The Basics: Court Size and Doubles Play
Court size (same for singles and doubles)
A pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long—about the size of a badminton court.
Doubles is most common
Most games are 2 vs 2 (doubles). Players stand on the same side as their partner and cover half the court each.
Court zones you should know
Baseline: the back line (where you usually serve from)
Non-Volley Zone (The Kitchen): the 7-foot area near the net on both sides
Service boxes: the left and right halves of your side
The Serve: Underhand Rules and Positioning
Underhand serving rules (beginner-friendly)
Your serve must be:
- Underhand (your paddle moves upward when hitting)
- Contact must be below your waist
- Paddle head should be below your wrist at contact (typical legal motion)
- Serve must land in the opposite diagonal service box
Where do you stand?
- You must stand behind the baseline
- You serve from right side when your score is even
- You serve from left side when your score is odd
One more important detail
- The serve must clear the kitchen line (NVZ line)
- You only get one serve attempt (no second try)
The “Two-Bounce Rule” (Super Important)
Serve → Bounce → Return → Bounce
When the point starts:
1. The serve must bounce on the receiver’s side
2. The return must bounce on the server’s side
3. After those two bounces, either team can volley (hit in the air) or let it bounce
Simple meaning: No one can volley immediately off the serve.
Beginner tip: Say this in your head: “Bounce, bounce… then play!”
The Kitchen (NVZ): What You Can and Cannot Do
What you CAN do in the kitchen
- Step into the kitchen if the ball bounces
- Hit a ball after it bounces in the kitchen
- Stand in the kitchen during play as long as you don’t volley
What you CANNOT do
You cannot volley (hit the ball in the air) while:
- Standing in the kitchen
- Stepping on the kitchen line
- Or if your momentum carries you into the kitchen after a volley
Momentum rule example
If you hit a volley near the kitchen line and your foot falls into the kitchen after, it’s still a fault.
Easy kitchen rule: You can enter the kitchen anytime—just don’t volley from it.
Scoring: How to Read the Score (Example: 10-8-2)
Only the serving team can score points
This is called side-out scoring.
If you’re receiving, you can win the rally—but you only gain the serve, not a point.
Games usually go to 11
Most games are to 11 points, win by 2.
Tournament games may go to 15 or 21.
How to call the score in doubles (3 numbers)
The score format is: Server’s score – Receiver’s score – Server number
Example: 10–8–2 means:
- Serving team has 10
- Receiving team has 8
- It’s the second server on the serving team
What is “server number”?
In doubles, each team gets two servers each time they gain the serve:
- Server 1 serves first
- If they lose a rally, Server 2 serves
- If Server 2 loses, it’s a side out (serve goes to opponents)
Quick memory trick:
- “1” = first teammate serving
- “2” = second teammate serving
- After “2” loses → side out
Quick Beginner Cheat Sheet (Save This)
Serving
- Underhand
- Diagonal
- Behind baseline
- One attempt
Two-Bounce Rule
- Serve bounces
- Return bounces
- Then volleys allowed
Kitchen
- You can step in
- But no volleying in it
Scoring
- Only serving team scores
- Doubles score has 3 numbers (like 10-8-2)