This article was co-authored by Jeremiah Thomas and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Jeremiah Thomas is a Pickleball Expert and the Founder of Doylestown Pickleball based in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. With over 50 acres of facilities, Jeremiah and his team offer a wide variety of programming for kids looking to create, be active, and play on their dozens of courts and fields. Jeremiah is a certified PPR (Professional Pickleball Registry) instructor as well as a former college tennis player and instructor. He received his Bachelor of Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Gwynedd Mercy University as well as a Master's in Educational Leadership and Administration from Delaware Valley University.
There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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If you want to start getting active by playing pickleball, it’s important to learn how to serve the ball at the start of each rally. Even though the game is similar to tennis, there are different rules and restrictions for serving that you’ll need to keep in mind, like where to stand and how to properly hit the ball. Whether you’re just a beginner or need a refresher on service rules, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading, and we’ll go over all the rules, legal serves, and pro tips for hitting the best serves throughout the game.
Things You Should Know
- Stand behind the baseline on your side of the court and keep at least one foot on the ground throughout your serve.
- Try a volley serve to hit the ball before it bounces on the ground, or do a drop serve to hit it after it bounces. Use a forehand or backhand swing for either type of serve.
- Hit the ball diagonally cross-court to the opposite side of the net so it lands in bounds past the non-volley zone by the net.
Steps
Basic Rules for Pickleball Serves
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Stand behind the baseline on your end of the court. The baseline is at the end of the pickleball court, and you cannot cross during the entirety of your serve. During the first serve of the game, stand behind the baseline on the right side of the court, also known as the “even” side.[1]
- Every serve starts behind the baseline when you’re playing pickleball, but the first serve for each team always begins on the right side of the court.
- You can use any method to determine which team serves the ball first, such as a coin toss.
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Keep at least 1 foot on the ground during your serve. Whenever you’re serving the ball, you may not step on the baseline or cross over it into the court. At least one foot has to stay on the ground throughout the entirety of your serve, so jumping before you hit the ball is not allowed.[2]
- Additionally, you may not cross the centerline or sideline, or else it will result in a fault and loss of service.
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Hit the ball with a forehand or backhand motion. Both the volley serve and the drop serve are both legal in pickleball, and we’ll cover them more in-depth in the next section. You may hit either serve with a forehand shot (where your palm faces the direction you’re swinging) or a backhand shot (where your palm faces away from the direction you’re swinging). While a forehand serve is more common, the way you hit the ball depends on your personal preference.[3]
- In an official game of pickleball, you must serve the pickleball within 10 seconds of the referee calling out the score.
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Serve the ball diagonally to the opposite end of the court. When you’re serving from the right side of the pickleball court, the ball must cross over the net and land on the opposite side. The ball must go past the “non-volley zone,” which is the rectangular area within 7 ft (2.1 m) of the net, and land inside of the court for the serve to be legal.[4]
- The non-volley zone is commonly called the “kitchen.”
- If the ball lands outside of the court or inside the non-volley zone, then the serve is considered a fault.
- You’re only allowed 1 attempt at serving the ball. If the ball goes out of bounds or you break a different service rule, then your attempt is considered a fault.
- In a doubles game of pickleball, the receiver on the side of the court diagonal to you is the only one who can return the serve.
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Follow the 2-bounce rule at the start of each rally. After you serve the ball, the receiving team must allow the ball to bounce on the ground once before they’re allowed to hit it. Once they return the ball, your team also must let the ball hit the ground before you’re able to hit it back. That way, the rally lasts longer and no team is given an advantage.[5]
- After the 2-bounce rule, players may hit the ball before or after it bounces on the ground.
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Alternate between the left and right sides of the court between serves. If your team scores a point after you serve the ball, you continue to serve the ball. Whenever you have an odd number of points, serve the ball from the left side of the court, also known as the “odd” side. When you have an even number of points, serve the ball from the right side.[6]
- If a serve hits a player on the opposite side of the court before it hits the ground, then it’s considered a fault on the receiving team. The serving team gains a point and continues the next serve.
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Switch servers when your team commits a fault. A fault occurs whenever a team breaks a rule and stops play. When the receiving team commits a fault, the serving team earns a point. If you’re on the serving team and commit a fault, then the other player on your team gets a chance to serve. Once both people on the serving team commit faults, the service switches to the other team starting on the even side of the court. Faults occur when:[7]
- A player violates a service rule
- A serve lands out of bounds or in the non-volley zone
- The ball hits the net without going over
- The ball bounces twice on the same side of the court
- A player hits the ball while they’re in the non-volley zone
- A player volleys the ball in the air before the 2-bounce rule
- A player touches the net
- At the start of a doubles pickleball game, only one player on the serving team gets a chance to serve before faulting. After they commit a fault, the service switches to the receiving team.
Expert Q&A
Tips
References
- ↑ https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/official-rules/
- ↑ https://usapickleball.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/USA-Pickleball-Rules-Summary-_2_7_23.pdf
- ↑ https://beaverutah.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/USA-Pickleball-Rulebook.pdf
- ↑ https://www.pempickleball.com/uploads/1/0/4/7/10477134/2015-16_serving_and_court_position.pdf
- ↑ https://usapickleball.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/USA-Pickleball-Rules-Summary-_2_7_23.pdf
- ↑ https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/official-rules/
- ↑ https://openphysed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/M-10-14a-Pickleball-Rules.pdf
- ↑ https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/official-rules/
- ↑ https://beaverutah.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/USA-Pickleball-Rulebook.pdf
- ↑ https://www.pempickleball.com/uploads/1/0/4/7/10477134/2015-16_serving_and_court_position.pdf
- ↑ https://www.upstatepickleball.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Coach_Mo_Pickleball_Strategy_Guide.pdf
- ↑ https://www.tmpickleball.com/documents/PB4All%20Manual_Pickleball%20Play.pdf
- ↑ https://www.pempickleball.com/uploads/1/0/4/7/10477134/2015-16_serving_and_court_position.pdf
- ↑ https://www.upstatepickleball.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Coach_Mo_Pickleball_Strategy_Guide.pdf
- ↑ https://youtu.be/O7lfsInwFRU?t=57