A Brief Introduction to Pickleball.
The Court
A Pickleball court is roughly the size of a badminton court. The biggest difference is the No Volley Zone is a bit larger than the front area on a badminton court.
A net is set up in the middle of the court, that is 36 inches high at the sides and 34 inches high in the middle.
Starting the Game – The Serve
- A Pickleball games starts with a SERVE.
Decided which team serves first. This is often done by a short rally or by convention, one side of the court always starts the game.
The person in the right or even court serves first.
They must be standing behind the baseline and between the centre line and side line extended (dotted white lines).
The ball must travel in the air on a diagonal from the servers paddle to the “Right hand court” on the other side of the net, land in the service box beyond the kitchen line and bounce before the returning player can play it.
Return of Serve
2. The TWO BOUNCE rule
The return of serve is played by the Returning player diagonally opposite the server. The serve must be allowed to bounce before playing it.
The ball must go over the net but can land anywhere on the court on that side.
The “serving team” must allow the return to bounce before it can be played.
The “Two Bounce” rule – the serve must bounce, then the return of serve must bounce.
Play
3. Normal Play
The teams continue to rally the ball back and forth over the net and on to the opposing court.
The person in the right or even court serves first.
They must be standing behind the baseline and between the centre line and side line extended (dotted white lines).
The ball must travel in the air on a diagonal from the servers paddle to the “Right hand court” on the other side of the net, land in the service box beyond the kitchen line and bounce before the returning player can play it.
Basic Strategy
Get to the No Volley Line First
The Two Bounce Rule is important because it gives the defending team an advantage. Because the Return of Serve must bounce the defending team can get to the No Volley Zone line first.
The No Volley Zone
The area between the net and the service areas is called the No Volley Zone or the kitchen.
You may not be in physical contact with the No Volley Zone during any part of your shot and hit the ball out of the air. The ball MUST BOUNCE if you play it while you are standing, touching, or falling into the No Volley Zone.
Don’t Volley in the No Volley Zone (or the Kitchen either)
You lose the point if any part of you or anything previously on your body (like your glasses, hat or false teeth) touches the No Volley Zone from the time you volley the ball, i.e. play it out of the air, to the time your body is at rest and under control.
Wet Coast Pickleball 