Pickleball Rules Explained: Kitchen Rules, Scoring, Serving & Gameplay Guide (2025)

“Coach, what’s a side out again? And… why can’t I stand in this little box by the net?”

That’s what the new guy asked me last Tuesday, right after he crushed a perfect volley from deep inside the Kitchen and started walking back to the baseline like he’d just won the U.S. Open.

“Great shot,” I told him, “but that point? That one doesn’t count. And that little box? That’s where pickleball gets interesting.”

Understanding the Rules

So if you’ve ever felt confused by pickleball rules – serving, scoring, the Kitchen, the double bounce rule, who’s supposed to be serving, or whether that ball on the line is in or out – you’re in the right place.

I’m Coach Sid. I’m pushing fifty, I’ve got a few extra pounds, thinning salt-and-pepper hair, a whistle around my neck, and a whole lot of hours on court teaching people this game. I’ve made every rules mistake you can imagine, and I’ve watched hundreds of players repeat them. This guide is the one I wish I could hand to every new player who walks through the gate and says, “Just tell me everything I need to know so I don’t look lost out there.”

This is your full, no-nonsense, story-driven, everything-you-need-to-know guide to pickleball rules – from first step on court to confident game play. By the time you’re done, you’ll understand the rules so well that you’ll correct other players (nicely) and never feel like you have to google a rule between games again.

Your First Day on a Pickleball Court

Let’s start where you actually start: walking onto the court for the first time.

You step through the gate. The surface might be a tennis court painted over with extra lines, or a dedicated pickleball facility with bright stripes and noise bouncing off every fence. You see people laughing, calling out scores like “6-4-2,” and arguing (politely) about whether someone’s heel touched the Kitchen line.

It looks simple. Small court. Little paddle. Plastic ball with holes. But then someone hands you a paddle, tosses you a ball, and suddenly:

• You don’t know where to stand.
• You’re not sure where you’re allowed to serve.
• You don’t know what counts as “in” or “out.”
• You have no idea why people keep saying “stay out of the Kitchen!”

That’s where this guide comes in. Instead of just dropping a rulebook in your lap, I’m going to walk you through the game the way I walk my students through their first real session. We’ll move step by step, in the same order the rules actually hit you in real play:

1. You learn the court.
2. You learn how to serve.
3. You learn what has to bounce and when.
4. You learn where you can’t stand when the ball is in the air.
5. You learn how points are scored.
6. You learn what counts as a fault.
7. You learn how singles and doubles differ.
8. You learn the gear, etiquette, and the little details that separate chaos from real matches.

By the end, you’ll have not just read the rules – you’ll have mentally walked through a full game of pickleball, mistake by mistake, lesson by lesson.

Court Layout: Lines, Zones, and Why They Matter

Before you ever hit a ball, you need to understand the space you’re playing in. A lot of beginners try to skip this part. Don’t. Knowing the lines and zones is the difference between feeling lost and feeling like the court is home.

Official Court Dimensions

A standard pickleball court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long. That size is the same for singles and doubles. No separate “doubles alleys” like tennis. One court size, one set of lines, period.

The court is divided into a few key areas:

• Baseline: The line at the very back of each side, 22 feet from the net. You must stand behind this line when you serve.
• Sidelines: The outermost lines along the length of the court.
• Centerline: Splits each side of the court into left and right service boxes.
• Service Courts: The two boxes on each side of the net where serves must land – right (even) and left (odd).
• Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) / Kitchen: A 7-foot deep zone extending from the net on both sides, running the full 20-foot width. This is the troublemaker. We’ll go deep on this soon.

When I teach new players, I make them physically walk each line. Baseline to Kitchen line, sideline to sideline. I’ll say, “Find me the baseline. Find me the Kitchen line. Show me where you’re allowed to stand to volley. Now show me where you’re not allowed to stand.” It sounds silly, but your feet need to know the space before your brain starts tracking rules.

Why the Court Size Matters for Rules

The compact 20×44 size does more than keep rallies manageable. It forces players into tight exchanges at the net, where dinking, Kitchen rules, and precise footwork become critical. The smaller space is part of why the Non-Volley Zone rules and double bounce rule exist – to keep the game fair and playable for all ages instead of turning into a “tallest player with the hardest smash wins” contest.

So when you look at the court, don’t see random stripes. See the rulebook painted on the ground. Every line has a job. Every zone exists to enforce a specific idea about how the game should play.

