulebook PDF from the USAPA / International Federation of Pickleball.
Download the Free Mobile App, Pickleball FYI with pickleball rules, frequently asked questions, etiquette, and more.

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2023 Pickleball Rule Updates are here!
Learn about the major rule changes and how they'll affect your game.