In pickleball, players use a solid-surface paddle, rather than a racquet with strings, to hit a ball across a net. A pickleball net is slightly lower than a standard tennis net.

The layout of a pickleball court is essentially the opposite of a tennis court, with a few key dimensional variations. The two blocks on either side of the net are called the “no-volley zones,” but they are commonly referred to as the “kitchen.” You can only stand inside this area if the ball bounces inside it. This is more of a safety precaution than anything, since it could be dangerous to smash a volley out of the air at such close quarters. Just remember to stay out of the "kitchen" unless there is something to cook in pickleball!

When playing pickleball, you must serve the ball underhand. Hitting the ball below your navel is considered an underhand serve. You cannot bounce the ball and hit it; the serve must be hit out of the air. Remember to hit the ball below your navel and before the ball has the opportunity to bounce.

Next, it is critical to ensure your serve is in bounds. For a serve to be considered in bounds, it must land inside the service square that is diagonal to the one you are standing behind. When it is your turn to serve, you must start behind the right service square and the ball must land within the opposite right service square boundaries. Should you win the point, you would move over to the left service square, and continue alternating until you commit a fault. 

It is important to note that if your serve does not land inside or on the line of the proper service box, it is considered a fault and service will then go to your opponent. Unlike tennis, you do not get a second serve in pickleball. However, when playing pickleball doubles, if you serve a fault or lose the point, service goes to your partner. Once your team loses two consecutive points, service goes to your opponent.

What exactly is a fault in pickleball? A fault can be any of the following:

• Hitting the ball into the net
• Hitting the ball outside of the service or court boundaries - remember, even if the ball is 1% on the line, it’s 100% in!
• Hitting a volley before a groundstroke (bounce shot) has occurred on each side of the court
• The ball bouncing twice on the same side of the court before it is hit
• Hitting a volley in the no-volley zone
• Stepping on or inside the baseline before completing your serve

The receiver must let the serve bounce before playing the ball, and the server must let the return bounce before hitting the ball. This is called the double bounce rule, and it is meant to help points last longer. After this exchange, volleys may be played at any time. Just remember not to hit a volley when you’re in the kitchen!

Only the serving team or player can score points in pickleball. Games are played to 11 points, and you must win by two. It is the server’s responsibility to call out the score before starting each point. You can play either singles or doubles in pickleball, but note that doubles scoring varies ever so slightly from singles scoring. In singles scoring, the server only has to say their own score and their opponent’s score before starting the point (in that order), but in doubles the server says their team’s score, the opposing team’s score, and either a one or a two.

The one or two signifies what number of tries your team is on during your service. If your opponents start out the game serving, they would say “Zero, zero, one.” If they lost that point, the serve would go to you, who in turn would say “Zero, zero, one.” If you then lost that point, the serve would go to your partner, who would say “Zero, zero, two.” If you won, your partner would continue serving by saying “One, zero, two.” That might sound a bit confusing, but you will get used to keeping score before you know it.

Most matches are played best two out of three games. Some pickleball tournaments make the games winnable at 15 or 21 points, depending on the level of play.