Pickleball rules, explained simply

Everything you need for your first game, based on the 2026 official rulebook used by Pickleball England.

1. The serve

• Stand behind the baseline and serve diagonally into the opposite service court.
• Serve underarm: hit the ball below waist height with an upward swing. You can also drop the ball and hit it after it bounces (a "drop serve").
• The serve must clear the kitchen. A serve that lands in the kitchen, or on its line, is a fault.
• You get one attempt. There's no second serve.
• There are no lets: a serve that clips the net and lands in the right court is in play.

2. The two-bounce rule

The serve must bounce before it's returned, and the return must bounce before the serving side hits it. After those two bounces, either side can volley (hit the ball out of the air).

3. The kitchen (non-volley zone)

The kitchen is the area within 2.13 m (7 feet) of the net on each side. Its lines count as part of it.

• You can't volley while touching the kitchen or its line.
• If your momentum carries you into the kitchen after a volley, it's still a fault, even if the ball is already dead.
• You can step into the kitchen to play a ball that has bounced.

4. Common faults

• Hitting the ball out, or into the net.
• Breaking the two-bounce rule.
• Volleying from the kitchen.
• Carrying the ball or hitting it twice in a non-continuous motion.
• Touching the net during a rally.

5. Scoring

In standard pickleball, only the serving side can win points. Games go to 11, and you must win by 2.

Calling the score in doubles

The server calls three numbers: their team's score, the opponents' score, then whether they're the first or second server on their team. A doubles game starts at "0-0-2", because the first serving team only gets one server in its first turn. In singles you call just two numbers.

Rally scoring

Some events use rally scoring, where a point is won on every rally. The 2026 rulebook includes it as a provisional, optional format, but side-out scoring is still the standard.

6. Line calls

Each side calls the lines on its own end. A ball is only out if you can clearly see space between the ball and the line, so a ball touching the line is in. If you're not sure, the call goes in your opponent's favour.

Last checked: 31 October 2026