What is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a sport that combines elements of table tennis, badminton, and tennis. It is played on a badminton sized court with a ball that resembles a whiffle ball (though sturdier in nature). The sport has gained popularity in recent years due to its social nature and accessibility to people of all ages and athletic abilities. It’s easy to pick up, yet difficult to master.

How to Keep Score in Pickleball & Key Rules:

Pickleball can be played with either two people (singles) or four people (doubles). The scoring system can seem a bit daunting at first but will become commonplace the more you play. In both singles and doubles, players or teams only score points on their serve. Games are typically played to 11- win by two, although sometimes in tournaments games will be played to 15. There are also some key rules to keep in mind when playing.

• Singles Scoring
• Doubles Score
• Key Rules

Singles Scoring

Singles scoring is a bit more straightforward than doubles scoring. The starting server starts out serving from the right side of the court (serving diagonally to the opposite side of court). If the server wins the point, they then move to the left side service box to serve and continue to switch serving sides as they win points. When a point is lost, it’s a ‘side-out’ and the opposite player now has the serve. In singles you will always serve from the right side of the court if your score is an even number and from the left side on odd numbers. So, if you are up 2-1, you should be serving from the right side of the court. If you are up 3-1, you should be serving from the left side of the court.

Doubles Scoring

As mentioned, doubles scoring is slightly more complicated than singles as more variables are in play. The main difference is that you now have two servers for each possession (with one exception) and three numbers to call out when serving.The 3-number scoring sequence in doubles is as follows: servers score- returners score- server number.As mentioned, in doubles you typically have two servers per service possession (1^st server, 2^nd server), except for the first serving sequence of the game. At the beginning of a doubles game, the team who starts serving only gets one server to reduce the advantage of serving first; they therefore start out on their “2^nd server” and would call out the starting score of 0-0-2. If they win the first point, the server moves to the left box and serves at 1-0-2. If the serving team loses the next point, it’s a side out, meaning the serve goes to the other team. The other team now starts on their 1^st server with a score of 0-1-1. As the serving team wins points the server continues to switch the side they are serving from until they lose a point. When a point is lost on the 1^stserver’s serve, the serve now goes to their teammate who is the 2^nd server. When a point is lost on the 2^ndserver’s serve, it’s now a side out. The serve goes back to the other team and the game now continues with each side getting 2 servers per possession for the remainder of the game.

Key Rules

• Double Bounce Rule
• Non-Volley Zone

Double Bounce Rule

There are a couple key rules to keep in mind when playing pickleball. The first is the double bounce rule. When a serving team serves the ball, the returning team must let the ball hit the ground before hitting it (bounce one), and the serving team must let the returner’s ball hit the ground (bounce two) before hitting the ball back. From here, play is open and both teams can either let the ball bounce once or hit the ball out of the air— so long as they stay out of the kitchen! Which brings us to the other key component of the game: The Non-Volley Zone.

Non-Volley Zone

The Non-Volley Zone, often referred to as “the kitchen” is the 7-foot box in front of the net. Players must stay behind the kitchen line when taking balls out of the air. If any part of a player’s foot is inside the box or even touching the line, it is considered a fault. Players can enter the kitchen if taking a ball off a bounce, but they must re-establish themselves outside of the kitchen (both feet on the ground) before taking a ball out of the air.

What do I need to start playing pickleball?

It’s time to take the plunge and see what all the rage is about. So what exactly do you need for your first pickleball session? When heading to the courts you’ll want to have a pickleball paddle in tow. It can be tricky to know what paddle is best for you, but our article on How to Choose a Pickleball Paddle can help point you in the right direction.Additionally, you’ll want to have a few pickleballs on hand. Whether you find yourself playing indoors or outdoors, the JOOLA Primo Ball is a great option. The Primo balls offer a well-balanced weight for optimal flight as well as top durability to last you through those long hours on court.To keep all of your gear conveniently stored and easy to carry to and from the courts, you can use a pickleball bag or backpack.Shop Pickleball PaddlesGoShop PickleballsGoShop Pickleball BagsGo

Where can I play pickleball?

Increasingly, communities nation-wide are installing permanent pickleball courts. When permanent courts aren’t available, certain community parks will have tennis courts taped with pickleball lines (or painted on lines) where you just need to bring your own net. See our JOOLA Pickleball Net for a great portable net option in these instances. Be sure also to check with your local recreational center as they will often offer indoor play options if you find yourself battling inclement weather. If permanent or temporary court options aren’t at your disposal, you can find a space to set up your own court, perhaps on a driveway, a deserted parking lot, sport court, etc.