How to Play Pickleball: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Everything you need to start playing pickleball: rules, terminology, gear, scoring, and the shots that separate beginners from intermediates. Written by the team at The Kitchen after testing hundreds of paddles and playing thousands of games.

Quick answers

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport played on a 20 × 44 foot court (about a third the size of a tennis court) using solid paddles, plastic balls with holes, and a modified tennis-style net. It combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. Games go to 11 points, played mostly as doubles.

How is pickleball played?

Two teams of two players serve underhand from behind the baseline into diagonal service boxes. After both the serve and return bounce (the two-bounce rule), volleys become legal, except inside the 7-foot kitchen zone at the net. Play to 11 points, win by 2. Only the serving team can score.

What do you need to start playing?

Three things: a paddle ($60–$250), a sleeve of pickleballs (plastic balls with holes, indoor or outdoor), and court shoes (never running shoes, which lead to ankle injuries). Everything else is optional. First-timers can usually borrow gear at rec centers.

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport played on a court about a third the size of a tennis court, with solid paddles (no strings), plastic balls with holes, and a net slightly lower than tennis. It borrows from tennis, badminton, and ping pong but has its own personality — the kitchen (a 7-foot no-volley zone at the net) and the two-bounce rule create rallies unlike anything in other racquet sports.

High-level pickleball is played almost entirely at the kitchen line with soft “dinks” and quick hands battles. Beginners can play a real game in their first hour.

Invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. It’s named after the Pritchard family’s dog Pickles, or the game came first and the dog after — the debate lives on. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association has named it the fastest-growing sport in America for multiple consecutive years.

Ready for the details? Read our full rules explainer.

The 5-minute crash course

If you only have five minutes before your first game, here’s everything you need to know.

  1. Set up doubles (two teams of two) or singles. Doubles is far more common.
  2. The serving team serves underhand from behind the baseline into the diagonal service box.
  3. Two-bounce rule: the serve must bounce, then the return must bounce, then volleys become legal.
  4. The kitchen (the 7-foot zone by the net) is where volleys are illegal.
  5. Only the serving team can score. First team to 11 points wins (win by 2).
  6. Call the score before every serve: your score, opponent’s score, and (in doubles) which server (1 or 2) you are.

That’s genuinely the whole game. Everything else is refinement.

Want a full walkthrough with strategy for your first hour? Read our step-by-step tutorial.

The gear you need

You need three things:

  • A paddle (~$60–$250)
  • Balls (indoor or outdoor, a few dollars per sleeve)
  • Court shoes (running shoes will destroy your ankles on lateral movement)

That’s it. No stringing, no cleats, no expensive maintenance. Pickleball is cheap to start.

Which paddle should I get?

Depends on your goals. As a rule of thumb:

  • Beginner: widebody shape (big sweet spot), 7.8–8.2 oz, polymer core, around $80–$120
  • Intermediate control player: hybrid or elongated, foam core if you can afford it, $150–$220
  • Power hitter: elongated, thermoformed carbon face, $180–$250

We’ve tested hundreds. Our recommendations by category:

Which shoes?

Court shoes, not running shoes. Running shoes are designed for forward motion; pickleball is lateral. Wearing runners is how you sprain an ankle.

Save on everything

Use code “KITCHEN” at 30+ of our partners to get the best discount on any paddle, shoe, bag, or gear purchase. JOOLA, Proton, 11Six24, Honolulu, Selkirk, Franklin, and every other major brand in the sport.

See every discount partner

Learn the terminology

The pickleball vocabulary is one of its best features. There are terms for shots (dink, drop, erne), positions (kitchen line, transition zone), plays (stacking, shake and bake), and pure slang (nasty Nelson, popcorn shot).

The full glossary: every pickleball term explained.

Just the essentials, right here:

Kitchen
the 7-foot zone by the net where you can’t volley. Officially the “non-volley zone” but nobody calls it that.
Dink
a soft shot arced into the opponent’s kitchen. The defining shot of high-level pickleball.
Third-shot drop
a soft drop shot on the third shot of the point. The hardest fundamental to master.
Two-bounce rule
the serve and return must both bounce before either team can volley.
DUPR
Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating, the skill-rating system used at most tournaments.

How to get better

Once you know the basics, the fastest way to level up is to focus on the shots that separate 3.0 players from 4.0 players.

  1. Third-shot drop. The difference between winning and losing at intermediate levels.
  2. Reset shots. How to neutralize offense when you’re getting attacked.
  3. Dink patience. Winning the kitchen rally.
  4. Hands battles. Punch volleys, block volleys, quick counter-attacks.

Start with these:

Browse every tip →

Frequently asked questions

How long does a pickleball game take?

A single game to 11 points typically takes 10–20 minutes. Most casual sessions play best-of-3 games, so plan for 30–60 minutes per match. Tournament games go longer if they reach deuce past 10–10 (win by 2).

Do you need special shoes for pickleball?

Yes. Court shoes designed for lateral movement protect your ankles from the constant side-to-side motion. Running shoes are built for forward motion and are the fastest way to roll an ankle on a pickleball court.

Is pickleball hard to learn?

The basics take one session to grasp. Most people can play a real game their first day. Mastering the intermediate shots (third-shot drop, resets, dinking under pressure) takes months. The learning curve is gentle at the start and gets much steeper around the 3.5–4.0 level.

How much does it cost to start playing pickleball?

Minimum viable gear runs $80–$150 total: a beginner paddle ($60–$120), a sleeve of balls ($10), and court shoes if you don’t already have them ($60–$120). Most rec centers charge $5–$15 for open play. Use code KITCHEN at our partners to save on the paddle.

What’s the difference between pickleball and tennis?

Pickleball uses solid paddles (no strings), a perforated plastic ball (slower than a tennis ball), and a court about a third the size of a tennis court. The net is slightly lower. The two-bounce rule and the kitchen (non-volley zone) are unique to pickleball. Games are shorter and rallies are longer.

What size is a pickleball court?

A standard pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, with the net at 36 inches on the sidelines and 34 inches in the center. The kitchen (non-volley zone) extends 7 feet from the net on each side. Same footprint as a doubles badminton court.

What’s the “kitchen” in pickleball?

The kitchen (officially the “non-volley zone”) is the 7-foot area on each side of the net. You cannot volley the ball while any part of your body or paddle is touching the kitchen or its line. You CAN stand in the kitchen; you just can’t hit a volley from there. It’s where most high-level pickleball is played.

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