Pickleball Rules for Beginners: The 10 Rules You Need for Your First Game

Pickleball looks simple, and it mostly is. But a handful of rules surprise almost every new player: you serve underhand, the ball must bounce twice before anyone volleys, and there is a seven foot strip by the net called the kitchen where you cannot hit the ball out of the air. Here are the ten rules you need for your first game, in the order you will meet them.

Everything here is summarized from the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, which governs recreational and tournament play in the US. When we say "the rulebook," that is the document we mean, readable in full on usapickleball.org. We focus on doubles, the format most people play.

First, the court and the equipment

A pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, and it is the same size for singles and doubles. Each half has a baseline at the back, sidelines on each side, a centerline that splits it into a right and a left service court, and a line seven feet from the net. The area between that line and the net is the non-volley zone, which everyone calls the kitchen. The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and dips to 34 inches in the middle.

You play with a solid paddle and a plastic ball with holes. Outdoor balls usually have smaller holes and play faster; indoor balls have larger holes and are softer. Borrowed paddles are fine for a first session; our recommended gear page covers what to buy later.

Rule 1: Serve underhand, diagonally

Every rally starts with a serve from behind the baseline, hit diagonally into the opponent's service court. The served ball must clear the kitchen and land in the correct service court. There are two legal ways to serve:

• The volley serve. You hit the ball out of the air. Your paddle must move in an upward arc, the top of the paddle head must not be above your wrist, and you must contact the ball no higher than your waist.
• The drop serve. You drop the ball from a natural height, let it bounce, and hit it. You cannot throw it down or toss it up, but the arc and waist rules of the volley serve do not apply.

More detail in our serving rules guide.

Rule 2: Stand behind the baseline when you serve

When you hit the serve, at least one foot must be on the ground behind the baseline, and neither foot may touch the baseline or the court. You also have to stay between the imaginary extensions of the centerline and the sideline on your serving side. Stepping onto the line as you swing is the classic beginner foot fault.

Rule 3: One serve, and net serves are played

There is no second serve. If your serve goes out, into the net or into the kitchen, it is a fault and your turn at serving moves on. There are also no "let" serves anymore: if the serve clips the top of the net and still lands in the correct service court, the ball is in play and the receiver has to return it.

Rule 4: The two-bounce rule

This is the rule that makes pickleball feel different from tennis. The serve must bounce before the receiver hits it, and the return of serve must bounce before the serving team hits it. Only after those two bounces can anyone volley. In practice, the serving team stays back until the return bounces, while the receiver can move up to the net right after returning.

Rule 5: No volleys in the kitchen

You may not volley (hit the ball before it bounces) while you are standing in the kitchen or touching its line. Your momentum counts too: if you volley near the net and your follow through carries you into the kitchen, it is a fault, even after the ball is dead. You are allowed to step into the kitchen at any time to play a ball that has bounced. The full details, including the momentum rule and how to get out before volleying again, are in our kitchen rules guide.

Rule 6: Lines are in, except the kitchen line on a serve

A ball that touches any part of a line during a rally is in. The one exception is the serve: a served ball that lands on the kitchen line is short, so it is out. A serve that lands on the baseline, sideline or centerline of the correct service court is in.

Rule 7: Only the serving team scores, and games go to 11

In standard scoring, you win a point only when your team is serving and wins the rally. If the receiving team wins the rally, they do not score; they just get closer to winning the serve. A game is typically played to 11 points, and you must win by 2. Rally scoring, where a point is scored on every rally, is a provisional option in the rulebook, so check what your group plays before the first serve.

Rule 8: In doubles, both partners serve

Each player on the serving team gets a turn at serving before the serve passes to the other team (a "side out"). The exception is the very start of a game, when only one player on the first serving team serves. That is why games begin with the call "zero, zero, two." While you keep winning points on your serve, you switch sides with your partner after each point and serve to the other diagonal. Receivers do not switch sides. Our guide on how to keep score in pickleball walks through a full example.

Rule 9: Common faults that end the rally

A fault is any rules violation that ends the rally and loses it for the player who committed it. The ones you will see most often:

• Hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net
• Letting the ball bounce twice on your side
• Volleying before the two-bounce rule is satisfied
• Volleying from the kitchen, or being carried into it by your momentum
• The ball touching you or your clothing (your paddle hand below the wrist counts as part of the paddle)
• Touching the net or net posts while the ball is live

Rule 10: You call the lines on your side, and doubt goes to the opponent

In recreational play there is no referee, so each team calls the lines on its own half. The rulebook is clear about the spirit: you should only call a ball out if you can clearly see a space between the ball and the line, and any close call goes to your opponent. If partners disagree, the ball is in.

Your first game: a simple checklist

1. Agree on the scoring before you start: traditional to 11, win by 2, is the usual default.
2. Decide which team serves first. The starting server stands on the right side and calls "zero, zero, two."
3. Serve underhand and diagonally, and let the return bounce before you hit it.
4. After the two bounces, move up together toward the kitchen line, but keep your feet out of the kitchen when you volley.

Want the rules in your bag? Our free Pickleball Rules Cheat Sheet fits everything above onto two printable pages.

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