What are the official Pickleball rules?

Below is a full breakdown of the official rules used in most UK and international matches.

Court and Equipment

A standard pickleball court is 6.10 metres wide and 13.41 metres long. This size applies to both singles and doubles play.

The net stands at 91.4 cm high at the posts, and 86.4 cm in the middle.

A special plastic ball with holes is used, along with a solid paddle made from materials like wood, graphite or composite.

The “non-volley zone” – commonly called the kitchen – is marked 2.13 metres from each side of the net.

Serving

  • Serves must be played underarm, with the paddle making contact below the waist.
  • The ball is hit diagonally across court into the opponent’s service area.
  • Feet must remain behind the baseline when serving.
  • Only one serve attempt is allowed per point, unless a let occurs (the serve hits the net but still lands in the correct box).
  • In doubles, both players serve before the serve passes to the opposing team – except at the start of the game when only one player serves.

How Scoring Works

  • Points can only be scored by the serving team.
  • Matches are typically played to 11 points, and a two-point lead is required to win.
  • Some formats go to 15 or 21 points, particularly in tournaments.
  • In doubles, both players serve in rotation before a change of possession, known as a side-out.

Bounce Rule

After the serve, the receiving side must allow the ball to bounce once before returning it.

The serving team must then let that return bounce before playing it. This is called the two-bounce rule and applies at the start of each rally.

Once these bounces occur, volleys (hitting the ball before it bounces) are allowed – but only from outside the kitchen.

The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone)

This is the area 2.13 metres on either side of the net.

Players may not volley the ball while standing inside this area.

It’s allowed to enter the kitchen to hit a bouncing ball, but players must exit the zone before attempting any volley.

Touching the kitchen line during a volley is considered a fault.

Faults and Rule Violations

A fault results in the loss of a serve or a point, depending on who is serving. Common faults include:

  • Serving into the wrong area or into the net
  • Volleying from within the kitchen
  • Ball landing outside court boundaries
  • Hitting the ball into the net during play
  • Double bounce on the same side
  • Touching the net or posts during play
  • Failing to observe the double bounce rule

Doubles Serving and Rotation

  • The first serve of the game starts on the right side, and only one player serves before the other team takes over.
  • After the first round, both players on each team serve before the serve is handed over.
  • The serving side switches positions after winning a point.
  • The receiving team never changes sides unless they win the serve.

Singles Rules

The same scoring and serving rules apply.

When your score is even, serve from the right side. If it’s odd, serve from the left.

Players alternate serving after each fault.

Popular Variations

In some casual games, let serves are replayed instead of resulting in faults.

Half-court or “skinny singles” games are also common when space is limited or when practising control and shot placement.

Our full range of pickleball equipment can be found at https://buymeone.co.uk/pickleball/

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