Basic Rules of Pickleball:
Equipment
Players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials, and a plastic ball with holes.
Scoring
Pickleball can be played in singles or doubles. Games are typically played to 11 points, and you must win by at least two points.
Serve
The serve must be hit underhand and made diagonally across the net into the opponent's service court. The server must keep one foot behind the baseline when serving.
Serve Rotation
In doubles, both players on a team get to serve, and the team only scores points when they are serving. If the serving team loses a point, the serve passes to the other team, and the receiving team gets a point.
Double Bounce Rule
Each team must let the ball bounce once on their side before volleying it. After the ball has bounced once on each side, both teams can choose to volley the ball.
Faults
Common faults include stepping into the non-volley zone while volleying the ball, hitting the ball out of bounds, or failing to clear the net on a serve.
Service Fault
If the server commits a fault (e.g., serving out of bounds or not clearing the net), they lose their serve, and the other team gets a point.
Kitchen Line (Non-Volley Zone Line)
This line marks the boundary of the non-volley zone, also known as the kitchen. It's a 7-foot area on each side of the net where players cannot volley the ball. However, players are allowed to step into the kitchen to hit a ball after it has bounced.
Scoring System
Pickleball traditionally uses rally scoring, meaning a point is scored on every serve, regardless of which team serves. The serving team continues to serve until they commit a fault, after which the other team gains the serve.