Official Net Height and How It Shapes the Game

Next up: the net. It doesn’t look like a tennis net, and that’s not an accident.

• The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines.
• The net dips to 34 inches in the center.

That small dip in the middle matters. It encourages players to aim through the middle – both for drives and dinks. It also makes the center of the court the lowest, safest path over the net, which is one reason “who takes the middle?” becomes such a big strategy conversation as you improve.

The lower net compared to tennis is also why rallies can be fast and aggressive, and why rules like the double bounce rule and Kitchen rule are necessary to keep things in balance.

Your First Serve: Basic Serving Rules and Legal Mechanics

When I put a new player on the baseline for the first time, I tell them this:

“Your job on the serve is not to be a hero. Your job is to start the rally.”

In tennis, serving can be a weapon that wins you free points. In pickleball, the serve is designed to be a fair start, not a sledgehammer. That’s why the serving rules are strict.

Where You Serve From

• You must serve from behind the baseline. Your feet cannot touch the baseline or the court at contact.
• You must serve from either the right (even) or left (odd) service side, depending on the score and serving sequence (we’ll break that down shortly).
• You serve diagonally crosscourt into the opponent’s service box.

How You Hit a Legal Pickleball Serve

To be legal, your serve must follow a few key rules:

• Underhand Motion: The paddle must move in an upward arc when it contacts the ball.
• Contact Below the Waist: The ball must be struck below your waist (navel). Not “kind of low.” Below the navel.
• Paddle Head Below the Wrist: At contact, the highest part of the paddle head must be below the highest part of your wrist.
• Feet Behind the Baseline: Both feet must stay behind the baseline at the moment you contact the ball. You can step into the court after you hit it.

These rules exist to keep the serve from becoming an overhand, smash-heavy shot. The sport wants the rally, not a serve-fest.

Where the Serve Has to Land

For your serve to be legal, the ball must:

• Land in the diagonal service court (right-to-right, left-to-left).
• Clear the net in the air.
• Clear the Kitchen in the air. The ball cannot land in the Non-Volley Zone or touch the Kitchen line on the serve.

Important: On the serve, the Kitchen line is out. On most other shots, the line is in – but on the serve, if your ball clips the Kitchen line, it’s a fault.

No More Let Serves

Under current official rules, there are no more “let” serves:

• If your serve hits the net and still lands in the correct service box, it’s a fault, not a redo.
• There are no replays for net-cord serves. You either serve clean or you lose that serve.

When this rule changed, I saw a lot of players still try to replay points after a let. Don’t. A net-touching serve that lands in is now just another serving error.

Serving Sequence in Doubles and Singles

Now we get into the part that scrambles the most brains: serving order and who’s supposed to be where.

Core Principle: Only the Serving Team Scores

In pickleball, only the serving team can score a point. If the receiving team wins the rally, they don’t score – they earn the right to serve. That’s called a side out (we’ll revisit that in the scoring section).

Serving Sequence in Doubles

Let’s start with standard doubles play, since that’s how most people learn.

1. At the start of the game, one team is chosen to serve first. Only one player on that first serving team gets to serve before a side out. This player is often referred to as the “second server” – it keeps the math tidy later.
2. After that first side out, every team gets two servers on each turn: first server and second server.
3. The server always starts on the right (even) side of the court when their team’s score is even (0, 2, 4…). When their team’s score is odd, that original starting player will be on the left.

Here’s how it feels in real time. I’ll be coaching a new player and say:

“Okay, we’re serving. It’s 4-2-1. That means we have 4, they have 2, and you’re server 1. You’re on the right side. If we win the point, you slide to the left and serve again. When you miss or fault, your partner serves from where they’re standing as server 2. When they miss, it’s a side out, and the other team starts their serve from the right side with their server 1.”

The Three-Number Score in Doubles

In doubles, we always announce the score as three numbers:

1. Your team’s score
2. The opponent’s score
3. The server number (1 or 2)

Example: “5-3-2” means your team has 5, opponents have 3, and server #2 on your team is serving.

It takes a few games, but once that clicks, the whole system starts to feel logical. When I coach newer players, I encourage them to say the score confidently and loudly every time, even in friendly games. It keeps everyone synced up and reduces arguments.

Serving Sequence in Singles

Singles is simpler because you only track one person’s position.

