Pickleball rules
Court and gear
The same court for singles and doubles, a paddle and a plastic ball with holes.
Court and net
A pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, the same for singles and doubles. The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle.
Paddle and ball
Play with a solid paddle and a plastic ball with holes. A paddle may be no more than 17 inches long, and its length and width added together no more than 24 inches. Tournaments use paddles and balls on the USA Pickleball approved list.
Who serves first
Decide with a coin toss or any other fair way. The winner chooses to serve or receive, or which end to start on, and the other team takes the choice that is left.
Looking for one? See every pickleball court in Cebu, indoor, covered and outdoor, with hourly rates and booking links.
The serve
Underhand, crosscourt, one try. Every rally starts here.
The serve
Serve underhand: hit the ball below your waist with the paddle head below your wrist, moving upward. At least one foot stays on the ground behind the baseline, and neither foot may touch the baseline or the court until you hit the ball. Each server gets one serve, no second serve.
The drop serve
Instead of hitting it out of your hand, you may drop the ball from any height (just let go, no toss, push or spin) and hit it after it bounces, anywhere on the ground. The underhand and below-the-waist rules do not apply to a drop serve.
Where the serve must land
Serve crosscourt into the diagonal service court, over the kitchen. A serve that lands on the kitchen line is a fault. A serve that lands on the centerline, sideline or baseline of the right service court is in.
Serve that touches the net
There are no lets on the serve any more. A serve that clips the net and lands in the right service court is in play. If it clips the net and lands short, in the kitchen or on the kitchen line, it is a fault.
Ten seconds to serve
Once the score is called, the server has 10 seconds to serve.
Two-bounce rule
The rule that keeps the serving team from rushing the net.
The two-bounce rule
The return of serve must bounce before it is hit, and the serving team must also let the return bounce before hitting it. After those two bounces, either team may volley (hit it out of the air) or play it off the bounce.
The kitchen
The non-volley zone: the 7 feet on each side of the net where you may not volley.
The kitchen
The kitchen (non-volley zone) is the 7 feet on each side of the net, and its line is part of it. You may not volley while standing in the kitchen or touching its line. You may step in any time to play a ball that has bounced, and stay there.
Momentum into the kitchen
If the momentum of a volley carries you, or anything you wear or carry, into the kitchen or onto its line, it is a fault, even after the ball is dead. After being in the kitchen, get both feet back outside it before you volley.
The Erne
An Erne is a volley hit from outside the sideline, next to the kitchen. It is legal as long as you do not touch the kitchen or its line before the shot, during it or from its momentum: jump over the corner of the kitchen or go around it outside the sideline.
Scoring
Side-out scoring, the three-number call and where to stand.
Side-out scoring in doubles
Only the serving team scores. Both partners serve before the serve passes to the other team, except at the start of a game, when only one does: that is why a game starts at 0-0-2. Games are usually to 11, won by 2, and also played to 15 or 21.
Calling the score in doubles
Call three numbers: the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, then 1 or 2 for the first or second server. For example 4-2-1.
Where to stand in doubles
When the serving team's score is even, the player who started the game serving is on the right side; when it is odd, on the left. After winning a point, the server swaps sides with their partner and serves again from the other side. The receivers never swap.
Singles scoring
In singles only the server scores and there is one server per side. Serve from the right when your score is even and from the left when it is odd. The score is called as two numbers: the server's, then the receiver's.
Rally scoring
In rally scoring, every rally wins a point, whichever team served. Some leagues and groups play it to keep games short.
Rather not count? DinkedIn keeps the score on your phone, rally by rally, and calls the score and the server for you.
Faults and lines
How a rally is lost, and how to call the lines on your side.
Faults
You lose the rally if you hit the ball out or into the net, volley before the two bounces, volley from the kitchen, let the ball hit you or your clothes, touch the net or post with your body or paddle while the ball is in play, or hit the ball before it crosses to your side.
Line calls
A ball that touches any part of a line is in, except a serve on the kitchen line, which is out. You call the lines on your own side of the net. If you did not clearly see it out, it is in: the opponent gets the benefit of the doubt.
The ball hits you
If the ball hits you or anything you wear or carry (other than your paddle, or your paddle hand below the wrist) before it bounces, you lose the rally, even if you are standing outside the court.
Hitting the ball twice
An accidental double hit is legal when it happens in one continuous stroke by one player. Two separate hits, or both partners hitting it, is a fault.
Reaching over the net
You may not hit the ball before it crosses to your side of the net. Following through over the net after hitting it on your side is fine, as long as you do not touch the net.
Around the post
A shot may go around the net post instead of over the net, and it does not have to pass above the height of the net. It is in if it lands in the court.
Hinders
If something outside the players' control gets in the way of a rally, like a ball rolling in from another court, call it right away and replay the rally.
Tournament play
What changes when the game is part of a match.
