Pickleball rules explained: the serve, two-bounce rule, kitchen and scoring

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Pickleball's rules are short, but a handful of them are unlike any other sport and cause most of the arguments on court. This guide covers the serve, the two-bounce rule, the kitchen and the two scoring systems you may meet. It follows the rules published by USA Pickleball, which many players outside the United States use too.

The serve

The serve is made underhand, diagonally across the court into the opposite service court.
At least one foot must be behind the baseline, and neither foot may touch the court inside the baseline when the ball is struck.
The ball must clear the net and land beyond the kitchen line; a serve landing on the kitchen line is a fault.
You get one serve attempt. There is no second serve.

There are two legal ways to serve:

The volley serve: you hit the ball out of the air. Contact must be below the waist, with the paddle head below the wrist and the arm moving upward. The 2026 rulebook tightened how this is judged: each requirement must be clearly met, and borderline serves are to be called faults.
The drop serve: you drop the ball from your hand and hit it after it bounces. The drop itself must be a simple release, with no throw, toss or spin added by the hand.

A serve that touches the net and still lands in the correct court is in play; it is not replayed.

The two-bounce rule

After the serve:

The receiving side must let the serve bounce before returning it.
The serving side must then let the return bounce before hitting it.
After those two bounces, either side may volley (hit the ball out of the air) or play it off the bounce.

This rule stops the serving side rushing the net and volleying, and it is why the serving side's third shot is the most discussed shot in the game.

The kitchen (non-volley zone)

The kitchen is the area 7 feet deep on each side of the net, including its lines.

You may not volley while standing in the kitchen or touching its line.
If your momentum after a volley carries you into the kitchen, it is a fault, even if the ball is already dead.
You may step into the kitchen at any time to play a ball that has bounced. Stepping in is not a fault; volleying from there is.
Touching the kitchen with your paddle or anything you are wearing during a volley also counts.

Other common faults

Hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net.
Volleying the ball before the two-bounce rule allows it.
The ball touching a player or their clothing.
Touching the net, its posts or the opponent's side of the court during play.
A ball landing on any line is in, except a serve on the kitchen line.

Scoring: side-out and rally

Side-out scoring is the traditional method and remains the standard in USA Pickleball's rules.

Only the serving side can score.
If the serving side loses a rally, it loses the serve (in doubles, to the partner first, then to the opponents).
Games are usually to 11, win by two.

Rally scoring, where a point goes to whoever wins each rally, is permitted by USA Pickleball as a provisional option rather than the standard game. It is allowed for singles and doubles, but for doubles only in certain tournament formats and in recreational play, at the choice of the organiser. The details have changed several times in recent years, including how game point is won, so check the current USA Pickleball rulebook and your event's own rules before relying on any of them. Professional tours and other national bodies may also have their own versions, so if you enter a tournament, read its format before the first match.

Line calls

In recreational play, you call the lines on your own side of the net, and a ball you are not sure about is called in. Call promptly and clearly. Which rule caused the most debate the last time you played? Ask your rules questions or share a tricky situation in the comments below.