• If your score is even, you serve from the right (even) side.
• If your score is odd, you serve from the left (odd) side.

No “server 1 / server 2” to worry about. You serve, you fault, the other person serves. But the core rule is the same: only the server can score points.

The Double Bounce Rule: Why You Can’t Rush the Net

Now we get to the rule that trips up almost every new player: the double bounce rule.

On your first day playing, you’re going to feel this rule before you understand it. You’ll hit a serve, see the ball floating back toward you, and every athletic instinct in your body will scream: “Run up and smash this!”

And that’s exactly what pickleball doesn’t want you to do.

The Double Bounce Rule in Plain English

The double bounce rule says:

1. After the serve, the ball must bounce once on the receiver’s side before they hit it.
2. After the receiver hits the return, the ball must bounce once on the server’s side before they hit it.

Only after these two required bounces – one on each side – can anyone start volleying (hitting the ball out of the air).

Why the Double Bounce Rule Exists

This rule is part of what makes pickleball feel fair and fun instead of gimmicky. Without it, strong athletes would just blast serves and charge the net, ending points in one or two shots. The double bounce rule:

• Gives both teams a chance to establish position.
• Prevents serve-and-volley dominance.
• Encourages longer rallies.
• Gives newer or older players time to react.

When I coach, I’ll run drills where players are only allowed to play out the first three shots – serve, return, third shot – just to feel how important those first two bounces are. If you violate the rule and volley too early, it’s an automatic fault.

The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone): Hot Lava for Volleys

Now we get to the most famous – and most misunderstood – part of pickleball: the Kitchen.

This is the 7-foot non-volley zone on both sides of the net, and it’s where a lot of arguments (and laughs) happen. If you’ve been told “get out of the Kitchen,” this is why.

What the Kitchen Actually Is

• A 7-foot deep area extending from the net on both sides of the court.
• Includes the painted Kitchen line itself.
• Runs the full 20-foot width of the court.

It’s technically called the Non-Volley Zone (NVZ), but almost everyone just calls it the Kitchen.

Core Kitchen Rules

1. No volleys while in the Kitchen: You cannot hit the ball out of the air (volley) if your feet are touching the Kitchen or the Kitchen line.
2. Momentum counts: If you volley outside the Kitchen but your momentum carries you into the Kitchen afterward, it’s still a fault.
3. Groundstrokes in the Kitchen are allowed: If the ball bounces in the Kitchen, you are allowed to step in and hit it.

Think of the Kitchen as “hot lava” only for airborne shots. You’re allowed to stand in it. You’re allowed to walk through it. You are allowed to hit balls that have bounced in it. You’re just not allowed to be in it (or on the line) when you make contact with the ball on a volley.

Why the Kitchen Exists

Without the Kitchen rule, tall, athletic players would camp right at the net and crush every ball out of the air. The non-volley zone forces everyone to stay a step or two back from the net and rely on:

• Soft dinks.
• Angle control.
• Patience.
• Footwork and balance.

This is a big part of what makes pickleball feel like a chess match instead of just a race to hit the hardest overheads.

Common Kitchen Mistakes

• Toe on the line while volleying: Even if just your toe is touching the Kitchen line when you volley, that’s a fault.
• Momentum carries you in: You leap from outside the Kitchen to hit a beautiful volley, land in the Kitchen, and think the point is yours. It’s not. Your team just faulted.
• Jumping from the Kitchen: If you start your jump from inside the Kitchen and volley before landing, that’s still a Kitchen fault.

I tell players: “If you smash a perfect volley but your foot drifts onto the Kitchen line, that’s just a really pretty fault.” Learn to stay behind the line, and you’ll win more matches and argue less.

Pickleball Scoring Rules: How Points Actually Work

Scoring is where most new players’ brains start to melt. The good news? Once you understand a few key concepts, it all becomes surprisingly logical.

Basic Scoring Rules

• Only the serving team scores points.
• Games are usually played to 11 points, win by 2.
• In tournaments, you might see games to 15 or 21, still win by 2.

So if your team is receiving and you win the rally, you do not score. Instead, you win the right to serve. That’s a big mindset shift for tennis players used to rallies always ending in a point for somebody.

The Three-Number Score (Doubles)

In doubles, remember: we always announce the score as your score, their score, server number.

Example: “7-4-1.”

