The Rules in a Nutshell
The Ru
In A Nu
les —
tshell
A Rules Guide
for Beginners
H
ere is a brief, easy-to-follow guide to
playing pickleball so you can share your
beloved game with family, friends and
your community. We picklers all know
it’s a great way to bring people together. It gets
everyone moving, interacting and, most importantly,
it’s fun! And anybody can play—young, old, athletes,
non-athletes—there’s a spot for you on the
pickleball court!
If you don’t have access to an official pickleball court,
don’t sweat it! Be creative and work with what you’ve
got. People set up nets (or net representations),
chalk and tapelines on their driveways, cul de sacs,
in parking lots—you name it! A common go-to spot is
an unused tennis court. The court specs don’t have to
be perfect, until you want them to be. Just grab four
paddles, a couple of balls and go.
42
TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 888.308.3720 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM
Pickleball is typically a doubles game. It
can also be played as singles—the basic
rules and playing area are the same.
The Serve
• Serves must be hit underhand, and
contact with the ball must be made
below the waist.
• You cannot serve off a bounce.
• The serve is initiated with at least one
foot behind the baseline; neither foot
may contact the baseline or court
until after the ball is struck.
• The server must call the score before
making contact with the ball. The
score is called in three numbers:
Server score, receiver score,
server #1 or #2.
• The serve is made diagonally cross-
court and must land within the
confines of the opposite diagonal
court.
• Only one serve attempt is permitted,
except in the event of a let. Let serves
are replayed.
Service Sequence
• Both players on the serving team
have the opportunity to serve and
score points until they commit
a fault (except for the first service
sequence of each new game).*
• The first serve of each side-out is
made from the right/even court.
• If a point is scored, the server
switches sides and the server
initiates the next serve from the left/
odd court.
• As subsequent points are scored, the
server continues switching back and
forth until a fault is committed and
the first server loses the serve.
• After the first server loses the serve,
the partner then serves from his/her
correct side of the court (except for
the first service sequence of a game*).
• The second server continues serving