Pickleball for Dummies: The Basics of Pickleball Explained

TL;DR

Pickleball is a fun, beginner-friendly racket sport similar to tennis and other racket sports. Played on a smaller court with paddles, it uses a scoring system where only the serving team scores. Learn the basic rules and find local courts to get started.

Main Points

• Basic Concept: Similar to tennis, but played with paddles and a plastic ball.
• Scoring: Only the serving player or team can score points.
• Key Rules: Underhand serves, two-bounce rule, and non-volley zone.
• Getting Started: Take lessons or join beginner events to learn.
• Culture: Casual and supportive, great for social play.

Interested in pickleball but not sure where to start? Our pickleball for dummies guide has you covered.

Here, we’ll review the basics of pickleball, explained in simple language and geared toward those who aren’t already in the know about this increasingly popular sport.

There’s a lot to learn about pickleball, so let’s dive in!

What is Pickleball? The Basics of the Sport

Pickleball is a racket sport — although in pickleball the preferred term is paddles, not rackets — that’s similar to tennis, badminton, and many other racket sports in the big picture.

Pickleball has a regulation court about 1/3 the size of a tennis court. Generally, the closest comparison in terms of similar and well-known games is tennis. In both, players hit a ball back and forth over a net to score points and, eventually, win the match.

A net divides the pickleball court into two halves, with opponents or opposing teams each staying on their own side of the court. The game is traditionally played in singles or doubles matches. Players use solid paddles to hit a hollow plastic ball studded with holes back and forth.

Pickleball Scoring for Dummies

The goal in a game of pickleball is to score points. Points can only be scored by the serving player or team — the person or pair that puts the ball into play.

This is called side-out scoring. It’s a major difference from most other racket sports, which use rally scoring. That means both sides can score a point during play.

When the non-serving player or team wins a round (by hitting a shot that lands in bounds and isn’t returned by an opponent on the serving side, for example), they don’t earn points. Instead, they advance the position of the service order. In other words, the role of the server moves to the next player in line.

By winning the back-and-forth action after a serve, called a rally, the non-serving player or team will eventually become the serving player or team. That allows both players or teams to have the opportunity to score points as they play pickleball.

The pickleball scoring system itself is pretty simple. As AARP reminds us, games are normally played to 11 points, with the requirement that the winners have a two-point advantage over their opponents once reaching that threshold.

In singles pickleball play, the score is announced and displayed as two numbers, like 6-4. The first number is the score of the player serving. The second is the score of the player receiving the serve.

In doubles pickleball, the score consists of three numbers, such as 6-4-2. The first two numbers represent the serving and receiving players’ scores, respectively. The third number indicates whether the first or second player on the serving team is serving.

Pickleball Rules for Dummies

USA Pickleball, the governing body for the sport in the US, offers an in-depth rulebook and basic summary for free to all players. Here’s a rundown of some of the most important and unique rules in pickleball:

• Serves must use an underhand motion, contacting the ball at waist level or below.
• A served ball must bounce once before being returned to the serving side and must bounce one more time before being returned again. This is called the two-bounce rule. Afterward, players can volley the ball (hit it without letting it bounce).
• Players may only volley the ball outside of the non-volley zone, or kitchen. The kitchen is a 7-foot zone extending from the net and across the width of the court. The ball can be hit in the kitchen if it has already bounced.

How to Play Pickleball for Dummies

Wondering how to get started with playing pickleball? Our best advice is to take pickleball lessons or look for a beginner’s event at a local pickleball court. An introductory lesson is usually all that’s needed to pick up the basics of the game — most new players don’t need multiple lessons before playing.

The rules and scoring system might sound complex, but pickleball in practice is easy to pick up and play. Best of all, it’s a fun and social sport! The culture around pickleball, especially outside of official USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments, tends to be casual and supportive of new players.

Ready to pick up your paddle and start playing pickleball? Find a court near you today.