Pickleball is like if tennis, badminton and ping pong had a baby. It’s played on a smaller court by four players using wooden paddles and larger plastic balls resulting in a faster paced, but slightly less aerobic game.
- The ball is served underhand and diagonally to the opposing players’ court. The serve must be made in the service area and not the “kitchen,” the 14-foot non-volley zone stretching on either side of the net. If the ball hits the net, its a “fault.” Two faults and you forfeit the serve to your opponents.
- Once the ball is served, the “double bounce” rule is in play. The receiving team must let it bounce once before serving it back, and the serving team must let it bounce again on their side of the court before returning the volley.
- If your ball hits the net, goes out of bounds or bounces more than once on your side of the court, it’s a fault and the other team scores a point.
- The game ends when one team hits 11 points. However, the winning team must be leading by at least two points to claim the game. (A 11-10 score isn’t gonna do it!)