A Beginner's Guide to Pickleball Rules and Court Dimensions

If you’ve noticed a new sport with a funny name taking over local parks and rec centers, you’ve likely seen Pickleball. A fantastic hybrid of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, it’s easy for beginners to learn but can be challenging to master.

Before you grab a paddle, let’s break down the essential court dimensions and the unique rules that make this game so addictive.

The Pickleball Court Explained

The court is simple and compact, making it accessible for players of all ages and fitness levels. It shares the same dimensions as a doubles badminton court.

Court Dimensions

  • Overall Size: The court is feet long by feet wide.

  • Net Height: The net is hung at inches at the sidelines and droops to inches in the middle.

  • The Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) or “The Kitchen”: This is the most important area to understand. It’s a -foot zone on each side of the net. Players are not allowed to hit a volley (hitting the ball out of the air) while standing inside the Kitchen. You can only enter the Kitchen to hit a ball that has already bounced.

Key Rules of the Game

Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles. The rules are the same for both, but the strategy is very different.

The Serve

  • The serve must be made underhand. The paddle must contact the ball below the waist.

  • The server must stand behind the baseline and serve diagonally into the opponent’s service court.

  • Only one serve attempt is allowed.

The Double-Bounce Rule

This is a signature rule of pickleball.

  1. The serving team serves the ball.

  2. The receiving team must let the ball bounce once before returning it.

  3. The serving team must also let that return bounce once before hitting it.

After these first two bounces, players are free to volley the ball (hit it out of the air) or play it off the bounce. This rule prevents teams from rushing the net immediately and creates longer, more strategic rallies.

The Kitchen Rule

As mentioned, you cannot volley the ball while your feet are inside the Non-Volley Zone. If you hit a volley, even your momentum carrying you into the Kitchen is a fault. This rule prevents players from smashing the ball at close range and encourages the soft “dink” shots that make pickleball so strategic.

Scoring

  • Only the serving team can score points.

  • Games are normally played to 11 points, and you must win by at least 2.

  • The score is called out as three numbers: the serving team’s score, the receiving team’s score, and the server number (1 or 2, for doubles). For example, a score of “5-3-2” means the serving team has 5 points, the receiving team has 3, and it is the second server’s turn to serve.

With its friendly community and quirky rules, pickleball is a fantastic way to stay active. Now that you know the basics, it’s time to get out of the kitchen and onto the court!