How to play pickleball? Step-by-step guide
How do you play pickleball? The basics are actually quite simple. The game starts with a serve, the ball is hit back and forth over the net, and the goal is to make your opponent make a mistake – much like in other racket sports.
What makes pickleball special is primarily the smaller court, the perforated plastic ball, the double-bounce rule, and the area in front of the net called the kitchen.
In this guide, we'll show you how to play pickleball step by step, from the first serve to scoring and basic positioning.
If you're completely new to the sport, you can also read our complete guide to pickleball for beginners.
Pickleball in brief
Pickleball is played with a solid paddle and a perforated plastic ball on a court that is 6.10 meters wide and 13.41 meters long.
You can play:
- singles – one player against one player
- doubles – two players against two players
The same court size is used for both game formats.
Doubles is a very common game format and involves a lot of cooperation, positioning, and tactical play at the kitchen line.
How to play pickleball – step by step
Let's start with a typical rally.
Step 1 – serve diagonally
The game starts with a serve from behind the baseline.
The serve must go diagonally over the net and land in the opponent's opposite service court. It must clear the area closest to the net – the kitchen – and must not land on the kitchen line.
The goal doesn't have to be to hit an extremely hard serve. For new players, a safe and relatively deep serve is significantly more important.
Step 2 – receiver lets the ball bounce
The player receiving the serve must let the ball bounce once before hitting the return.
So, you cannot hit the serve directly on the volley.
Step 3 – serving team must also let the return bounce
Once the receiver has returned the ball, the serving team must also let the return bounce before hitting their next shot.
This is the so-called double-bounce rule.
It means:
- The serve bounces on the receiver's side.
- The return bounces on the server's side.
- After that, volley play is allowed.
Step 4 – rally becomes free
Once both mandatory bounces have occurred, players can choose to hit the ball:
- after a bounce
- directly on the volley
However, there's one important exception: you cannot hit a volley from the kitchen.
Step 5 – play until someone makes a fault
The rally continues until one team or player, for example:
- hits the ball into the net
- hits the ball out of bounds
- lets the ball bounce twice
- violates the double-bounce rule
- hits a volley from the kitchen
Then the rally ends.
What is the kitchen in pickleball?
On both sides of the net, there is an area called the kitchen. The official name is the non-volley zone.
This area extends 2.13 meters (7 feet) from the net on each side.
The most common misconception is that you are not allowed to enter the kitchen. You are.
The rule is instead:
You cannot hit a volley when standing in the kitchen or on the kitchen line.
If the ball bounces in the kitchen, you can enter and play it.
This creates a significant part of pickleball's special playing style, as players cannot simply stand directly at the net and smash every ball.
→ Read all pickleball rules step by step
How to score in pickleball?
In traditional side-out scoring, only the serving team or serving player can score points.
If the receiving team wins the rally, they do not automatically get a point. Instead, the right to serve changes according to the rules.
A game is often played to 11 points and must typically be won by a margin of at least two points.
Other scoring and match formats also occur, including rally scoring in some contexts.
→ Scoring in pickleball – complete guide
How does the serving order work in doubles?
In traditional doubles play, both players on a team normally get a chance to serve before the serve goes over to the opponents.
If the first server loses a rally, the serve goes to their partner.
When the second server also loses, it's a side-out and the opposing team gets the serve.
There is a special exception at the beginning of the game. The team that starts serving only gets one server during the first serving round.
Therefore, a traditional doubles game starts with the score:
0–0–2
How does singles work?
In singles, you play alone and therefore have to cover the entire court yourself.
The serve position is determined by your own score:
- even score → serve from the right
- odd score → serve from the left
There is no first and second server since the team consists of only one player.
Singles usually involves more running and larger areas to defend than doubles.
Where should you stand when playing pickleball?
Positioning is a major part of pickleball.
When your team serves
Stay behind the baseline after the serve until you see how deep your opponent's return will be.
Since the double-bounce rule requires the return to bounce on your side, you risk having to back up to reach a deep return otherwise.
When your team receives the serve
After a deep return, the returning player can usually start moving towards the kitchen line.
Their partner can already be further forward since only the player receiving the serve needs to let the first ball bounce.
Once the game is underway
In doubles, both players often want to establish themselves near the kitchen line in many situations.
There you can:
- take the ball earlier
- create better angles
- reduce opponents' time
- control larger parts of the court
But don't rush forward blindly. Advance when your shot gives you time to do so.
