Pickleball, one step at a time.

Your first match,
without the confusion.

Score calls, serving order, the kitchen, the two-bounce rule. We explain the rules beginners trip over, in plain English with diagrams.

Start here Test yourself

Start here

New to pickleball? Read these 12 rules from the top and you're ready to join a casual game.

• 1Your first match - how a doubles game goes TipWalks through a doubles match step by step, from before the start to the end of the game. A starting point for the rules you need in a match, such as keeping score and the serving order.
• 2The score call (three numbers) In doubles, the score is called as three numbers - serving team's score, receiving team's score, server number. A game starts at "0-0-2".
• 3Only the serving team scores A point is scored only when the serving team wins the rally. If the receiving team wins, no point is scored, and the server changes.
• 4How to serve (volley serve and drop serve) There are two kinds of serve - the volley serve and the drop serve. For a volley serve, hit the ball below the waist with an upward paddle swing. For a drop serve, drop the ball and hit it after it bounces.
• 5Serve diagonally Serve from behind the baseline into the opponents' service court diagonally across. There is no second serve, and if the serve touches the net but lands in the right place, play continues.

See the other 7 rules and key terms →

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All 35 published rules are checked against the sections of the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook (2026).About this site