Skip to main content
Breaking · Trending
LA 2028 Olympics Schedule Dates: Sports, Venues & TV What Is Major League Rugby? 2026 Teams, Rules + TV Guide USA Cricket Team Players 2025: Squad & Olympic Path Padel Court Dimensions Size Guide: Walls, Net & Layout 5v5 Flag Football Plays Formations: Beginner Playbook
The Sports Rise
Subscribe

Pickleball rules

Ask the rules assistant

Ask anything about Pickleball rules — answered from the rulebook below.

Pickleball Rulebook

1. Objective & Format

Pickleball is a paddle sport played on a badminton-sized court with a perforated plastic ball and solid paddles. The objective is to hit the ball over the net so the opponent cannot legally return it, forcing a fault. It is played as singles (one player per side) or doubles (two players per side); doubles is the most common format.

The court measures 20 feet wide by 44 feet long for both singles and doubles. The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches at the center. A 7-foot Non-Volley Zone (NVZ), nicknamed the "kitchen," extends from the net on each side across the full width. Behind the NVZ, each side is split by a centerline into two 10-by-15-foot service courts.

Pickleball is not played in timed periods. A match is decided by games (typically best-of-three). Standard recreational and most tournament games are played to 11 points, win by 2; some tournament and medal-round games are played to 15 or 21, win by 2.

2. Scoring

The official method is side-out (traditional) scoring: only the serving side can score a point. When the serving side wins a rally, it scores and the server continues; when it loses a rally, no point is awarded and serve passes (a "side out").

In doubles, the score is called as three numbers: serving team's score, receiving team's score, and server number (1 or 2). At the start of each game, the first serving team gets only one server (begins as "0-0-2"); thereafter both players on a team serve before a side out.

Rally scoring (a point awarded on every rally regardless of who served) exists as an approved alternative format, but side-out remains the official standard. In all formats, the game must be won by a 2-point margin.

3. Core Rules of Play

  • Serve: The serve must be made underhand (volley serve struck below the waist with an upward arm motion, or a drop serve). It is hit diagonally crosscourt, must clear the NVZ and its line, and must land in the opposite service court. The server stands behind the baseline.
  • Two-Bounce Rule: After the serve, the ball must bounce once on the receiving side, and the return must bounce once on the serving side, before either side may hit a volley. This eliminates serve-and-volley dominance.
  • Volleying: After the two required bounces, players may volley (hit the ball out of the air) or play it off a bounce.
  • Non-Volley Zone: Players may not volley while standing in the kitchen or touching the kitchen line. They may enter the kitchen to play a ball that has bounced.
  • Line calls: A ball landing on any line (except the NVZ line on a serve) is in.

4. Common Fouls / Violations / Penalties

A fault ends the rally. Common faults include:

  • Hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net.
  • Volleying before each side has met the two-bounce requirement.
  • NVZ violation: volleying while any part of the body or paddle touches the kitchen or its line, including momentum carrying the player in after the volley.
  • Service faults: illegal motion, foot fault on the baseline, or serving into the wrong court / the NVZ.
  • Double bounce: letting the ball bounce twice before returning it.
  • Hitting the ball before it crosses the net, or being struck by the ball.

The penalty for any fault is loss of rally (a side out if the faulting side was serving, or a point to the serving side if the receiving side faulted).

5. Win Condition

A game is won by the first side to reach the target score (11, or 15/21 in some events) with a lead of at least 2 points. If the score reaches 10-10 (in an 11-point game), play continues until one side leads by two. A match is typically won by taking the majority of games in a best-of-three series.