The most important shots when you start playing
You don't need to master all advanced pickleball shots from the beginning.
First, focus on:
- serve – starts the rally
- return – the shot after the serve
- forehand – one of the most common basic shots
- backhand – used on the opposite side of the body
- volley – shot before the ball bounces
- dink – a soft shot that lands in the opponent's kitchen
As you progress, you'll also encounter terms like third shot drop, drive, reset, speed-up, and lob.
How to play better doubles
Doubles pickleball is as much about cooperation as individual technique.
A few simple principles make a big difference:
- Move together with your partner.
- Communicate about who takes the ball.
- Try to avoid large gaps between you.
- Move towards the kitchen line when the situation allows.
- Play a safe shot rather than a difficult risky shot.
- Attack high balls but respect low balls.
→ Learn more about tactics in pickleball
Common mistakes when starting to play
It's common for new players to try to make the game harder than it needs to be.
Some typical mistakes are:
- advancing immediately after your own serve
- forgetting the double-bounce rule
- thinking you can never enter the kitchen
- hitting too hard on almost every ball
- staying far behind the baseline
- using too large swings at the net
- attacking balls that are too low
→ 12 common mistakes in pickleball – and how to avoid them
How to play your first pickleball match?
You don't need to know all the tactics and special rules before playing your first match.
A simple order is:
- Learn to serve diagonally.
- Remember the double-bounce rule.
- Learn that you cannot hit a volley from the kitchen.
- Try to keep the ball in play.
- Learn basic scoring.
- Start playing.
The rest will be much easier to understand when you experience the situations on the court.
The first few matches don't have to be about winning. Instead, try to have longer rallies and get a feel for how the game works.
Why is pickleball easy to start playing?
One of the sport's strengths is that the basic game is relatively quick to understand.
This is due to factors such as:
- a relatively small court
- simple basic shots
- a lightweight paddle
- a ball that moves slower than, for example, a tennis ball
- the option to play doubles and share the court with a partner
At the same time, there is great tactical depth. As players improve, the game becomes more and more about placement, patience, dink duels, the transition to the kitchen line, and choosing the right attack opportunity.
Is pickleball good exercise?
Pickleball involves many short movements, changes of direction, and rallies, and can provide good physical activity.
How intense the game becomes depends on factors such as skill level, whether it's singles or doubles, and how the matches are played.
Singles generally requires a player to cover a significantly larger area, while doubles divides the court between two players.
Video – learn to play pickleball
It's often easier to understand the game when you see an actual rally. The videos below show the basics of how pickleball is played.
When watching, pay particular attention to:
- where the server stands
- that the serve goes diagonally
- the two mandatory bounces
- how players move towards the kitchen line
- how volley and dink are used once the game is underway
Frequently asked questions about how to play pickleball
How to play pickleball simply explained?
You serve diagonally over the net. The serve must bounce on the receiver's side, and the return must then bounce on the serving team's side. After that, the ball can be played after a bounce or on the volley, except that volleys cannot be hit from the kitchen.
How many people play pickleball?
Pickleball can be played as singles with one player on each side or doubles with two players on each team.
How many points do you play to?
A regular game is played to 11 points and must typically be won by a margin of at least two points. Other formats occur.
Can you stand in the kitchen?
Yes. You can stand and move in the kitchen. It is volleying from the kitchen or the kitchen line that is prohibited.
Must the ball bounce after the serve?
Yes. First, the serve must bounce on the receiver's side, and then the return must bounce on the serving team's side. This is called the double-bounce rule.
Can you play pickleball on a badminton court?
Yes. The pickleball court has the same outer dimensions as a doubles badminton court, which makes many badminton and sports halls suitable for pickleball.
Is pickleball difficult to learn?
The basic rules and simplest shots are relatively easy to learn. However, there is a lot of technique and tactics to develop as you become more experienced.
Is pickleball the same as padel?
No. They are separate sports with different rackets, balls, courts, and rules. Pickleball, for example, is played without walls and has the special non-volley zone in front of the net.
Ready to start playing pickleball?
The best way to understand pickleball is to get on the court. Learn the serve, the double-bounce rule, and the kitchen rule, and then start playing simple matches.
You don't need to master everything from the beginning. Technique, positioning, and tactics develop gradually the more you play.
→ Pickleball for beginners – start here