• Your team: 7 points.
• Opponents: 4 points.
• Server 1 on your team is serving.

If server 1 wins the rally, you go to 8-4-1 and that server moves to the other side of the court and serves again. When server 1 finally loses a rally, server 2 takes over – score becomes 8-4-2. When server 2 loses a rally, it’s a side out and the serve passes to the other team.

Side Out Explained

A side out happens when the serving team loses the rally and there are no more servers left on that team during that turn. After the side out, the other team begins serving from the right side with their server 1.

In doubles, this usually means:

• Start of the game: Only one server on the first serving team.
• After that: Two servers per team, every time a side out occurs.

“Win by 2” and Extended Play

Games are almost always “win by 2.” That means if the score reaches 10-10, play continues until one team leads by 2 points: 12-10, 13-11, 15-13, etc.

These tight finishes are where rules confusion and scoreboard arguments tend to show up. My rule as a coach: in close games, call the score loud, clear, and often. It keeps the emotional temperature down and lets everyone focus on actually playing.

Faults, Line Calls, and “Was That In?”

Now that you understand serving, Kitchen rules, and scoring, we can talk about what actually stops a rally: faults.

What Is a Fault in Pickleball?

A fault is any rule violation that ends a rally. Depending on who committed the fault and whether they were serving or receiving, the result may be:

• A point for the serving team.
• Loss of serve (switching from server 1 to server 2).
• Side out (serve passes to the other team).

Common Faults You’ll See Every Day

• Serve faults:
  • Serve lands out of bounds.
  • Serve lands in the Kitchen or hits the Kitchen line.
  • Serve hits the net and doesn’t clear it.
  • Serve is hit from in front of the baseline (foot fault).
  • Illegal serve mechanics (contact above waist, paddle head above wrist).
• Kitchen faults:
  • Volleying (hitting out of the air) while touching the Kitchen or Kitchen line.
  • Volleying outside the Kitchen, then momentum carries you into the Kitchen afterward.
• Double bounce violations:
  • Volleying the serve (no bounce).
  • Volleying the return of serve (no bounce).
• Out of bounds shots:
  • Ball lands beyond the baseline or outside the sideline.
  • On non-serves, touching the line is in.
• Double bounce on your own side:
  • The ball bounces twice before you hit it.
• Body contact faults:
  • The ball hits any part of your body or clothing (except the hand holding the paddle below the wrist).

Line Call Rules

Line calls are pretty simple in principle:

• Any ball that touches any part of a line is considered in.
• Exception: On the serve, if the ball hits the Kitchen line, it is short and out.

In casual play, I encourage players to call balls on their side of the court and give opponents the benefit of the doubt on close calls. In rec pickleball, friendships are usually worth more than one point.

Singles vs Doubles: Same Rules, Different Demands

Most people learn pickleball in doubles format. That’s where the social side of the game shines. But singles has its own flavor and puts different stress on your body and your understanding of the rules.

Doubles: The Social Chess Match

In doubles, you’re sharing the court with a partner. That adds some wrinkles:

• Court coverage: You each roughly cover half the court, with overlap in the middle.
• Serving order complexity: Two servers per side, three-number score, even/odd positions.
• Communication: You must coordinate who takes middle balls, who covers lobs, and when to switch.

Strategy in doubles revolves heavily around Kitchen play, communication, and when to poach balls in the middle to apply pressure.

Singles: Full-Court Responsibility

In singles, you don’t have a partner to bail you out. You cover the entire 20×44 court yourself.

• Serving positions: Even score = serve from right, odd score = serve from left.
• More driving, less dinking: Players often hit more drives and passing shots, using angles and depth to move their opponent.
• Greater physical demand: You’re running more, covering more space, and having to think about shot selection while breathing hard.

The core rules (Kitchen, double bounce, scoring basics) are the same, but the tactical emphasis changes. Doubles is more about precision, patience, and partnership. Singles is more about endurance, footwork, and true one-on-one battle.

Equipment Basics: Paddles, Balls, and What’s Legal

While most beginners don’t need to obsess over paddle specs on day one, there are some basic equipment rules you should understand so you don’t accidentally show up with something illegal or wildly inappropriate.

Paddle Basics

Most modern paddles are made from composite materials like:

• Graphite or carbon fiber faces.
• Polymer honeycomb cores.

