MatchPoint Competitions writer Joshua Foster, who works with the UK’s home of padel, tennis & pickleball competitions, provides a guide to all the rules for pickleball.
What is pickleball?
Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing racket sports in the UK and worldwide. It blends the best of tennis, badminton, and table tennis into a fun, fast-paced game that anyone can play.
Played on a small court with paddles and a perforated plastic ball, pickleball is easy to learn but offers plenty of tactical depth for competitive players.
The basic rules of pickleball
1. How to start a point
Each rally begins with an underhand serve.
The ball must be struck below the waist and hit diagonally across the court.
The serve must clear the non-volley zone (also called the kitchen).
The serve must land in the opposite service box.
Each player gets one serve attempt, except if the ball touches the net and lands in the correct box then it’s a let serve.
2. Scoring system
Pickleball uses a unique rally scoring system where:
Only the serving side can win points.
Games are typically played to 11 points, and a team must win by two points.
In tournament play, games may go to 15 or 21 points.
A typical score is announced as the server’s score – receiver’s score – server number (e.g. “4–2–1”).
3. Double-bounce rule
After the serve, both teams must let the ball bounce once before volleying:
The receiving team must let the serve bounce.
The serving team must let the return bounce before playing it.
After these two bounces, players may volley or play off the bounce freely.
