HOW TO PLAY:

BASIC RULES

SERVING

Serves must be made underhand.
Serves are initiated with both feet behind the baseline; neither foot may touch the baseline or court until after the ball is struck.
Serves are made diagonally crosscourt and must land within the confines of the opposite diagonal court.
Only 1 serve attempt is allowed, except in the event of a let (the ball touches the net on the serve and lands on the proper service court; let serves are replayed.

SERVICE SEQUENCE

Both players on the serving doubles team have the opportunity to serve and score points until they commit a fault (except for the 1st service sequence of each new game).
If a point is scored, the server switches sides and the server initiates the next serve from the left/odd court.
When the first server loses the serve, the partner then serves from their correct side of the court (except for the 1st service sequence of the game).
The second server continues serving until their team commits a fault and loses the serve to the opposing team.

SCORING

Points are scored only by the serving team.
Games are normally played to 11 pts, win by 2 pts.
When the serving team’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) the player who was the first server in the game for that team will be in the right/even court when serving or receiving; when odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) that player will be in the left/odd court when serving or receiving.

Two-Bounce Rule

When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning, and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning, thus two bounces.
After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley the ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it off a bounce (ground stroke).

Non-Volley Zone (The Kitchen)

The non-volley zone, commonly referred to as “the kitchen,” is the court area within 5 feet of the net on both sides.
It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player steps on the non-volley zone, including the line and/or when the player’s momentum causes them or anything they are wearing or carrying to touch the non-volley zone, including the associated lines.
It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by momentum into or touches the non-volley zone.
A player may legally be in the non-volley zone any time other than when volleying a ball.

Pickleball