How to Play Pickleball

Learn the rules to the outdoor sport Pickleball quickly and concisely - This visually rich video has no distractions, just the rules. Vea este vídeo en español aquí: https://youtu.be/y0k1YULbdvc

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RULES:

The object of the game is to be the first player or team to have at least 11 points and you must win by 2 points. Pick a side to serve the ball first. Serves must be made diagonally, starting behind the right-hand service area and alternating each serve. The Server must keep both feet behind the back line when serving. To serve, call out the score, then you must drop the ball from one hand and hit it with the paddle with an underhand swing below your waist. The ball must be hit in the air, it may not be bounced then hit. The ball’s first bounce must be in the diagonally opposite service area on the opponent’s side of the court.

The serve may not land in the opponent’s kitchen or the kitchen’s line. If it does, it is a fault. Only one serve attempt is allowed, except if the ball touches the net on the serve and lands in the proper service area, in this case the serve is retaken.

At the start of each new game, the 1st serving team is allowed only one fault before giving up the ball to the opponents. After that, BOTH members of EACH team will serve and fault before the ball is turned over to the opposing team. When the receiving team wins the serve, the player in the right-hand court will always start with the serve.

Each time the ball enters your side of the court, your side is allowed one bounce and one hit to get the ball back over the net to the opponent’s side. A player on your side is not allowed to: hits the ball twice, have both players hit the ball, hit it into the net, hit it out of bounds, fail to get the ball over the net, or let the ball hits your side twice before you hit it. If you do, then you fault.

After the serve, there is a double bounce rule that requires both teams to let the ball bounce once on their side before they can hit it. A volley means to hit the ball while it is in the air without letting it bounce first. After the first bounce on your side, You may volley anywhere on the court except the kitchen.

You are not allowed to step into the kitchen, even after a follow through, or it is a fault. The only exception is if the ball first bounces in the kitchen, then you can enter the kitchen and hit it, but you must immediately leave the kitchen after doing so or it is a fault. You may never Volley in the kitchen.

A team scores 1 point when it is their serve and their opponent faults. After a fault the server switches sides to serve from. In a 1v1, the opponent switches receiving sides too. In a 2v2, only the server and his teammate switch sides for the serve, their opponent’s stay where they are.

The server continues serving until his team makes a fault. In a 1v1, and the very first serve of a game, after 1 fault the serve switches to the opposite right service area. In a 2v2, after the very first serve of the game, after the server side faults, the server and teammate stay where they are the teammate becomes the server. At the next fault, possession of the serve changes.

To call out the score when serving in a 1v1, simply say the number of points you have followed by the number of your opponent. For example 5-2. To call out the score in a 2v2 you must add a number to the back of the score and say a total of three numbers. The last number is either a 1 or a 2 to indicate if you are the first server or the second server for your team. When your team gains the serve, if you are the first to serve you are number 1, even if you weren’t number 1 last serve. If after your team faults you serve, then you are number 2, even if you weren’t number 2 last serve.

For example, the first server might say: 1-5-1., the first 1 is his team’s score, the 5 is the opponent’s score, and the last 1 is his server position. If the server hits the ball out of bounds on his serve, the possession of server changes. The next server says 1-5-2. The first 1 is his team’s score, the 5 is the opponent’s score, and the 2 is his server position.

The only exception to the scoring is for the very first serve of the game when you call out 0-0-start. This indicates that this server is the first of the game so you know when the serve is lost that it goes to the other side.

The first team to reach 11 points wins, but you must win by 2.