There are many sources for pickleball rules. These are some of the weirder and less intuitive rules that may be confusing to players already familiar with the game.
Definitions
- A rally in pickleball is the continuous back and forth that occurs after the service of the ball and before a fault
- A volley is a ball hit in the air before it bounces onto the court during a rally
- A fault is a rules violation that results in a dead ball and the end of a rally
- The kitchen or non-volley zone (NVZ) is the seven-foot zone on each side of the net including all lines defining that area
Volley Serves (ball does not bounce on ground before serve)
- New for 2023: no spin on toss! While some natural rotation of the ball is expected during any release of the ball from the hand, the server shall not impart spin when tossing the ball. Spin may be imparted by the paddle. Prior to 2023, spin on the drop was encouraged
- When the ball contacts the paddle (1) the ball must be below the server's belly button and (2) the entire paddle must be below the server's wrist
- The hit must be at least slightly upward - paddle moving upward from contact on
Drop Serves (ball bounces on ground before serve)
- The ball must drop freely, i.e. no momentum in any direction
Hits
- If, as part of your swing, the ball hits your hand below the wrist while you're holding the paddle in that hand, it's not a fault
- Double hits are legal on the pickleball courts if they're (1) unintentional, (2) continuous, (3) a single-direction stroke and (4) by just one player
- You may hit the pickleball with two-hands on your paddle
- You may switch your paddle between hands at any time
- Can't use two paddles though
Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone, NVZ)
- The kitchen includes all lines around the kitchen out ot the furthest corner of the kitchen line
- Most misunderstood rule of the game: you may not enter the kitchen on a volley, meaning if you hit the ball on a fly you may not step in the kitchen
- If, before hitting the ball, you were in the kitchen, you must get both feet on the ground outside the kitchen before hitting the ball
- After you hit the ball, if momentum carries you into the kitchen, that is a fault - no matter how delayed your entry to the kitchen. This is the only time I know of that you can fault after the ball is dead
- Your partner may save you from falling into the kitchen provided she does not enter the kitchen in the process
- If anything on your person - hat, spare ball, paddle, keys... - drops into the kitchen, that is a fault. I.e. you can't throw something forward to generate back momentum to keep yourself from falling into the kitchen
- You can't use your paddle or any other object to prop yourself up and prevent your entry into the kitchen
Line Calls
- The players on the side of the line in question make the call
- If those players disagree the ball is ruled in
- The ball's contact with the court is only a small circle. The ball is on the line only if that small circle touches the line. The rest of the ball is irrelevant
- If a gap between the ball and the line is visible, the ball is out. If no gap was observed and players can't determine if the ball is out, the ball is in
- The opponent gets the benefit of the doubt on line calls. Any ball that cannot be called out is considered in
- Hitting an out ball does not make the ball in but...
- ... Line calls must be made immediately - before a player on the other side hits the ball and before the ball is considered dead
- After the completion of a rally, a player may overrule her partner's line call only to her own disadvantage
- If you get a bad line call there is nothing you can do about it unless your opponent agrees
Net & Bars
- If you touch any part of the net system while the ball is live, it's a fault
- You (or your paddle or other item that you are wearing or carrying) may not cross the plane of the pickleball net (or the imaginary extension line of the pickleball net beyond the nets posts) before you have hit the pickleball (one exception, see below)
- Temporary net: ball hits top of center pole: treat as net ball
- Temporary net: ball hits horizontal bar or center foot:
- before going over net = fault
- after going over net = do over
Odd Shots & Odd Rules
- Apart from the above considerations related to kitchen faults, if any item falls off you and onto your side of the pickleball court, then no fault occurs. Further, there is no fault or dead ball even if the pickleball hits any such item
- No clothing may be worn that matches the color of the ball (!)
- "The Erne" is a shot where you hit the pickleball either (1) in the air as you are jumping over the kitchen to out of bounds or (2) after you establish your feet out of bounds, just to the side of the kitchen.
- If you hit the ball “around-the-post” from your out of bounds, the ball may travel below the net and still be good
- If there is enough wind or backspin to cause the ball to land on your side of the court, then bounce back to the other side without you touching it, this is a point for your opponent. (This is the only case where you may cross to the opponents' side before hitting the ball - typically by reaching over the net)
- If there is an injury during a rally on the pickleball court, then play continues until the end of the rally
Other Weird Occurrences
- If the server hits the receiver's partner with the ball, it is a point for the serving team
- If a pickleball is cracked or broken during a rally, then the players on the pickleball court should continue play until the end of the rally. After the rally has ended players decide if the ball is compromised and a redo is needed