Sharpen Your Game: Guides & Rules
Unlock your full potential on the pickleball court with our expert guides and definitive rule summaries.
Player Guides & Tips
From beginner basics to advanced tactics, our comprehensive guides help you master every aspect of pickleball.
Beginner's Guide to Pickleball Strategy
Learn fundamental positioning, shot selection, and court movement to get a head start in your pickleball journey. Essential tips for new players.
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How to Care For Your Paddle
Extend the life and performance of your pickleball paddle with our simple yet effective maintenance tips. Keep your gear in top condition!
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Top 5 Drills to Improve Your Game
Elevate your skills with these proven drills focusing on dinking, volleying, and serving accuracy. Practice makes perfect on the court.
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Mastering the Pickleball Serve
Learn proper serving techniques, including different types of serves and strategies to keep your opponents on their toes right from the start.
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Perfecting Your Dink Shot
The dink shot is crucial in pickleball. This guide covers how to execute perfect dinks and control the kitchen line effectively.
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Advanced Mixed Doubles Tactics
Uncover strategic plays and communication techniques specific to mixed doubles to dominate your next match and coordinate effectively.
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Official Pickleball Rule Summary
A concise and easy-to-understand breakdown of the official pickleball rules. Your essential guide for fair play.
Serving Sequence: The server must serve diagonally across the court to the opponent's service court. Both feet must be behind the baseline at the moment of contact. The service must be underhand, with the paddle head below the wrist.
Double Bounce Rule: The ball must bounce once on the receiver's side, and once on the server's side, before either team can hit it out of the air (volley it).
Service Faults: If the serve doesn't clear the net, lands out of bounds, lands in the non-volley zone, or the server commits a foot fault.
Points: Points are only scored by the serving team. The serving team continues to serve until they commit a fault.
Game Play: Games are typically played to 11 points, win by 2. Tournament games can sometimes go to 15 or 21 points, also win by 2. The score is called as three numbers: server's score, receiver's score, and server number (1 or 2).
Side Out: When the serving team faults twice (or once if it's the first server of a side), it's a side out, and the serve goes to the opposing team.
The Kitchen: This is a 7-foot area on each side of the net where volleying (hitting the ball out of the air) is not allowed.
Kitchen Rules: Players cannot step into the non-volley zone while volleying a ball. If a player volleys and their momentum carries them into the kitchen (even after hitting the ball), it is a fault. A player can enter the kitchen at any time to hit a ball that has bounced first within the kitchen.
A fault is any action that stops play or violates a rule. When a fault occurs, the rally ends.
- Hitting the ball out of bounds.
- Hitting the ball into the net.
- Volleying the ball while standing in the non-volley zone.
- Volleying before the ball has bounced once on each side after the serve (double bounce rule).
- A ball that bounces twice on one side before being hit.
- Touching the net or net post with your paddle, clothing, or body.
Want to dive deeper? Download the official rulebook!
Download Official Rulebook PDF