Switching ends
In tournament games to 11, the teams switch ends when the first team reaches 6 points (8 in a game to 15, 11 in a game to 21).
Timeouts
In games to 11 or 15 each team gets two timeouts of up to 1 minute; in games to 21, three.
About this book
These rules are summarised from the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook. Groups may play house rules: ask the organizer. Tournaments follow the full rulebook. Read the full rulebook at USA Pickleball.
Running your own games? Open Play in DinkedIn calls who plays next on each court, and a live scoreboard puts the score on an iPad by the net.
Questions
Quick answers to what players ask most.
What are the basic rules of pickleball?
Serve underhand and crosscourt, and let the ball bounce once on each side before anyone volleys (the two-bounce rule). Do not volley while standing in the kitchen, the 7-foot non-volley zone next to the net. In doubles only the serving team scores, and games are usually played to 11, won by 2. A ball that touches a line is in, except a serve on the kitchen line.
What is the kitchen in pickleball?
The kitchen (non-volley zone) is the 7 feet on each side of the net, and its line is part of it. You may not volley while standing in the kitchen or touching its line. You may step in any time to play a ball that has bounced, and stay there.
What is the two-bounce rule in pickleball?
The return of serve must bounce before it is hit, and the serving team must also let the return bounce before hitting it. After those two bounces, either team may volley (hit it out of the air) or play it off the bounce.
How do you serve in pickleball?
Serve underhand: hit the ball below your waist with the paddle head below your wrist, moving upward. At least one foot stays on the ground behind the baseline, and neither foot may touch the baseline or the court until you hit the ball. Each server gets one serve, no second serve. Serve crosscourt into the diagonal service court, over the kitchen. A serve that lands on the kitchen line is a fault. A serve that lands on the centerline, sideline or baseline of the right service court is in.
Is the drop serve legal in pickleball?
Instead of hitting it out of your hand, you may drop the ball from any height (just let go, no toss, push or spin) and hit it after it bounces, anywhere on the ground. The underhand and below-the-waist rules do not apply to a drop serve.
Is there a let serve in pickleball?
There are no lets on the serve any more. A serve that clips the net and lands in the right service court is in play. If it clips the net and lands short, in the kitchen or on the kitchen line, it is a fault.
Can you hit the net on the serve in pickleball?
There are no lets on the serve any more. A serve that clips the net and lands in the right service court is in play. If it clips the net and lands short, in the kitchen or on the kitchen line, it is a fault.
What is the two-shot rule in pickleball?
The return of serve must bounce before it is hit, and the serving team must also let the return bounce before hitting it. After those two bounces, either team may volley (hit it out of the air) or play it off the bounce.
Can you spike in pickleball?
Yes. A spike (an overhead smash) is a volley, so it is legal whenever a volley is: once the two-bounce rule is met, and only while you are not standing in the kitchen or on its line. If the momentum of the smash carries you into the kitchen, even after the ball is dead, it is a fault.
Is there deuce in pickleball?
There is no deuce call, but games are won by 2. A game to 11 goes on past 10-10 until one side leads by two points, so it can end 12-10 or 15-13. Games are also played to 15 or 21, won by 2 the same way.
What is a side out in pickleball?
A side out is when the serve passes to the other team. In doubles side-out scoring, only the serving team can win points; when both partners have lost their serve (just one at the start of a game), it is a side out and the other team serves.
How do you keep score in pickleball?
Only the serving team scores. Both partners serve before the serve passes to the other team, except at the start of a game, when only one does: that is why a game starts at 0-0-2. Games are usually to 11, won by 2, and also played to 15 or 21. Call three numbers: the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, then 1 or 2 for the first or second server. For example 4-2-1.
Why does a pickleball game start at 0-0-2?
In doubles, the score is called as the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, then 1 or 2 for the first or second server. At the start of a game only one player on the first serving team serves before the serve passes to the other team, so that player is called the second server: 0-0-2.
Is a ball on the line in or out in pickleball?
A ball that touches any part of a line is in, except a serve on the kitchen line, which is out. You call the lines on your own side of the net. If you did not clearly see it out, it is in: the opponent gets the benefit of the doubt.
What is an Erne in pickleball?
An Erne is a volley hit from outside the sideline, next to the kitchen. It is legal as long as you do not touch the kitchen or its line before the shot, during it or from its momentum: jump over the corner of the kitchen or go around it outside the sideline.
How big is a pickleball court?
A pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, the same for singles and doubles. The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle.
Where can I play pickleball in Cebu?
DinkedIn (dinkedin.club) lists the pickleball courts in Metro Cebu (Cebu City, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Talisay, Consolacion, Liloan, Cordova and Minglanilla), indoor, covered and outdoor, with hourly rates and booking links. Open Courts to search by name or barangay, or tap Near me to sort by distance.