The Complete List of Pickleball Terminology

The Kitchen Team

Team The Kitchen

Last Edited

Sep 25 2024

Category

Instruction

To the uninitiated, pickleball is a strange-sounding sport with some even stranger-sounding terms and slang.

As the sport continues to gain loyal followers, its lexicon multiplies and evolves. Some of it comes from the USAP Rulebook, but most of it has evolved organically from pickleball communities & forums.

We'll do our best to keep track of these changes and reflect them in the pickleball glossary below.

ATP (Around the Post) - A technique where the ball is returned around the net post into the opposing court without passing over the net, typically utilized when the ball bounces wide by the opposing team. Related: Nail Each Around the Post Shot with These Tips

BERT - An advanced shot similar to an Erne (see below), executed by leaping over the kitchen from one side of the court to the opposite sideline.

BODY BAG - An intentional, offensive shot where the intent is to hit your opponent with the ball (or force an awkward "chicken wing" response), earning you the point or forcing an error.

CARRY - A method of hitting the ball where it is carried along on the face of the paddle during its forward motion, rather than bouncing away.

CROSS-COURT - Refers to the part of the court diagonally opposite your own.

DEAD BALL - The term used to describe the pickleball after a fault is declared.

DEAD DINK - (See "Dink" below); This refers to a dink which is not offensive (or "pressurized"), or a dink which flies or bounces high, leading to an easy attack off its bounce.

DINK - A soft shot executed from around the non-volley zone (kitchen) line to an opponent at the opposing kitchen line, designed to bounce within the kitchen and ideally in an unattackable way; a reset of play.

DRIVE - A hard groundstroke (see below) from the baseline or transition area aimed at causing an opponent's error or creating an advantageous position. Related: The Best Way to Improve Your Pickleball Drive

DROP - A shot from the baseline or transition area intended to bounce in the kitchen or just behind, allowing players to advance towards the kitchen line. Related: Master Pickleball Drop Volleys: Slow the Ball, Beat the Bangers

DUPR - The Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating, an app-based method of tracking player ratings based on a proprietary algorithm.

ERNE - When a player crosses over the kitchen's corner to volley the ball in midair, creating a more advantageous attack close to the net.

GETTING PICKLED - Occurs when a team loses a game without scoring any points.

GOLDEN PICKLE - (Slang); An 11-0 shutout victory without any side outs (see below), starting and finishing with the same server.

GROUNDSTROKE - A shot where the ball is hit after one bounce.

MLP - Major League Pickleball, the professional league where players compete to earn points for their team as opposed to their individual rankings.

NASTY NELSON - Intentionally hitting an opponent with a serve, scoring a point if the serve hits the opponent before touching the ground (a legal mechanic in pickleball).

POACH - In doubles, intercepting a ball that your partner would otherwise return, typically executed near the NVZ line to accelerate pace and take opponents by surprise.

PPA - Professional Pickleball Association, the brand behind the PPA Tour where players compete for individual rankings (as opposed to MLP's team-based format).

SCORPION - A shot where a player squats deeply to attack a ball that would otherwise be too low to easily attack.

SHAKE-N-BAKE - A play in doubles where the third shot is driven by one player to their diagonal opponent and their partner rushes the net for a quick attack volley.

SIDE OUT - Occurs when the serving side loses the point and the serve passes to the opposing side.

STACK - A doubles strategy where players position themselves strategically before the serve, moving to preferred court sides when the point begins.

TWO BOUNCE RULE - Requires the ball to bounce twice (once in each service square) before a volley can be attempted, differing from tennis serve-and-volley tactics.

VOLLEY - Hitting the ball out of the air, with it being illegal to volley from within the non-volley zone in pickleball. Related: Take Control of the Kitchen with the Volley Dink