Pickleball rules at a glance: scoring and the serve

Pickleball is easy to start and quick to enjoy, but a few rules trip up almost everyone in their first sessions. Get these straight and the rest of the game falls into place.

The serve

The serve is made underhand and diagonally, into the service box across the net. In the traditional volley serve, contact is made below your waist (around navel height) with the paddle head below your wrist. A drop serve — letting the ball bounce once and hitting it after — is also allowed and removes those contact restrictions, which many beginners find easier.

You serve from behind the baseline, and the serve must clear the non-volley zone (the "kitchen") and its line. In doubles, the score determines which side you serve from: even scores from the right, odd from the left.

The two-bounce rule

This is the rule new players forget most. After the serve, the receiving side must let the ball bounce once before returning it, and the serving side must then let the return bounce once before hitting. Only after those two bounces can either side hit the ball out of the air (a volley). The rule exists to stop a serve-and-rush pattern and is what gives pickleball its patient, strategic rallies.

Scoring

The most common format is side-out scoring: you can only score points while your side is serving. Games are usually played to 11 and you must win by 2.

In doubles the score is called as three numbers — your team's score, the opponents' score, and which server you are (1 or 2). A game starts at 0-0-2, meaning the first serving team only gets one fault before handing over serve. When your side wins a rally on serve, you score and the same server switches sides; when you lose a rally, serve passes (eventually to the other team). You'll also hear about rally scoring, where every rally scores a point regardless of who served — it's used in some team and pro formats, but side-out is what you'll meet at most local play.

Lines and faults

A ball landing on any line is in, with one exception: a serve that lands on the kitchen line is a fault. Common faults include hitting the ball out of bounds, into the net, volleying before the two bounces, or stepping into the kitchen to volley.

None of this needs memorising in one go. Play a few games with someone who knows the rules, focus on the serve and the two-bounce rule first, and the scoring will start to feel natural.