Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide. If you are new to the game, it's essential to know the basic rules of pickleball.

Pickleball has recently completed its 50th anniversary. Despite being half a decade old, the game remains relatively new to many people. However, it has picked up the pace to become a popular game across the globe, which is raising curiosity among enthusiasts to learn about the game rules and regulations.

While there is an extensive set of rules to play the game, the five most important rules are that the ball must stay in inbounds, the serve shouldn't land in the kitchen, the ball should bounce once per side, the serve must be done at alternate sides, and players can't hit a volley in the kitchen.

Pickleball is a fun game, initially meant for senior citizens as it requires less movement than other similar games like tennis, badminton, etc. Surprisingly, the game rose to fame quickly and is now recognized as an official sport in several countries. Pickleball had its first annual championship competition in 2018.

We are a bunch of pickleball enthusiasts. Having played the game for the past couple of years, we are well aware of the game's rules which we will discuss in this guide.

Pickleball Court

Understanding the court sizes and areas is important to comprehend the game's rules.

A pickleball court is the same size as a badminton court: 44 ft long by 20 ft wide. The net stands above 3 ft from the ground. The area 7 ft away from the baseline, closer to the net, is called the kitchen, or the no-volley zone. We'll talk about that later. The area between the kitchen and the baseline is known as the service area.

The Racket and the Ball

The racket is a solid lightweight paddle, and the ball is perforated, similar to a Wiffle ball. This makes it easy to hit the ball with less effort and strain on the body than in tennis, squash, or badminton.

The Rules

Serve

The game starts with one player making the serve. To do this, they must stand behind the baseline and hit the ball into the diagonal service area of the opponent's court. The serve must be dealt with underhand and below the waist. If the ball does not bounce in the service area of the opponent, it is foul, and the opponent is given the serve.

If the ball hits the net and then bounces in the opponent's service area, the serve must be made again. If the ball does not clear the net and falls in the server's court, it is counted as a foul, and the service is given to the opponent. If the opponent does not provide a fair serve, the ball comes back to you for service. The process will repeat until one of the players makes a fair serve.

If the server wins the point, they will continue to serve from the opposite side of their court. They will continue changing sides on every serve until the point is lost. In that case, the other player or team will follow the same pattern.

Two Bounce Rule

Each player is allowed a maximum of one bounce before they must hit the ball back into the opponent's court. The "Double-Bounce rule" states that the opponent must let the ball bounce on the floor once, and the server must also let the ball bounce once in their court before they can start hitting volleys. This is to eliminate any unfair advantage to either side.

The idea is to let the ball hit the opponent's court once and for your opponent not to be able to hit the ball back at all, making the ball hit out of bounds or letting the ball bounce on the floor twice.

If you manage to return the service successfully, without letting the ball bounce once in their court, it is known as a rally. If the opponent returns the ball without letting it bounce once after the serve, you win the rally. However, the point is only secured if you serve the ball. Therefore, you get one point if you serve and win the rally.

On the other hand, if you don't serve and win the rally, you only win the next serve. The service rules differ slightly for the doubles. We'll cover that later in the guide.

No-Volley Rule

The no-volley rule is a unique yet vital rule in pickleball that makes it more interesting. As we talked earlier, we came through the no-volley zone or the kitchen area after the seven feet from baseline and before the net.

When the two-bounce rule has been observed, players can hit volleys to hit the ball over the net into the opponent's court. A volley is when a player hits the ball without letting it bounce in their court. These are tricky shots to handle and a better way to make the opponent miss hitting the ball or make them hit it out of bounds.

The no-volley rule states that no player can hit the volley while in the kitchen area. They can also not hit a volley when standing on the kitchen area line. They can hit the ball in the air while in the kitchen area, but their feet should be behind the line. If they are in the kitchen area, they need to let the ball bounce before hitting it back to the opponent's court.

Contrary to popular belief that the no-volley rule sucks the life out of the game, it makes the game more fun and extends the tension by restricting the players from securing easy points.

Out of Bounds Rule

For a shot to count, it should land inside the bounds of the opponent's court. The baseline and the sideline are the bounds line, offering the opponent a 22 ft by 20 ft area to hit their shot. The following are the out of bounds rules:

●        It is counted as a fair shot if the ball bounces at any spot in the inbounds area.

●        It is counted as a fair shot if the ball bounces in the inbound area but partially on the line.

●        It is counted as a fair shot if the ball bounces out of the inbound area but partially touches the line.

The out-of-bounds provide the players with an adequate space to play while keeping a restriction to keep the game interesting. Experienced players try to hit the ball as close to the inbounds line as possible. This makes it more challenging for the opponent to return the ball as they don't have much freedom, resulting in faults.

Net Rules

The net of a pickleball court is 36 inches high from the sides, similar to tennis. But it is pushed down 2 inches from the middle, measuring 34 inches. This encourages players to keep the game more in the middle area that extends the duration of a single rally, keeping players and viewers on their toes. It also keeps too many shots from hitting the net.

All players must hit the ball over the net to land it in the opponent's court. If the ball stumbles upon the net on its way over and falls into the opponent's court, it is counted as a fair shot. However, if the ball hits the net and falls back into your court, the opponent is rewarded with a serve or a point.

Second Bounce Rule

The second bounce rule is one of the most common rules followed by similar sports like tennis, squash, ping pong, etc. This means that the bounce can only bounce one in a player's or a team's area before they can hit it back to their opponent's side. If the ball bounces twice in their area, it is counted as a fault. It is also counted as a point if the ball bounces once in the court and the second time outside of the inbounds area.

Scoring Rules

Only the team or the player serving can earn a point from winning a rally. However, both sides need to win the rally. While the serving side gets the point, the non-serving side gets the serve they can hope to turn into a point by winning the rally after they serve.

Pickleball is usually played for 11 points. The first team to score 11 points wins. However, the challenge is to win the game with a lead of two points. For example, If you secure 11 points, but your opponent has 10 points, the game will continue until one side gains a two-point lead. This is similar to the advantage rule in tennis.

Besides that, you can play a game for 15 and 21 points. These variations are mostly followed in tournaments, depending on the predefined rules of the competition.