Learn the Pickleball Basics

Are you a beginner player who wants to learn how to play pickleball? Let’s break down the basics of pickleball, including the rules, keeping score, and a few common terms.

Remember, pickleball is played as singles or doubles, but the rules and scoring remain the same.

Serving

Only servers can score points, and the player in the right service court will always serve first. Unlike tennis, the server performs an underserve and not an overserve.

If you want to know how to play pickleball in doubles, let’s say you are a server on the serving team. Then, you score and earn a point for your team. Now, your teammate (on the left service court) will switch to your position/side. Your team will continue to serve until a rally is done. A rally is the continuation of playtime after the serve until a fault, or rule violation is made (e.g. hitting the ball out of bounds).

So, now, the other team gets awarded a serve after you have committed a fault or ended the rally. This is a sideout. After a sideout, the opposing team will have two chances to serve.

When the receiving team makes a fault, then the serving team gets a point. When the serving team gets a fault, then the sideout, as elaborated above, occurs or they get a loss of serve.

Scoring

Remember, only the server scores points. Games are usually played to 11 points but sometimes, tournament games are up to 15 or 21. Both are ‘win by 2’ which means you or your team have to win by 2 points. So, if the game is at 10 points and you or the opposing team is down by 1, the game needs to go to 12 to secure two points.

In singles, if your score is even, you should be serving from the right service court and if it is odd, you should be serving from the left service court.

Now, how do you call score?

Doubles

Scores will always be called out before a serve in three numbers. The score is called out in server score, receiver score, and server number 1 or 2 (for doubles). So, at the beginning of the match, you would say, “0-0-2” for server 2 and “0-0-1” for server 1.

Singles

Scores will be called out in two numbers: server score and receiver score. There’s no reason to give a server number when that only applies to doubles since there’s only one server in a single.

Rules

In and Out

A pickleball is in if it lands on the court, excluding the serve. If it goes outside of the lines, then it’s out. When the ball goes out, that’s a fault and then the rally ends, allowing the other team to have their opportunity to score.

Court Layout

Here’s a display of a court and the lines. Note that, if the ball hits the sideline, baseline, or centerline, it’s still in. During serve, you cannot hit the non-valley line.

As a server, you will step behind the baseline. You cannot step over the baseline until after the ball is served. Then, you serve the ball diagonally across the court and make sure you stay in bounds.

It is recommended that you avoid the “No-Man’s Land.” This is the area between the baseline and the backline of the kitchen. Hitting in this area makes you vulnerable to the opposing team.

Rules of Serving

• Your paddle must not make contact with the ball above your waist
• Do not touch the court or the lines
• Serve diagonally and make sure it goes within the perimeter of the opposite diagonal box

Two-Bounce Rule

The receiving team must wait for the ball to bounce at least once when the serving team sends the ball. Then the serving team must wait for the ball to bounce at least once, as well.

Before You Start the Game

Here are a few basic things to know so you can learn how to play pickleball before you start your first game.

You will need pickleball paddles and pickleballs. The balls are very similar to wiffle balls, and they vary from indoor to outdoor. You can easily what you need to play this game at sporting goods stores and online through Amazon and other sites.

Be sure to get familiarized with the court. Practice your serve. Watch people online and in person. Go to your local pickleball court.

We also have a ‘how to play pickleball’ video that can supplement the information provided in this article for enhanced visualization.

Terms You Will Hear on the Court

Here are a few terms you should also know before you start the game:

Backhand: a shot made on your non-dominant side (left-handed servers will make a backhand on their right side)

Banger: a person who primarily hits the ball hard, and the ball has the tendency to go out

Dinking: strategically hitting the ball in the kitchen area

Dropshot: a groundstroke that falls short into the opponent’s kitchen

Kitchen: the Non-Valley Zone in the center of the court

Lob: a shot returning the ball as high and deep as you can to force the opposing team back to the baseline

“Pickled”: this means that your score was 0 at the end of the game

Don’t forget, we also went over court, rally, and sideout under the Serving section.