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Pickleball is a game that blends elements of tennis, ping pong, and badminton. It’s played on a 44 by 20-foot court, separated by a net that stands 34 inches high at the center and 36 inches high at the posts. Each side has a left and right service area, and a 7-foot “no volley zone”, often called “the kitchen”, closest to the net. Players use short paddles and a wiffle-type ball.
The game can be played as singles or doubles, with doubles being more common. Matches are usually played to 11 points, with a win by 2 rule.
The serve must be underhand, hit diagonally across the court, and the ball must contact below the waist. There is only one serve attempt unless a let occurs (when the ball touches the net but lands in bounds).
After the serve, the ball must bounce before being returned. The serving team must let the ball bounce before hitting it back, which is called the “two-bounce rule”. From there, both teams can either volley the ball or play it off a bounce.
Players cannot volley in the kitchen. If a player is outside the kitchen, they can volley, but their momentum cannot carry them into the kitchen. Players are allowed to step into the kitchen to hit a ball off the bounce. The key: stay out of the kitchen when volleying!
Pickleball uses a side-out method for scoring. The first serve of the game is made from the right side of the court. Team A’s first serve comes from the right side. After a point is scored, the server moves to the left side. This continues until Team A faults, at which point the serve passes to Team B.
From there, both players on Team B get a chance to serve. Partner 1 on Team B serves, switching sides after every point. If Team B faults, Partner 2 serves. The serve alternates until Team A gets the serve again.
In singles, the server always serves from the right side when their score is even, and from the left side when their score is odd. Side-outs happen at each fault.
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