Pickleball is a fun and engaging sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. Here's a detailed guide to the rules of pickleball:

Basic Pickleball Rules.

Serving

• Service Area: The serve must be made diagonally, starting from the right-hand service square and landing in the opponent's right-hand service square (cannot land in the kitchen). Points can only be scored by the side that serves.

• Serving Motion: The serve must be underhand, with the paddle contacting the ball below the waist without bouncing the ball. The server must keep both feet behind the baseline until the ball is struck.

• Server Changes: After each fault the server changes. With the exception of the start of the game each team gets two faults before serve changes teams.

• Starting Service: At the start of each new game, the 1st serving team is allowed only one fault before giving up the ball to the opponents. The remainder of the game each team is given 2 faults.

Scoring

• Points: Only the serving team can score points. Games are typically played to 11 points, and a team must win by 2 points.

• Points and Serving Tracking: Before each point the server will announce the score followed by what fault they are on. So if the score was 7-8 and it was the first serve for the team they would say 7-8-1 on the second serve, if no points were scored, they would say 7-8-2.

Gameplay

• Double-Bounce Rule: Each team must let the ball bounce once on their side before volleys are allowed. This means the receiving team must let the serve bounce, and the serving team must let the return of serve bounce before playing it. This only occurs on the first two volleys.

• Non-Volley Zone (Kitchen): Players cannot volley (hit the ball in the air) while standing in the kitchen (non-volley zone) or stepping on its lines. Players can enter the kitchen to play a ball that has already bounced.

• Faults: A fault occurs when the ball:

  • Is hit out of bounds.

  • Does not clear the net.

  • Is volleyed from within or on the non-volley zone line.

  • Is volleyed before a bounce has occurred on each side.

Tips for Playing Pickleball

• Practice Your Serve: A consistent and accurate serve can give you a significant advantage.

• Master the Dink Shot: The dink shot, a soft shot that lands in the opponent's kitchen, is crucial for controlling the pace of the game.

• Stay Out of the Kitchen: Avoid volleying from the non-volley zone to prevent faults.

• Communicate in Doubles: Clear communication with your partner is essential to cover the court effectively.