- Serve diagonally into the correct court.
- Let the return of serve and the next ball bounce.
- Volley only outside the non-volley zone.
- In traditional scoring, only the serving side scores.
- Call a fault when a rule violation stops play.
1. Scoring: establish the format before the warm-up
Traditional side-out scoring is the standard reference point: only the serving side scores; games are normally played to 11, win by two. Some events use rally scoring or another target score. Neither team should assume—ask the organiser or agree the format before the first serve.
In doubles, a side begins a side-out sequence with the player in the right-hand court. A point sends that server to the left; the team continues until the first server faults, then the partner serves. When the second server faults, service goes to the other side. At the beginning of a new game, the first serving side has one server only.
2. Serving: placement and position matter
A serve goes diagonally to the correct service court and must clear the opponent’s non-volley zone. The server is behind the baseline at contact and receives one serve attempt. Under the volley-serve rules, the arm moves upward, contact is not above the waist, and the paddle head is not above the highest part of the wrist at contact. The rulebook also permits a drop serve under different requirements.
The most useful beginner habit is to slow down: call the score, check your position, then serve diagonally. A fast but wrong serve is still a fault.
3. The two-bounce rule: why you cannot rush the net
The receiver must let the serve bounce. The serving side must let the return bounce. Only after those two bounces may either side volley or hit off a bounce. This rule applies before the kitchen question even arises, and it prevents a serve-and-volley advantage.
4. The kitchen: a volley restriction, not a forbidden area
The non-volley zone is the 7-foot area beside the net on each side, commonly called the kitchen. You may stand there and hit a ball after it bounces. You may not volley from the zone, on its line, or allow momentum from a volley to carry you into it. The line is part of the non-volley zone for this purpose.
That last point resolves a frequent dispute: a volley can be a fault even if the ball is already dead when your momentum carries you into the kitchen.
5. Faults and line calls: settle the rally cleanly
A fault is a rule violation that stops play. Common examples include a serve landing outside the correct court, a ball into the net or out of bounds, a prohibited early volley, a kitchen volley, a double bounce before the ball is returned, or touching the net while the ball is in play.
A ball touching a line is generally in. The exception that matters on the serve is the non-volley-zone line: a serve touching it is short and is a fault. For formal play, follow the organiser’s procedures for calls and disputes rather than inventing a local convention mid-match.
Source and update policy
This is a concise reader reference, not a substitute for the complete rulebook or event regulations. It was checked against USA Pickleball’s Official Rulebook and Rules Summary on 16 August 2026. Pickleball Gyan will update this page when the named source changes materially.