The Rules of Pickleball

The rules of pickleball can vary slightly depending on the governing body or organization, but here are the general rules of the game:

1. Court and Equipment:
   • Pickleball is played on a court that measures 20 feet wide and 44 feet long for doubles play and 20 feet wide and 20 feet long for singles play.
   • The court is divided into two halves by a net that is positioned at a height of 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the centre.
   • Players use solid paddles made of wood, composite materials, or graphite to hit a plastic ball with holes, similar to a wiffle ball.
     
     
2. Serving:
   • The serve must be made underhand with the paddle below the waist.
   • The server must stand behind the baseline and serve diagonally to the opponent's court.
   • The serve must clear the non-volley zone (the area within 7 feet of the net) and land within the diagonal service court.
   • The server gets two attempts to make a valid serve, and if they fail both times, it results in a side out (loss of serve).
     
     
3. Double Bounce Rule:
   • After the serve, the receiving team must let the ball bounce before returning it.
   • The serving team must also let the return of serve bounce before hitting it.
   • Once both teams have hit their shots and the ball has bounced once on each side, the players can choose to volley the ball (hit it out of the air) or let it bounce before hitting.
     
     
4. Non-Volley Zone (Kitchen):
   • The non-volley zone, also known as the kitchen, is the area within 7 feet on either side of the net.
   • Players are not allowed to volley the ball while standing inside the non-volley zone.
   • If a player's momentum carries them into the non-volley zone while hitting a volley, it is considered a fault.
     
     
5. Scoring:
   • Pickleball can be played using either rally scoring or traditional scoring.
   • In rally scoring, a point is awarded on every serve, and the serving team continues to serve until they commit a fault or lose a rally.
   • In traditional scoring, the serving team can only score points when they are serving, and a game is typically played to 11 points (win by 2) or 15 points (win by 2).

These are the basic rules of pickleball, but it's worth noting that there may be additional rules and variations depending on the level of play and the specific tournament or organization you are participating in.