Serve diagonally, let the first return and next shot bounce, stay out of the non-volley zone when volleying, and—in traditional side-out scoring—score only while serving.
1. The court and teams
Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles. The standard court is 20 feet (6.10 m) wide and 44 feet (13.41 m) long; the same playing area is used for both. The non-volley zone, commonly called the kitchen, extends 7 feet from the net on each side.
Doubles is a practical starting format because it lets four people share court time and introduces positioning immediately. The core court rules do not change simply because you are playing doubles.
2. Start each rally with a legal serve
The serve travels diagonally into the opposite service court. The server must be behind the baseline when striking the ball, and there is one serve attempt. The USA Pickleball rules overview also permits a drop serve, which follows a separate set of service requirements.
For a first game, the useful habit is simple: call the score, serve diagonally, clear the kitchen line and begin the rally under control. If a venue, coach or organiser gives a different instruction, ask whether it is a house rule or the format for that session.
3. Respect the two-bounce rule
After a serve, the receiving side must let the ball bounce before returning it. The serving side must then let that return bounce before hitting it. Only after those two bounces may either side volley the ball or play it after a bounce.
This is why a player cannot rush the net and volley the return of serve. It also explains why new players often feel the first two shots of a rally are more controlled than the shots that follow.
4. Know what the kitchen restricts
You may stand in the non-volley zone and hit a ball after it bounces. What you cannot do is volley—hit the ball before it bounces—while in the zone or while your momentum from the volley carries you into it. That distinction matters more than the nickname “kitchen”.
5. Learn the common scoring format before you start
Traditional side-out scoring is common: only the serving side scores, games are normally to 11 and a team must win by two points. In doubles, the first server of a side-out serves from the right side. If that side wins a point, the server changes sides and serves again. When the first server loses the rally, the partner serves; after the second server loses a rally, service moves to the other team.
At the start of a new game, the first serving team has only one server before service transfers. Some events use rally scoring or a different target score. Confirm the format before the warm-up, rather than trying to resolve it during a close game.
6. Recognise the faults that end a rally
A fault includes a serve that does not land in the correct receiving court, a ball hit into the net or out of bounds, a prohibited early volley under the two-bounce rule, and a volley from the non-volley zone. In traditional scoring, a receiving-side fault gives the serving side a point; a serving-side fault ends that server’s turn or produces a side-out.
- Agree the scoring system and target score before play begins.
- Start with the serve from the right-hand court.
- Let the return of serve bounce, then let the next ball bounce.
- Do not volley from the kitchen.
- When uncertain, replay the point only if everyone agrees; for formal play, follow the event’s published rules.
Source and scope
This is a beginner explainer, not a substitute for an organiser’s regulations or a full rulebook. It was checked against USA Pickleball’s Official Rulebook and Rules Summary on 16 August 2026. The relevant published overview covers court dimensions, serving, service sequence, traditional side-out scoring, the two-bounce rule, the non-volley zone and faults.