The Rules of Pickleball

Introduction

Pickleball has an interesting history that started in 1965 in Bainbridge Island, WA. Back then, three fathers, Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell, whose children were bored with ordinary summer activities, wanted to create a new kind of sport that the whole family could play together. It is also one of the few racquet sports originated from the United States.

The name pickleball comes from Joel Pritchard’s dog, Pickles, who used to chase the ball during gameplay. Pritchard’s wife, Joan, had also stated that the combination of racket sports reminded her of pickle boat oarsmen that were chosen as leftovers from other boats.

While the sport has evolved to having more standardized and mass-produced equipment, the main rules of pickleball remain the same as they did from the very beginning. The first official rulebook was published in 1984, the same year when the USA Pickleball Association was founded.

Nowadays, the game has a loyal following of nearly 3 million players in the US and is rapidly spreading to other countries around the world. Its biggest events include the US Open and the World Pickleball Open.

The object of the game

The object of pickleball is relatively simple, you must hit the ball over the net in a way that your opposing team is unable to return it. Naturally, the other team has the same goal as you do and they try to force you to commit a fault. 

If your opponent is able to return the serve, a rally occurs and continues until either team is unable to return the ball to their opponent’s side of the court. If the serving team wins the rally, they get a point, whereas if the receiving team wins a new player will serve the next point.

Scoring in pickleball

A pickleball game is won when the first team reaches 11 points with at least a two-point lead. If both teams are tied at 11 points, the game will continue until the first team is ahead by two points. In some tournaments, the game can also be played to 15 or 21 points.

Unlike other racquet sports like tennis, table tennis, padel, and badminton, in pickleball, you only score points when your team is serving. 

Serving rules in pickleball

The basic rules of pickleball state that the serving player must stand behind the baseline and serve below the waist (underhand) diagonally into the opposing team’s service court. The players have only one attempt at a successful serve. If the ball hits the net and lands outside of the service court, it is considered ”out”, whereas if the ball lands in, a let is given. This means the point will be served again. The serving player is also not allowed to visually or verbally obstruct the other team with feints etc. Breaking this rule may result in a warning or even a foul, resulting in a point reduction.

The two-bounce rule in pickleball means that when the ball is served, both teams must let the ball bounce once in their side of the court before volleys are allowed. This also eliminates service advantage.

The first serve is always performed from the right side of the table. If the serving team scores a point, the server starts the next point from the left service court and so on. When the serving team loses a point, the other player from that team becomes the server and starts the game from the right service court. After both teammates have lost a point from their serves, it’s the other team’s turn to serve. 

In singles, the player serves from the right service court when the score is even – and vice versa.

Gameplay

Pickleball is usually played in doubles (2 vs 2) and mixed doubles format, whereas singles (1 vs 1) games are somewhat rare. In both formats, players can either volley (hit straight from the air) or play the ball off a bounce (groundstroke) after the initial two-bounce rule. Players are also free to move on their side of the court, as long as the same team doesn’t hit the ball twice in a row. 

The rally ends when either side commits a fault, such as letting the ball bounce twice or hitting the ball into the net or out of bounds. Other faults include:

• Volleying the ball from the non-volley zone
• Volleying the ball before a bounce has occurred on both sides of the court
• The ball touches any part of the non-volley zone while serving (including the line)
• The ball hits a player
• A player touches the net in any way
• A player violates service rule
• A player serves before the referee has called the score

These rules are overseen by a referee, whose responsibility is to decide the result of each rally, calling short services and foot faults, as well as making sure that pickleball is being played by the official rules of the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP). In bigger tournaments, the referee can also be joined by line judges, whereas in most games the players are responsible for their own line calls. In unclear situations, the referee may also call a let and the point will be played again.

Game intervals

In pickleball, the game interval rules depend on the gameplay format. In 11 point games, players switch ends when the first team reaches 6 points, whereas 15 point games do the same at 8 points. In a 21 point game, players switch sides when the first team has a score of 11.

When teams are changing ends, players are allowed a 1-minute break. Some tournament matches also consist of the best out of 3 games. In this case, players have a two-minute break between games. In a tournament setting with back-to-back matches, there should also be a 10-minute break between matches. 

Players are also allowed two 60s timeouts during an 11 point game and three timeouts in 15 and 21 point games. However, if a player is injured and needs medical attention, they have 15 minutes to treat the injury and resume play. The referee is also responsible for the on-site medical personnel for assistance. Note that each player only has 15 minutes of medical attention time during a single game. 

The pickleball court

The pickleball court is 13.41m (44ft) long and 6.1m (20ft) wide. The court is divided in the center by a net with a height of 91.4cm (36in) at the posts and (34in) in the middle. The court also has a non-volley zone, also known as the kitchen, 2.13m (7ft) from the net, and spans for the entire width of the court. As the name suggests, players are not allowed to volley (hit a ball out of the air) inside this area. There is also a perpendicular line from the middle of the baseline towards the non-volley zone, dividing the court into the right and left service courts. 

Pickleball is usually played on concrete, asphalt, or acrylic surfaces. Both concrete and asphalt surfaces are durable and relatively inexpensive to maintain. On the other hand, many high-end pickleball courts have acrylic surfaces. While this comes at a premium, acrylic surfaces are ideal for minimizing surface glare while maintaining traction for safe and predictable gameplay. 

Rules and regulations of pickleball equipment

Aside from the court and regular athletic clothes, pickleball only requires two pieces of equipment; a ball and a racket.

The pickleball paddle has a rectangle-shaped head with a shorter handle (grip). They are usually made from wood, composite, or graphite and come in many different shapes, sizes and weights. However, the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) rules that the paddle length may not be longer than 43.18cm (17in) and the combined length and width of the paddle cannot exceed 60.96cm (24in). There are no restrictions on the thickness of the paddle. 

The ball is made from polymer and closely resembles a Wiffle ball or the ones used in floorball. According to the modern pickleball rules, the ball must have a diameter of 7.29-7.54cm (2.87-2.97in) and weigh between 22.1-26.5g (0.78-0.935oz). It must also have anywhere from 26 to 40 circular holes and provide an adequate bounce. The balls also come in indoor and outdoor versions. The only real difference between the two is that indoor balls have larger holes. However, both designs are approved for both indoor and outdoor play.

Other rules of pickleball

A pickleball match starts with any fair method to determine which player gets to decide the first server. For example, if the player chooses to serve first, the opposing team may choose which end they want to start from. Usually, this is a traditional coin toss, but in some cases, the referee may draw a number 1 or a 2 at the back of a scorecard and make the player guess which hand it is in. 

Players are allowed to switch hands during gameplay and hit two-handed shots. Even double hits are allowed as long as they are unintentional, fly to a single direction, and performed by one player. Additionally, if the ball breaks during a rally or a player experiences an equipment problem, the ball will remain in play until either team commits a fault. This also counted as a point.

If any of the players drop something onto the court, the ball remains in play. Players are also not allowed to reach over the net unless the ball bounces back to the striking team’s side due to wind or strong backspin. Lastly, players are not allowed to distract their opponents verbally or visually during gameplay. Communicating with your teammate is also considered a distraction if it occurs before the other team strikes the ball. 

Did you learn anything new about the rules of pickleball? Let us know in the comments!