Pickleball rules 2026: the rules explained simply

Pickleball is played on a 44 × 20 ft court, with a net that dips in the middle, a flat paddle and a perforated plastic ball. The rules are few, but three are unlike any other racket sport: the underhand serve, the two-bounce rule and the "kitchen", the area near the net where you cannot volley. This guide explains them one by one, following the official 2026 USA Pickleball Rulebook, also adopted by the European Pickleball Federation (EPF).

The rules in short

1. Serve underhand, diagonally, and clear the opponents' kitchen.
2. The serve and the return must bounce before being hit: the two-bounce rule.
3. You cannot volley inside the kitchen (7 ft from the net).
4. With traditional scoring only the serving side scores; games go to 11, win by 2.
5. A ball touching a line is in, except a serve landing on the kitchen line.

The court and the net

The court is 20 ft wide and 44 ft long (6.10 × 13.41 m), the same for singles and doubles (rule 3.A.1). Next to the net on each side is the non-volley zone, or kitchen, 7 ft deep. The net is 36 in high at the sidelines and 34 in at the centre (rules 3.B.6 and 3.B.7): lower than tennis, which is why so much of the game is played at the net.

The serve

There are two ways to serve.

• Volley serve (rule 7.C): at contact the paddle must move in a clear upward arc, the paddle head cannot be above the wrist and the ball must be hit no higher than the waist. Forehand or backhand are both allowed.
• Drop serve (rule 7.D): drop the ball from a natural height, without pushing it, and hit it after the bounce. Arm motion and contact height do not matter in this case.

At contact at least one foot must be on the ground behind the baseline, inside the serving area (7.A). The serve goes diagonally and must clear the opponents' kitchen (7.E). From 2026 spin may only be added by the paddle at contact, not by the hand when releasing the ball (7.B.2).

The two-bounce rule

The serve must bounce in the receiver's court, and the return must bounce in the server's court. Only after these two bounces can players volley (rule 10.A). It stops the server from rushing the net and ending the point at once, which is why the first shots of every rally are almost always from the baseline.

The kitchen, or non-volley zone

You cannot volley inside the kitchen (rule 11.A). You can step in whenever you like, for example to play a ball that has already bounced. These are faults:

• touching the kitchen, line included, while volleying;
• being carried into it by momentum after a volley, even if the ball is already dead;
• volleying before both feet are back out of the kitchen.

Scoring

With traditional scoring only the serving side scores (rule 4.A). A game goes to 11 points, win by 2 (4.B). In doubles the score is called with three numbers: server's score, receiver's score and server number, 1 or 2. A game starts at "zero – zero – two" because the first serving side gets only one server (6.B.2). After that both players serve: when the side loses a rally with the first server, the partner serves; when it loses with the second server too, the serve passes to the opponents (5.B).

In 2026 the rulebook also includes provisional rally scoring: whoever wins the rally scores, even when receiving (14.A.2). The tournament director decides whether to use it.

In or out

A ball touching a line is in, with one exception: a serve landing on the kitchen line is out (8.C). To call "out" there must be visible space between ball and line (8.E), and the call must be made promptly, by voice or hand signal (8.F). If partners disagree, the ball is in (8.H). Spectators cannot be consulted (8.J).

The most common faults

• the ball lands out or fails to clear the net (10.C);
• the ball hits a player or their clothing; the hand below the wrist counts as the paddle (10.C.3);
• hitting the ball twice, or both partners hitting it (10.D);
• touching the net or posts while the ball is in play (13.G);
• volleying inside the kitchen (11.A).

The paddle: what the rules say

A pickleball paddle is flat and has no holes. The rules set only a few limits (rule 3.D):

• maximum length 17 in (43.18 cm);
• length plus width, edge guard and butt cap included, no more than 24 in (60.96 cm);
• no limit on weight or thickness;
• a smooth, non-reflective surface: no holes, rubber or rough textures that add spin (3.D.5);
• tournaments require a "USA Pickleball Approved" model with visible markings (3.D.1).

For casual play approval is not needed. Of the 45 paddles in our pickleball section, 25 are USA Pickleball approved. If you are just starting, look at the beginner-friendly ones: JOOLA Agassi Champion 12mm, JOOLA Essentials, VICLION Set 2 racchette in carbonio (V2), VICLION Set 2 racchette in fibra di vetro, HEAD Radical Elite.

Sources: 2026 USA Pickleball Rulebook, EPF edition; 2026 rule change document (Pickleball Canada). The full rulebook also covers referees, tournaments, wheelchair and adaptive play, which are not covered here.

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