Pickleball, explained by people who had to code it
Rules, scoring, and court talk in plain English. Every rule here is the same rule the game enforces.
When you build a pickleball game you cannot hand-wave a rule. The kitchen line has to be exactly seven feet, the second bounce has to be checked on the right shot, and the score has to be announced in the right order or players notice in the first rally. These guides are the notes from getting that right, written for someone who has just been invited to a Saturday game and does not want to be the person asking what a dink is.
Rules
Pickleball scoring explainedSide-out vs rally scoring, the three-number doubles call, why the game starts at 0–0–2, even-right odd-left, and how to stop losing the score.
The kitchen rule, properly explainedWhat the non-volley zone bans and allows, the five ways to fault in it, momentum, partners, the Erne, and why the line counts.
Pickleball serving rulesVolley serve vs drop serve, foot placement, which lines are in, why net cords are played, the 10-second rule, and the spin-serve ban.
The two-bounce ruleServe bounces, return bounces, then volleys. Why the rule exists, the faults it creates, and how it produced the third-shot drop.
Singles vs doublesSame court, different score call and serving turns. Positioning, stacking, the middle, skinny singles, and which to learn first.
Technique and strategy
Pickleball strategy for beginnersTwelve decisions that win points at 2.5–3.5 before your shots are any good: serve deep, return and move, the line, the middle, low balls, talking.
The third-shot dropWhy the serving team’s third ball is a soft drop, the technique, moving in behind it, drop vs drive, the fifth-shot drop, and drills.
How to dinkTechnique, targets, the mistakes that get you sped up on, when to attack instead, and drills you can do alone.
Pickleball ratings explainedWhat 2.5 to 5.0 mean on court, honest self-rating, how DUPR and UTPR work, and how to move up a level.
Court and comparisons
Pickleball court dimensionsEvery measurement with a diagram: 20 × 44 ft, 7 ft kitchen, service boxes, net heights, clearance, metric, and how to mark one out.
Pickleball termsKitchen, dink, Erne, ATP, stacking, side-out, banger, pickled and sixty more, grouped by what they describe.
The history of pickleball1965, Bainbridge Island, a badminton court and ping-pong paddles; the naming dispute, the first tournaments, the pro tours, and the boom.
Coming next
Serve and return tactics, how to play against bangers, the reset, choosing a paddle, and pickleball for tennis players. New guides are added every week and linked from this page.
Have a rule you want explained, or think we got one wrong? Tell us.