Rules and Definitions

Rules and Definitions

Court Design

Rectangular, 44 feet by 20 feet court
Divided into two sides by a low net
7 feet non-volley zone (kitchen) from each side of the net
Each side divided into two service courts.

Double Bounce Rule

Receiver must let the ball bounce once before hitting
Server also needs to allow the ball to bounce once before hitting back
After completing these bounces on each side the ball can either be volleyed (hit out of the air) or played after a bounce
Second bounce can be anywhere on the court but must bounce before being hit

Rules of Service

Service should be made underhand below waist level.
Server must keep both feet behind the base line
Service must be made diagonally
Ball must be hit in the air before being bounced
Each team member gets to serve (server 1 and 2) with the exception of the first service of the game (starts on server 2)
No reserves are permitted in a tournament setting for time sake

Faults Occur When the Ball:

fails to clear the net
falls into the outside of the court
is volleyed from the non-volley zone
is volleyed before fulfilling the double bounce rule
touches any part of the non-volley zone while serving (line included)
a team double hits

If the receiving team faults the serving team scores, if the serving team faults it continues to the next server (2nd server or other team).

Scoring

A team can score a point only when serving
When the receiving side commits a fault, serving side receives a point
Scoring is always to be called out loud before service in the correct format (example to the left)

Definitions

Volley- a ball that is hit before bouncing
Non-Volley Zone (aka Kitchen)
Pickle- The serving team did not allow the ball to bounce on their side once after service -FAULT
Dink- a soft shot that goes over the net into the opponents kitchen
Double hit- the ball is hit twice by the same team before the ball returns over the net

Pickleball Rule Video

Rules Explained

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