Pickleball 101
Short packs you can refresh. Rule details belong to USA Pickleball — we point there instead of inventing a rulebook.
1. The kitchen line
- The non-volley zone (kitchen) is the seven-foot area on each side of the net.
- You cannot volley while standing in it, or while your momentum carries you in after a volley.
- You may step in to play a ball that has bounced, then get out before the next volley.
2. The two-bounce rule
- The serve must bounce on the receiver’s side before it is returned.
- The return must bounce on the server’s side before it is played.
- After those two bounces, volleys are legal (outside the kitchen).
3. Third-shot drop — a pattern, not a highlight
- After serve and return, the serving side’s third shot often needs to land softly in the kitchen.
- The aim is to neutralize, not to end the point on contact one.
- Rehearse height over the net and a quiet finish — then move forward together.