how to play pickleball: basic 4 steps

Are you wondering how to play pickleball? this article will guide you through the pickleball rules.

you need some pickleball equipment to start this game: top pickleball paddles, a pickleball ball, pickleball court near you and a pair of pickleball shoes if you have.

pickleball is played on the pickleball court, and the pickelball court dimensions are 44 feet (13.4 meters) long and 20 feet (6.1 meters) wide in rectangular shape. A net in the center divides the court into 2 equal parts. The middle part of net is 86.36cm in height, and the side parts are 91.44 in height.

usually the pickleball ball is made with TPE materials with 40 holes( outdoor pickleball) or 26 holes ( indoor pickleball), you can choose the suitable type based on your location. While the pickleball paddle has many option, if you are not certain which to choose, read this article about best pickleball paddles on the market.

When serving pickleball, the ball must be served with a throwing gesture, and the contact surface between the ball and the pickleball paddle (the serving point) is below the waist. When serving, you shoud stand outside the baseline.

First, the winner is decided by tossing a coin or so. The winning side can choose the side or choose to receive the serve.  After each game, the serving order and court positions of the two sides are exchanged.

At the beginning of each game, the player on the right side starts serving. If the player has the right to serve, the left and right sides will serve alternately after the points are scored. When the player serves on the right side, the serving team’s score will always be an even number (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10…), and when the player serves on the left side, the serving team’s score will always be an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, 9…)

1. The serve always starts from the player on the right. If the player can keep the right to serve, he will serve alternately in the left and right service areas.

2. The serve must land in the playing area diagonally opposite and cannot hit the non-volley line.

3. When the server serves on the right, the serving team’s score will always be an even number (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 1 0…). When the server serves on the left, the serving team’s score will always be an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, 9…).

4. The first player to serve in each game is only allowed to make one mistake. If a mistake occurs, the right to serve will be given to the other team, and the server’s teammates will not have a chance to serve. Starting from the second ball, each team will have one serving opportunity each, until both players of the team lose the qualification to serve due to mistakes. After that, the serving qualification will return to the other team.

5. After each point scored by the server, the other player of the team should be replaced.

After the first server makes a mistake, his teammate continues to serve from the side where he made the mistake.

A. If the ball is served by the wrong player or from the wrong serving area, it is considered a serving mistake.

B. The receiver must stand diagonally opposite the server and behind the baseline.

C. When receiving a serve, only the receiver can hit the ball back. If the ball is hit back by his teammate, the serving team will score. The receiver’s teammates can stand anywhere inside or outside the court.

D. When receiving a serve, players cannot exchange positions. During the rallies (continuous rallies after serving and before the mistake), players on the receiving side can exchange positions. After the rallies, players must return to their original positions.

if you are interested in learning the details, please refer to the usapa rules book

Scoring: Only the serving team can score. In compliance with the rules, the serving team scores if the opponent does not receive the ball after serving or makes a mistake during the rallies.

Score Call: The score call contains 3 digits. The correct order of score calls is: the score of the serving team – the score of the receiving team – the server No. 1 or No. 2 (only for doubles). For example, before a game starts, the score call is: 0-0-2 (0-0, server No. 2 serves).

Match system (standard match format): The first team to score 11 points in each game and lead by at least 2 points wins. If both sides score 10 points, the game should continue until one side leads by 2 points. The game is generally played in a best-of-three format.

A. The serve hits the net.

B. The ball is hit out of bounds.

C. Violation of the “double bounce” rule.

D. Violation of the serve rule.

E. The ball hits any permanent object (light, ceiling, wall, etc.) before it bounces on the court.

F. The ball is hit over the net.

1. The Carvana PPA Tour

2. Major League Pickleball (MLP)

3. USA Pickleball National Championships

4. APP Tour (Association of Pickleball Professionals)

5. Pickleball Slam

6. The Tournament of Champions

read more to learn about pickleball