You’ve heard of the ‘kitchen’ and may be wondering: what are the rules of the kitchen in pickleball?

Pickleball is similar to other net and ball games like tennis and ping pong, but it does have its differences.

The rules of the kitchen are that players cannot be in the kitchen, or touching the line, or have any part of their body(including things that are physically in contact with their body) be in the kitchen. Players also cannot volley from the kitchen.

While these are an oversimplification, the basic rule still stands: don’t go into the kitchen. But there is more to these rules than just that.

We looked around for the rules of the game (and thus, the kitchen) and asked long-term, experienced players on their understanding of how the kitchen rules work.

What is the Kitchen?

Before we look at the rules of the kitchen, what is the kitchen to begin with? The kitchen is also called the non-volley zone and is the part of the court that is seven feet on either side of the net. This is where volleys are hard to hit and return, and therefore, rules are made around them to eliminate ‘smash’ type hits. The lines that indicate where the kitchen starts are part of the kitchen itself.

The kitchen in pickleball, however, does not include the space above the ground – only the ground itself.

What are the Rules of the Kitchen?

We looked at the basic rules at a glance, and can understand that the kitchen is bad news, no matter what. Staying away from the kitchen is a pretty good ‘basic’ rule, but there is more to the rules than just that.

Where Volleys Come From

This rule is rather basic and pretty self-explanatory. If you are going to volley the ball (that is, hit it before it bounces on your side of the court even once) then you cannot be standing in the kitchen. You also cannot be touching the kitchen line, as this is considered to be ‘within’ the non-volley zone.

For wheelchair users, there is a handicap that allows the front wheels of the chair to touch the kitchen line, but they also cannot go further than that.

While this rule looks pretty simple at first glance, it’s actually a bit tricky!

What Can Come in Contact With the Kitchen

If anything that is physically in contact with the person volleying happens to come into the kitchen, that’s a fault! That includes anything from a part of your body, to simply the keys you had in your pocket, or your paddle.

If your paddle touches the kitchen during or after the volley, it is also a fault. That means that if you drop your paddle after hitting the ball, you’ve got some bad news.

Again, the kitchen is considered to be the actual physical space on the ground, and not the space above it. So if your paddle swings through the air over the kitchen, but no part of your body (or anything on your body) comes in contact with the ground, you’re safe.

Player’s Momentum

Everything from the swing to the momentum from the action of swinging is considered part of the volley. That means that if your momentum causes you to contact anything that is also in-contact with the kitchen, you’re out!

If you lose your balance and stumble, and someone or something that is standing in the kitchen catches you, it’s considered a fault.

Even If the ball is declared dead before this happens, it’s still a fault. The only way to avoid a fault when it comes to the kitchen after volleying is when the ball has bounced.

Touching the Kitchen

The general idea is that the kitchen is ‘off-limits’ in that you can’t enter it at all at any point during the game, but this is a simplification. You can stand in the kitchen, but you can’t actually do anything while you’re in there. You cannot volley from the kitchen, since this is considered a fault, but you also cannot jump outside the kitchen to volley a return unless both your feet have made contact with the ground outside the kitchen first.

That means that you can’t jump to volley a return and land outside the kitchen, nor can you step out of the kitchen with one foot and volley. Both of these are considered faults.

But because there isn’t much you can do while touching the kitchen, and more harm comes out of it, it’s best to stay away from it entirely.

Standing in the Kitchen

Again, the kitchen isn’t completely off-limits, it’s just that you can’t do much while you’re standing inside. This means that if you happen to be standing in the kitchen when the ball is still on the other side, you’re fine, but if you volley a return, you’re in trouble.

Generally, the best way is to just stay out of the kitchen entirely, because you may get swept up in the ball being headed your way and end up volleying on reflex.

Hitting the Ball

As mentioned (repetitively), you cannot volley a ball when you’re in the kitchen. That means that you cannot hit the ball when it comes straight at you without bouncing even once. If the ball has bounced though, then hitting the ball while you’re standing in the kitchen is not a fault, and none of the rules about your belongings or person coming in contact with the kitchen apply.

Another rule about volleying is that your partner is not subject to these rules while you stand in the kitchen as long as they are outside of it. So, if you are in the kitchen, you cannot  volley the ball, but your partner will not be at fault if they happen to do so. As long as they don’t come in contact with you after they hit the ball (or if the ball has bounced), they’re good to go.

To summarize, though – and it’s rather easy to summarize the rules of the kitchen, since they all boil down to one thing: stay out of the kitchen.

Unless the ball has bounced, there is absolutely no need to go anywhere near the kitchen.

The rules of the kitchen are admittedly rather strange. Most other games, even when they have a non-volley zone, will not have rules about personal belongings or other such things coming in contact with the non-volley zone.

These rules are also often misunderstood, and the rules themselves are rather challenging. It takes constant awareness of your own position – and the court layout – to make sure you don’t accidentally end up breaking these rules.