7 Basic Rules That Everyone Who Starts Playing Pickleball Should Know

At Tauron Pickleball, we try to accompany you in all aspects of the game, that is why, if you are going to start playing pickleball, here are 7 basic rules that you should know before you start playing.

1. You can play a match in singles or doubles .
2. Only one point is added when the player is serving.
3. The ball must bounce once in each court after service.
4. Serves are only allowed below the waist and in an upward direction.
5. You must serve from behind the baseline .
6. The ball must remain within the limits of the court .
7. The match ends when a player/team reaches 11 or more points .

There are many more rules besides these 7 that you must learn with us, to become pickleball masters.

Here we detail the rules mentioned:

SINGLE OR DOUBLES

There should be no more than four people playing on a pickleball court. That means four if you're playing doubles, where two teams each have two players. Otherwise, there will be two people on the court playing singles against each other.

According to USA Pickleball, most pickleball matches are played in doubles rather than singles. Singles matches require more physical effort than doubles, as there is less court to cover. For this reason, it is recommended that beginners start with doubles.

ONLY SCORE THE SIDE THAT SERVES

In pickleball, you can only add points to the scoreboard when you are serving, not when you are returning.

The player whose turn it is to serve starts on the right side of the court, which is the even side. To serve, they put the ball into play diagonally to their opponent. They move to the left side to serve if they have a point, then they return to the right side if they have another point, and so on.

Only when the server commits a fault or rule violation, the service sequence is stopped. The ball then passes to the second player on the team to serve. With the second fault by the serving team, the service changes courts and the returners become the servers and vice versa.

THE BALL MUST BOUNCE ONCE IN EACH COURT AFTER SERVICE

After the serve, the ball must bounce once before the returner can return it. The server must then allow the returned ball to bounce in his court once before making his stroke. Once the ball has bounced once in each court, players may then volley it. This is the famous two-bounce rule.

ONLY THROWS ARE ALLOWED BELOW THE WAIST AND IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION

The transition from tennis to pickleball is a common path for many players. While they share many similarities, one of the biggest adjustments tennis players must make when joining pickleball is the serve.

In pickleball, there are two types of legal serves; one is much more popular than the other and can only be legal if it is done underhand. This is known as a volley serve and is the traditional style of serve in the sport.

Here are the main notes for a legal volley serve. At the moment the paddle makes contact with the ball:

• Your arm should move in an upward direction.
• You cannot hit the ball above your waist.
• The head of your paddle cannot be higher than the highest point of your wrist.

YOU MUST SERVE FROM BEHIND THE BACK LINE

The baseline is going to become your reference when serving. The baselines run the entire width of the court, you can find them at both ends of the court running parallel to the net.

For your serve to be legal, you must keep both feet behind the baseline and at least one of your feet must be planted on the surface when serving. Beginners especially should pay special attention to where their feet are positioned.

THE BALL MUST REMAIN WITHIN THE COURT BOUNDARIES

The lines on the pickleball court are not only a guide for the serve, they also mark the boundaries of the court.

Hitting the ball out of bounds is an automatic fault and you will either give up your serve to your partner or if you are the second server, you will give up your serve to your opponent.

Also to be careful of is the no-volley zone, which is often referred to as the “kitchen.” This is a marked area that extends 2 meters from the pickleball net on either side of the court and runs the width of the court.

If the ball lands in the no-volley zone during a serve, it's a fault. But remember! It's only during the serve, once the ball is put into play, it can bounce inside the no-volley zone. Players can also be inside the no-volley zone - just don't volley into it!

THE MATCH ENDS WHEN A PLAYER/TEAM REACHES 11 POINTS OR MORE.

As a general rule in amateur matches, the first side to reach 11 points with at least 2 points difference wins the match.

In professional tournaments and matches, the rules may change slightly. Sometimes this may mean playing best of 3 sets at 11 points per set or playing at 15 or even 21 points per set.