Pickleball Serving Rules for Beginners
Every point in pickleball starts with a serve. If a serve isn't legal, it's a fault and your side loses the rally. Here is what to know before your first game.
The two kinds of serve
A volley serve is hit out of the air, before the ball bounces. To be legal, your paddle must move in a clear upward arc when it hits the ball, the top of the paddle head can't be above your wrist, and you must hit the ball no higher than your waist. Let go of the ball with one hand and don't spin it as you release it.
A drop serve is hit after the ball bounces. Let the ball fall from your hand from a natural height. Don't throw it, toss it up or push it down. After that, almost anything goes: it can bounce any number of times, anywhere, and the upward arc, wrist and waist rules don't apply.
Where your feet have to be
Stand behind the baseline, between the centerline and the sideline (picture both lines continuing back behind the court). When you hit the serve, at least one foot must be on the ground, and neither foot can touch the baseline or the court. Touching the line or stepping in before contact is a foot fault.
Where the serve has to land
The serve goes diagonally into the opponent's service court and must clear the kitchen. A serve that lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line is a fault. The sideline, centerline and baseline all count as in.
What happens if the serve touches the net
If the serve hits the net but still clears it and lands in the correct service court, the serve is good. Pickleball has no let on serves, so the rally simply continues. If the ball hits the net and does not land in the correct court, it is a fault.
How many tries you get
You get one try. There's no second serve. A fault ends your turn: in doubles the serve goes to your partner, or to the other team if your partner has already served. You also have 10 seconds to serve once the score is called.
The serving order in doubles, and why the game starts at 0-0-2
In doubles, both players on a team serve before the serve goes to the other team. The first server keeps serving, switching sides after each point, until their team loses a rally. Then their partner serves until the team loses another rally. That's called a side out, and the other team serves next.
The one exception is the start of the game. The team that serves first gets only one server on its first turn, so the score is called 0-0-2: serving team's score, receiving team's score, then the server number. The 2 means this player counts as the second server, so when they lose a rally the serve goes straight to the other team. It stops the first team from getting a head start.
Which side you serve from in singles
In singles, serve from the right side of the court when your score is even (0, 2, 4 and so on), and from the left side when your score is odd (1, 3, 5 and so on). Your score decides which side you serve from, so check it before every serve.
The most common serve faults
Foot fault: a foot touches the baseline or the court, or both feet are off the ground, when you hit the serve.
Illegal volley serve: the paddle isn't moving upward, the paddle head is above your wrist, or you hit the ball above your waist.
Throwing a drop serve: the ball is tossed, thrown or pushed instead of just dropped.
Kitchen serve: the serve lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line.
Wrong court: the serve lands outside the court or in the wrong service court.
Net: the serve hits the net and doesn't land in the right service court.
Too slow: you serve more than 10 seconds after the score is called.
Wrong side in singles: serving from the wrong side for your score.