Pickleball Study Guide

These rules are adopted from the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA)

Pickleball is a paddle game using a net approximately 3 feet high and a badmintonsized court. It was created during the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island a short ferryboat ride from Seattle, Washington. The original purpose was to provide a sport for the entire family. Terminology: Carry

The ball is hit and does not bounce away from the paddle; instead is carried along the face of the paddle Cross-court the court diagonally opposite your court Dead ball a non-playable ball after a fault has occurred Dink shot a soft shot that arcs over the net and lands in the non-volley zone Double Bounce an illegal ball that bounces more than once on a side Double Hit An illegal hit in which the ball is hit two or more consecutive times before the ball goes back over the net. This could be by one player or two players Drop Shot a shot that is hit off the bounce and falls short of the opponent Fault any action that stops play or is a violation Groundstroke hitting the ball after one bounce Let A serve that hits the net and lands in the service court. This serve is replayed. Lob A shot returned high over the opponents head and deep into their court to the baseline Overhead SmashA hard, overhand shot Rally Continuous play after the serve until a fault occurs Side Out Declared after one side loses the serve and is given to the opponent to serve Volley Hitting the ball in the air before it bounces Serving: 1. A coin toss is used to determine service or side. The winner picks serve or receive, OR side. The loser chooses the opposite. Rock, paper, scissors will be used in physical education instead of the coin toss. 2. Both feet must be behind the baseline during the serve and on the correct side of the centerline. The servers feet may not touch the baseline. 3. The ball is served underhand without bouncing it and contact must be made underhand below the waist. The ball is served diagonal to the opponents service court. 4. The serve must clear the net without touching it and land in the opponents service court. The serve may land on any line within the service court except the non-volley line. 5. If the serve clears the net and the receiving team interferes with the serve, even if it looks like it wont land in the service court, the serving team wins the point. The receiving team must let the ball land. 6. If the server misses the ball when trying to hit it, it is a fault 7. If the ball touches any part of the server or servers partner, it is a fault, unless the ball touched the net on the serve first. In this case the serve is a let and will be replayed 8. If the ball touches the net and still lands in the correct service court, a let is called and the ball is replayed. 9. The ball is not to be served until the score is called and the receiving team is ready. The server always says their own score first, then their opponents score. 10. Points are only scored by the serving side 11. The receiving team does not alternate positions when the point is scored by the serving team.

Serving Order for Doubles: 1. The server starts in the right-hand court and alternates from right to left to right.etc as long as the serving team does not fault. 2. When the serving team faults, the serve goes to the opponent who will start the serve in the right-hand court and alternate as long as the team does not fault. 3. When the server faults, the serve will go to his/her partner who will alternate until their team faults. 4. Then the serve will go back to the initial servers partner who will alternate until the team faults. The initial server begins again. Faults: 1. The ball is hit out of bounds 2. The ball is hit into the net on the serve or any return 3. The opponent fails to return the ball before it bounces twice 4. Any part of a player including clothing and the paddle touches the net when the ball is in play. 5. The ball in play strikes any part of the player. The exception to this is the ball is still in play if it touches below the wrist of the players paddle hand 6. The ball is hit before it passes the plane of the net 7. A ball hits the post. Rules: 1. The game is played to 11 points and a team must win by 2. 2. Any ball that lands on the line is considered good. 3. Double Bounce Rule: Following the serve, the opponent must let the ball bounce once and the serving team must let the ball bounce once before the ball can be volleyed (hitting it in the air before it bounces). 4. Non-Volley Zone: A player cannot volley the ball while standing in the non-volley zone, which is 7 feet out from the net on each side. A player may also not touch any of the lines of the non-volley zone while volleying a ball. 5. A paddle may be switched from hand to hand and two-handed shots are also legal. 6. Players may not yell, stamp their feet, or otherwise try to distract an opponent when the opponent is about to play the ball. This shall result in a loss of the rally. 7. If a ball hit at an angle bounces in the court and travels beyond the sidelines, a player may return the ball around the outside of the net post. The ball does not need to travel back over the net. In this situation, the ball may also be returned below the height of the net. Net
Doubles Side Line Singles Side Line Left Service Court Nonvolley zone Right Service Court

End Line Center Line

Right Service Court

Left Service Court