Pintail Pickleball Summer

PICKLEBALL

Where 'dinking in the kitchen' is a good thing.

HOW TO PLAY PICKLEBALL

Pickleball is a rapidly growing paddle sport, popular for its accessibility and social nature, that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis and is played on a smaller court with a perforated plastic ball and a lower net.

Starting the Game: The Serve

Underhand Only: The serve must be hit with an underhand motion. Your paddle must make contact with the ball below your waist, and your arm must be moving in an upward arc. The highest part of the paddle head must be below your wrist at contact.

No Bounce Serve (Volley Serve): Most common. You hit the ball out of the air without letting it bounce first.

Drop Serve (Optional): You can drop the ball and let it bounce once before hitting it. Diagonal Serve: The serve must travel diagonally across the net and land within the opponent’s service court (the square on the opposite side of the court), clearing the non-volley zone line.

Behind the Baseline: When serving, at least one foot must be behind the baseline, and your feet cannot touch the court or the imaginary extensions of the sidelines or centerline.

Calling the Score: Before every serve, the server must call out the score. In doubles, it’s “Serving team’s score – Receiving team’s score – Server number.” For example, “0-0-2” to start the game (meaning 0 for serving team, 0 for receiving team, and it’s the second server’s turn, as the first serving team only gets one server to start). In singles, it’s just “Server’s score – Receiver’s score.”

One Attempt: You get only one serve attempt, unless it’s a “let” (the ball hits the net but still lands in the correct service court), in which case you re-serve.

Doubles Service Sequence

This can be tricky for beginners, but you’ll get the hang of it!

First Serve of the Game: Only one player on the first serving team gets to serve. They start on the right side of their court. If they fault, it’s a side out, and the other team serves. The score is called “0-0-2” at the start (meaning the first serving team is considered “Server 2” for their first serve).

Subsequent Serves: After the initial serve, both players on a doubles team will serve before the serve goes to the opposing team.

Server 1: The player whose score corresponds to the side of the court they’re on (right for even scores, left for odd scores) serves first. They continue serving, switching sides with their partner after each point they win, until they fault.
Server 2: Once Server 1 faults, their partner (Server 2) serves from their current side of the court. They continue serving, switching sides after each point they win, until they fault.
Side Out: When Server 2 faults, it’s a “side out,” and the serve goes to the opposing team. The new serving team’s Player 1 will start serving.

The 'Two-Bounce' Rule'

This is a key rule for new players to grasp.

Serve Bounce: The served ball must bounce once on the receiving team’s side before they can hit it.

Return Bounce: The receiving team’s return shot must also bounce once on the serving team’s side before they can hit it.

After Two Bounces: Only after these initial two bounces (one on each side) can players hit the ball out of the air (volley). This rule is designed to prevent a “serve-and-volley” advantage, making rallies longer and more strategic.

The 'Kitchen' Rule

No Volleying in the Kitchen: You cannot hit a volley (hitting the ball out of the air) while any part of your body (or your paddle, if it’s considered part of your body for the shot) is touching the non-volley zone line or inside the non-volley zone.

Momentum Rule: If you hit a volley while outside the kitchen, your momentum cannot carry you into the kitchen. If it does, it’s a fault.

Groundstrokes ARE Allowed: You can enter the kitchen and hit the ball after it has bounced. This is common for short shots (dinks) that land in the kitchen. Just remember to get back out before hitting another volley.

Scoring + Winning

Points by Serving Team Only: In traditional pickleball, points are only scored by the serving team.

If the serving team wins the rally (opponent commits a fault), they get a point and continue serving.
If the serving team commits a fault, they lose the serve (“side out”) but the opponent doesn’t get a point.

Winning a Game: Games are usually played to 11 points, but you must win by at least two points. If the score is 10-10, play continues until one team leads by two (e.g., 12-10, 13-11).

Matches: Matches are typically best 2 out of 3 games to 11, or sometimes one game to 15.

Faults

A fault ends the rally. Common faults include:

Hitting the ball out of bounds.
Hitting the ball into the net.
A serve that doesn’t clear the non-volley zone.
Not letting the ball bounce twice (violating the two-bounce rule).
Volleying from inside the kitchen or on the kitchen line.
A player, their clothing, or paddle touching the net while the ball is in play.
A ball bouncing twice on one side of the court before being hit.