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Pickleball is now the fastest-growing sport in America, and it's tons of fun.
Whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned player looking to refresh your grip on the game.
November 30th, DUSA will organize the sports circle with this new sports, supporting by EZPickble. We will invite Mr. Johnny to have an intro lesson to make you get quick understanding of the games.
Johnny G Walker
EZPickleball
International Pickle Ball Teachers Professional Association certified Coach.
Johnny Walker ITPA certified Pickle Ball instructor has taught Pickle Ball in USA, Canada and China. With just one intro or beginner lesson, you'll be ready to play full matches.
For more advanced players we cover PB winning strategies and stroke mechanics.
Remember You don't have to be great to start. But you have to Start, in order to be great.
Pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court (20' x 44') with a net height of 36" at the sidelines and 34" at the center. Each end of the court has a 7' area called the non-volley zone (or 'kitchen') where players aren't allowed to hit volleys (a shot hit out of the air).
The sport is most often played in "doubles" (two players on each team). I'll mostly be covering the rules for doubles.
Rule #1: each rally begins with a serveThe pickleball game (and each rally) starts with a serve. The player on the right side of their court always starts the serve.
The person serving can either hit the ball after it bounces or out of the air (a "volley serve") and their serve must clear the kitchen (including the line).
When hitting a volley serve, it must be hit with an underhand forehand or backhand stroke with contact below the waist. Your paddle must also move in an upward arc when you strike the ball.
Rule #2: the ball must bounce once on each side before either team can volleyBefore any player can hit a shot out of the air (called a volley), the ball must bounce once on each side (known as the "two-bounce rule").
So, if your partner is serving and you start up at the kitchen, you're in a dangerous position. Why? This is because the returning team can hit a shot right at you. If you react with a volley, it's considered a fault and you'll lose the point because you didn't let the ball bounce first on your side.
Without this rule, the serving team can easily rush the net and gain an unfair advantage every time.
Rule #3: each point continues until a faultAfter the serve, play continues until a rally is won either by someone hitting a winning shot or a "fault" is committed. A fault ends the rally. In pickleball, there are four basic fault types:
Rule #4: you can't volley in the kitchenThe 7' zone on each side of the net marks the non-volley zone, or 'kitchen'. As the name suggests, you can never hit a volley while any part of your body is in the kitchen (or even on the kitchen line). You can't let your momentum carry you into the kitchen after a volley either.
That said, you can hit the ball if it bounces in the kitchen—just not out of the air. If your opponent hits a short shot landing in the kitchen, you can enter and play it from the kitchen.
Rule #5: you only win points on your serveIn traditional pickleball scoring, you only win points on your serve and you continue serving until you lose a rally. After winning each point on your serve, you switch sides (left and right) with your partner and serve to the other opponent.
When your team loses a point, your teammate begins serving following the sequence described above until another point is lost by your team (the serving team). Once that happens, the serve "sides out" (switches) to the other team.
Rule #6: the correct score must be called before servingIn pickleball scoring, you'll hear players announce three numbers, like "0-0-2". Here's what each number means:
First Number
score of the serving team
Second Number
score of the receiving team
Third Number
which player of the team is serving, first server (1) or second server (2)
Let's say the game is tied at 3-3. If you start the serve, you'll announce "3-3-1", so everyone knows you are the first player in rotation serving.
If you lose the rally, the ball doesn't go to your opponents. It goes to your teammate who will announce "3-3-2".
If your partner loses their serve, a "side out" occurs. This means that they've lost their two serves and it's now their opponent's turn to serve. Their opponents then call out "3-3-1" before starting their serve.
There is one exception to this rule: the first player to serve at the beginning of a new game calls out "0-0-2". This is because the starting team only gets one serve since they have the advantage of being able to score points first to start the match.
Rule #7: first team to 11 points wins—but you must win by 2Following all the rules above, the game continues until one team gets 11 points. However, they must win by 2.
So, if a game is tied 10-10, the next score doesn't end the game. Play continues past 11-10 until one team can win by 2 points. As a result, some games can continue for a very long time. You might see final scores of 12-10, 15-13, or even 21-19. These are often the most fun games.