The official rules set limits on paddle size and surface characteristics, but as a beginner, your main concerns are:

• Weight (not too heavy, not too light).
• Grip size (fits your hand comfortably).
• Legal, non-modified surface (no sandpaper, no foreign substances to make it super gritty).

As long as you’re using a standard commercially available paddle from a reputable brand, you’ll almost always be fine.

Balls

Pickleballs are plastic balls with holes – similar to a wiffle ball but purpose-built for the sport.

• Outdoor balls: Typically harder, more durable, with smaller holes.
• Indoor balls: Slightly softer, bigger holes, designed for gym floors.

Using the right ball for the surface matters for bounce, spin, and visibility, but most rec players will just use whatever’s in the ball hopper that day. As you get more serious, you’ll notice big differences in how certain brands and models play.

Pickleball Etiquette and Unwritten Rules

Pickleball’s official rules keep the game fair. The unwritten rules keep the game fun.

When I bring someone into a new rec group, I don’t just teach them how to avoid Kitchen faults. I teach them how not to be “that player” – because every court has one. Here’s how to avoid that honor.

Core Etiquette Guidelines

• Call the score before every serve: Loud enough for all four players to hear.
• Be honest with line calls: If you’re not sure, call it in. Give your opponents the benefit of the doubt.
• Own your faults: If you stepped in the Kitchen or volleyed too early, say it immediately. Don’t wait to see if someone else calls it.
• Don’t walk onto or behind a court while a point is being played: Wait until the rally ends.
• Return stray balls safely: Don’t fire them back hard. Roll or gently hit them toward the player.
• Be gracious with beginners: Everyone starts somewhere. You were new once too.

Good etiquette keeps games flowing, reduces arguments, and makes you someone people look forward to playing with.

Advanced Rules Questions Most Players Eventually Ask

Once you’ve played a few dozen games, you’ll start bumping into edge cases. These don’t usually show up on day one, but they’re worth knowing.

Can I Switch Sides with My Partner During a Rally?

Yes. You and your partner can move anywhere on your side of the court once the rally starts. The only rule that matters is who’s in the correct serving or receiving position when the serve is struck. After that, you’re free to switch, poach, and rotate.

Can I Hit the Ball Around the Post?

Yes. An “around the post” (ATP) shot is legal in pickleball. You don’t have to hit over the net, as long as the ball travels legally over the court boundaries and lands in the opponent’s court.

Can My Paddle Cross Over the Net?

Your paddle can cross the plane of the net after you hit the ball, as long as you don’t touch the net or your momentum doesn’t carry you into the net structure. What you can’t do is hit the ball before it crosses to your side of the net.

What If I Drop My Paddle?

If you drop your paddle and the ball hits it on the ground, that’s still considered part of your body/equipment and results in a fault against you if it interferes with the rally. If the paddle flies out of your hand mid-swing and the ball hits it, you’ve got bigger problems than the rulebook.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pickleball Rules

From Confused Rookie to Rules-Confident Player

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve walked the whole journey:

• From your first step on the court, wondering what all the lines mean.
• To understanding how and where to serve legally.
• To respecting the double bounce rule and why you can’t rush the net right away.
• To knowing the Kitchen rule so well you can see faults before they happen.
• To calling the score clearly, understanding side outs, and tracking the serving order.
• To recognizing common faults, close line calls, and the difference between singles and doubles.

My goal as a Coach isn’t just to get you following the rules. It’s to get you comfortable enough with the rules that they fade into the background so you can actually play the game – laugh, compete, improve, and enjoy the social chaos that happens every night at busy pickleball courts.

If there’s one thing I want you to remember, it’s this:

Mastering pickleball rules isn’t about being a referee. It’s about building confidence. When you know the rules inside and out, you stop second-guessing yourself. You stop apologizing for things that weren’t your fault. You’ll stop feeling like the rookie who doesn’t belong on the court. You belong out there.

Now that you’ve got the rules down, here’s what I’d do next:

• Play a few rec games and focus just on serving and scoring correctly.
• Watch for Kitchen faults – yours and others’ – and learn to manage your momentum at the net.
• Dig into deeper strategy with guides on dinking, third shot strategy, and tactics.

Every great player you see dominating the Kitchen today was once the confused newcomer asking, “Wait – why doesn’t that point count?”

The difference is… they stuck with it.

Now you’ve got the rules. The rest is just reps.