QUICK START
The essentials at a glance
- Serve diagonally and let it bounce before the return.
- Let the return bounce before the serving team hits again.
- Stay out of the kitchen only when volleying, not all the time.
- Call the full three-number score before every doubles serve.
- Treat a ball touching a boundary line as in, with one serving exception.
The rally in six simple steps
The player in the right service court begins with a diagonal serve. The receiving team lets that serve bounce and returns it. The serving team must also let that return bounce. This completes the two-bounce requirement.
After both required bounces, either team may hit the ball after a bounce or volley it before it bounces. The rally continues until the ball bounces twice, lands out, hits the net without crossing, or another fault occurs.
- Serve, bounce, return, bounce, then play.
- Do not rush forward immediately after your serve.
- Call the score before beginning the motion.
How to make a legal serve
Serve from behind the baseline and between the imaginary extensions of the centerline and sideline. Send the ball diagonally into the opposite service court. It must clear the non-volley zone and its line.
For a volley serve, the paddle moves in an upward arc, contact is no higher than waist level, and the paddle head is not above the highest part of the wrist at contact. A drop serve is struck after a naturally released ball bounces; do not propel it down or toss it upward. The volley-serve motion restrictions do not apply to the drop serve. Check the current rulebook for full details and event-specific procedures.
The two-bounce rule
The receiving team must let the serve bounce. The serving team must let the return bounce. Players sometimes call this the double-bounce rule, but it requires one bounce on each side, not two bounces on the same side.
The rule prevents the serving team from charging the net behind the serve and encourages longer, more strategic rallies. After the two required bounces, volleys are legal anywhere outside the kitchen.
What the kitchen rule actually says
The kitchen is the non-volley zone extending seven feet from the net on each side. You may enter it, stand in it, and play a ball after it bounces. The restriction is about volleying.
It is a fault when you volley while touching the kitchen or its line. It is also a fault when your momentum, clothing, paddle, or anything you carry touches the zone after the volley, even if the rally has already ended.
- The kitchen line is part of the kitchen.
- Reestablish both feet outside before volleying after stepping in.
- Balance after an overhead near the line.
How doubles scoring and rotation work
In traditional side-out scoring, only the serving team earns a point. Most recreational games go to 11 and require a two-point winning margin. Each team normally receives two servers before the serve passes to the other team, except at the very beginning of the game.
Call three numbers: your team's score, the receiving team's score, and whether you are server one or server two. At the start, the score is called 0-0-2 because the starting team receives only one serving turn before the first side out.
After scoring, the server switches sides with their partner and serves again. Partners do not switch after losing a rally. A useful position check is that the player who began the game on the right will be on the right whenever that team's score is even.
Line calls and balls that are in or out
A ball touching any part of a boundary line is in. The important exception is a serve that touches the kitchen line, which is a fault because the kitchen line belongs to the non-volley zone.
Players make calls on their own side. If you cannot clearly see space between the ball and the line, give the benefit of the doubt and play it as in. Make calls promptly and avoid asking a partner to confirm the result you want.
The faults beginners make most often
Common faults include serving into the wrong court, volleying before the two-bounce requirement is complete, touching the kitchen during or after a volley, hitting the ball out, allowing a second bounce, and touching the net while the ball is live.
Most casual games do not need a debate after every unusual bounce. Replay the sequence calmly, use the clearest applicable rule, and consult the current official rulebook when the situation matters in organized competition.
Singles, rally scoring, and tournament differences
Singles uses the same court and most of the same rules, but each player has one serving turn and calls only two numbers: their score and the opponent’s score. There is no server number in singles. Serve from the right when your score is even and from the left when it is odd.
For example, in doubles side-out scoring, call 3-2-1 when your team has three, the other team has two, and you are your team’s first server. Win the rally: switch service sides and call 4-2-1. Lose it: your partner serves and calls 3-2-2. After the second server loses a rally, the opponents begin their turn from the right service court. The server number describes the turn, not a permanent player identity.
Some leagues and events use rally scoring or other formats. Equipment procedures, serving rules, and event policies can also change. Confirm the format before play and use the rulebook published for the organization running your event.
THE TAKEAWAY
Remember the flow first: diagonal serve, bounce, return, bounce, then play. Most other beginner questions come down to kitchen contact, scoring position, or whether a line belongs to the court or the non-volley zone.
READER QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Can you step into the kitchen in pickleball?
Yes. You may enter or stand in the kitchen at any time, but you cannot volley while touching it or allow your momentum from a volley to carry you into it.
Does the return of serve have to bounce?
Yes. The serve must bounce before the receiving team returns it, and that return must bounce before the serving team hits its next shot.
Can a pickleball serve touch the net?
A serve that touches the net and still lands in the correct service court beyond the kitchen is live under current USA Pickleball rules.
Is a ball on the line in or out?
A ball touching a boundary line is in. On a serve, the kitchen line is an exception because it belongs to the non-volley zone, so a serve touching it is a fault.
Why does a doubles score have three numbers?
The numbers identify the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, and whether the current server is that team's first or second server.
What does 0-0-2 mean at the start?
It means both teams have zero and the starting server is treated as server two. This gives the opening team only one serving turn before the first side out.
Can you volley a return of serve?
No. The return must bounce before the serving team plays it because of the two-bounce rule.
What score wins a pickleball game?
Traditional recreational games are commonly played to 11, win by 2. Leagues and tournaments may use different target scores or rally-scoring formats.
Helpful official resources
Rules and terminology can change. These current USA Pickleball resources provide additional official guidance.
Equipment for this practice
Use a comfortable paddle, a consistent ball model, and safe targets. Keep the same equipment while you work on the cue so you can judge the change in technique. Our pickleball gear buying guide explains paddle fit, indoor and outdoor balls, court shoes, and what to check before buying.
WHY YOU CAN USE THIS
How this guide was built
This guide turns official rules, established terminology, and common on-court situations into practical decisions and measurable practice. It is reviewed when governing guidance or a material recommendation changes.
Read our research, sourcing, and correction standards