Pickleball is a game played by two or four players on a court similar to tennis or badminton. Each player has a paddle, which he uses to hit the ball over the net. The ball is made of plastic and moves slowly. The rules of pickleball are quite different from other court games, so it's important to familiarize yourself before playing.
Equipment and Court
Pickleball players each use one paddle. Paddles come in a variety of materials and weights, including plastic, wood, composite and graphite. Consider purchasing a plastic or wooden pickleball paddle to save money, unless you plan on playing regularly or in tournaments. The ball used in pickleball looks like a wiffle ball, only with circular holes around the entire ball. If you do not have a standard pickleball ball, you can use a wiffle ball.
The pickleball court looks similar to a tennis court. A 3-foot-high net sits in the middle. On each side of the court is a non-volley zone, the left and right service areas, the baseline and the sidelines. You will find a diagram of a pickleball court in the Resources section.
Serving
To serve the ball in pickleball, stand with both feet behind the baseline. Drop the ball with your free hand and strike it with the paddle using an underhand motion. The paddle must go below your waist when serving. Hit the ball diagonally, so it lands in your opponent's service court. For example, if you are serving from your right service court, you must hit it into your opponent's right service court. If the ball lands in the non-volley zone, or beyond the sidelines or baseline, the service is a fault, and your opponent now serves. If the ball touches the net but lands in the proper service area, the serve is a let, and you may serve again. According to the U.S.A. Pickleball Association, you never lose service on lets, no matter how many in a row you commit.
In singles play, serve from the right service area when your score is an even number, and from the left service area when your score is an odd number. In doubles play, start in the right service area and move back and forth between the areas for each serve.
Rallies
Your opponent will return your serve by hitting the ball toward your court. The ball must bounce on your side of the court before you may strike it. If the ball lands outside the sidelines or baseline, you receive a point. If you strike the ball before it hits the ground, your opponent now serves.
After your opponent returns the serve and it bounces on your side of the court, you can volley the ball back and forth over the net. Volleys occur when the ball does not strike the ground. You cannot volley the ball in the non-volley zone. Play continues back and forth until one of the players or teams commits a fault.
Faults
Faults stop game play, and result in the serving player or team gaining a point, or losing service to the opposing side. Faults occur when the ball bounces twice before it is sent back over the net, the ball lands out of bounds, the ball is hit into the net, a player hits the ball twice before sending it over the net, a player steps in the non-volley zone and volleys the ball, a player's clothing touches the net, the ball touches the player anywhere but below the wrist of the hand holding the paddle, or if the serving rules are broken.
Scoring
Points are only awarded to the side serving the ball. You receive one point if your opponent commits a fault while you control the serve. Games continue until one side reaches 11 points. You must win by at least two points. A tie game at 10 points means you continue play until someone is ahead by two.
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