Unless you’ve been living under a rock here in the USA, you’ll know that Pickleball has become increasingly popular over the years. Indeed, it is America’s favorite sport. If you’re just starting out, it’s important to know the pickleball rules and understand how to play the game. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the basic rules of Pickleball and provide an overview of 10 essential rules to know. This will ensure you have a great experience playing the game and know what to expect when you’re on the court. So let’s dive into these rules.
1. The Serve Must Be Underhand
The serve is the first shot in a game of pickleball and the serving team sets the tone for the match. As such, all players must understand the rules of the serve. The serve must always be done underhand, meaning the player must hit the ball below waist level while keeping their paddle below their waist level as well.
2. The Ball Must Be Hit The Paddle and Nothing Else
One of the most important basic rules to understand in Pickleball is that the ball must hit the paddle when returning a volley. Yes, this is somewhat obvious, but worth mentioning. If the ball bounces off your wrist or thumb when you are returning the ball, it is a fault.
3. The Ball Can Only Bounce Once On Each Side
Pickleball is a fast-paced game and understanding the ball bounce is very important for the serving team. One of the key rules to keep in mind is that the ball can only bounce once on each side. This means that the ball must be hit over the net and then directly onto the court on the other side. If the ball bounce becomes more than once on either side, it will be counted as a fault.
4. In most situations, you can’t be in the Nonvolley Zone AKA “the kitchen”
The Nonvolley Zone in pickleball is a specific area on the court that players are not allowed to be in or hit the ball in during most situations. The Nonvolley Zone can be difficult for new players to understand, as it is usually not present in other racquet sports such as tennis or badminton. It’s actually just best to stay out of the kitchen at all times. Rule 9.A states that “All volleys must be initiated outside of the non-volley zone.” Understanding how to properly play around the NVZ is a key to mastering pickleball. Players must be aware of their position on the court and be prepared to move back out of the NVZ when they hit the ball.
5. Serves Must Land in the Box Diagonal to the Server
When serving in Pickleball, the server must serve to the box diagonal to where they are serving from. If The serving player must have at least one foot behind the backline when serving, but after the ball is hit their feet can land anywhere.
6. After a serve, the ball must bounce on the first 2 volleys
This rule is often referred to as the two-bounce rule. When one team serves, the ball must bounce once before the opposing team returns the Pickleball. Additionally, after then opposing team returns the first volley, the serving then also has to let the ball bounce before returning the ball. After the ball bounces once on each side, then each team is free to return balls whether they bounce once or not.
7. The Point is Only Awarded to the Serving Team
A point in Pickleball is only awarded to the team that serves. If the non-serving team wins the volley, then they are awarded serving privelige, not a point.
8. Games are played to 11
Doubles Pickleball games are a fun way to enjoy the sport with a friend or family member. In doubles Pickleball, there are two players on each side of the court. The players must remain in the same court-side position at all times, and both players must hit the ball before it goes over the net.
9. Players and Teams must win by 2
In a game of pickleball, it is important to remember that a player must win by two points in order to be declared the winner. This means that if the score is 10-10, the player must win the next point in order for the game to end. If a player is only one point away from winning, they must still play the point as it could turn out to be the deciding point.
10. If The Ball Hits The Line, It Is In
This rule applies to both indoor and outdoor pickleball courts. In outdoor play, the court’s lines are considered in play and count as part of the court. If a player hits the ball and it touches the line, then it counts as an in-court shot. This rule applies to all pickleball shots, including serves, volleys, overheads, and ground strokes.
Conclusion
In short, we can say that pickleball is a fun, easy-to-learn game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. If you want to enjoy this game, understanding these pickleball rules is very important.