Everything you need before your first game, in the order you need it. Updated 4 October 2026.
Quick answer: pickleball is a paddle sport played on a badminton-sized court (20 × 44 ft) with a plastic ball and a 34-inch net, usually as doubles. Serve underhand and diagonally, let the serve and the return each bounce once, never volley from the 7 ft zone next to the net (the kitchen), and play to 11, win by 2. That is enough to start playing today.
Pickleball is famously easy to start: most people are rallying within ten minutes, and playing real games within an hour. What makes the first session awkward is not the paddle, it is the handful of rules that no other sport has, and a few unwritten customs at open play. This page covers both, in the order you will meet them.
What you need
A paddle. Any mid-weight composite paddle is fine to start; you do not need an expensive one. Most clubs lend paddles to first-timers. When you are ready to buy, see how to choose a paddle.
Balls. Outdoor balls are harder with smaller holes; indoor balls are softer with bigger holes. Use the one that matches where you play: indoor vs outdoor explains why it matters.
Court shoes. Tennis or indoor court shoes with lateral support. Running shoes are the most common cause of rolled ankles, because they are built for straight-line movement.
Eye protection is optional but worth considering: a ball at the kitchen line arrives fast.
The court in one minute
The court is 20 ft wide and 44 ft long, the same footprint as a doubles badminton court. The net is 36 inches at the posts and 34 inches in the middle. The most important lines are the two kitchen lines, 7 ft from the net on each side, and the centre line that splits each back area into left and right service courts. Full measurements and a diagram are in court dimensions.
The five rules that matter
Serve underhand, diagonally. Contact below the waist, paddle moving upward, both feet behind the baseline. The serve must land in the diagonal service court, past the kitchen line. Serving rules.
Two bounces. The serve must bounce before it is returned, and the return must bounce before the serving side hits it. After that, volleys are allowed. The two-bounce rule.
No volleys in the kitchen. You cannot hit the ball out of the air while standing in, or touching the line of, the 7 ft non-volley zone. You can go in to hit a ball that has bounced. The kitchen rule.
Lines are in, except that a serve landing on the kitchen line is a fault.
One bounce maximum. Let the ball bounce twice on your side and you lose the rally.
Scoring for beginners
Games go to 11 and you must win by 2. In traditional scoring only the serving team can score a point. In doubles both partners serve before the serve passes to the other team, and the score is called as three numbers: your score, their score, and whether you are the first or second server. The very first serve of the game is called 0–0–2. It sounds complicated and takes about two games to click; pickleball scoring explained walks through it call by call, and the doubles rules cover who serves when.
If you would like to see these rules called before you step on a court, the free online pickleball game on this site enforces all five of them, with a coach panel that explains each fault as it happens.
Find a beginner session or a clinic. Many parks and clubs run “intro” or “2.0–2.5” open play. You will get more rallies and less pressure than at general open play.
Start at the kitchen line. Dink back and forth with a partner, softly, letting the ball bounce in the kitchen. It is the most important skill in the game and the easiest to learn first. See how to dink.
Then serve and return. Aim deep and down the middle. Depth matters far more than speed.
Play real games early. The rules make sense much faster in a game than in an explanation.
Open-play etiquette nobody tells you
The paddle queue. At busy courts, players waiting put their paddles in a rack or a line by the gate. Four paddles come off for the next game. Ask how it works if you are not sure; everyone does.
Call the lines on your side. Each team calls the lines on its own side. If you are not sure whether it was out, it was in.
Call the score before every serve, loud enough for all four players to hear.
“Ball on!” If a ball rolls onto your court from another game, shout “ball on” and everyone stops; replay the point.
Do not walk behind a court during a point. Wait for the rally to end.
Tap paddles at the net after the game. It is the pickleball handshake.
The three beginner mistakes
Staying at the baseline. Points are won at the kitchen line. After your return, move up.
Hitting everything hard. A hard ball from below the net comes back harder. Soft wins at this level.
Standing in the kitchen. Step in to hit a short ball, then step back out so you are allowed to volley the next one.
For the next step, beginner strategy has the twelve habits that win the most points at 2.5–3.5, and pickleball games lists fun ways to practise them with friends.
Common questions
Is pickleball easy for beginners?
Yes. The court is small, the paddle is short, and the underhand serve is easy to learn, so most beginners are rallying within minutes. The rules that feel strange at first, the kitchen and the two-bounce rule, usually click within a couple of games.
What are the basic rules of pickleball?
Serve underhand and diagonally, let the serve and the return each bounce once, do not volley from the 7 ft non-volley zone (the kitchen), lines are in except the kitchen line on a serve, and play to 11, win by 2.
What do I need to start playing pickleball?
A paddle, a ball suited to indoor or outdoor play, and court shoes with lateral support. Many clubs lend paddles to first-timers.
How long does it take to learn pickleball?
Most people can play a real game in their first session and understand the scoring after two or three games. Reaching a solid 3.0 level typically takes a few months of regular play.
Can I learn pickleball rules online?
Yes. Besides the guides on this site, VS Pickleball is a free online pickleball game that enforces the serve, the two-bounce rule, the kitchen and the scoring, so you can see each rule in action before your first session.