free printable
Pickleball Rules Card
A one-page pickleball rules card: how to play, how to score, and how to set it up. Hit print, fold it, and keep it with your set. Want the full walkthrough? See the Pickleball rules.
LAWNLEAGUES.COM
rules card Pickleball
Players2 (singles) or 4 (doubles)
Ages8+
Setup10-15 min
Space20 x 44 ft court, about the size of a doubles badminton court
What you need
- A net set 36 in high at the sidelines and 34 in at the center
- Two or four pickleball paddles
- A perforated plastic pickleball (outdoor balls have smaller, harder holes)
- A flat 20 x 44 ft surface (driveway, sport court, or smooth patio)
- Optional: chalk or tape to mark the kitchen and baseline
Scoring
- Only the serving team can score points. If the receiving team wins the rally, they win the serve, not a point.
- Games are played to 11 points and you must win by 2.
- In doubles, the score is called as three numbers: your team's score, the opponents' score, and the server number (1 or 2).
- Tournament games are sometimes played to 15 or 21, but 11 win-by-2 is the standard backyard target.
How to play
- Set up the court and net. Mark a 20 ft wide by 44 ft long court. The net is 36 in high at the sidelines and dips to 34 in at the center. A 7 ft non-volley zone (the kitchen) sits on each side of the net.
- Serve underhand and diagonal. Stand behind the baseline and serve underhand, hitting the ball below your waist. The serve must travel diagonally and land in the opposite service court, clearing the kitchen.
- Honor the double-bounce rule. After the serve, the receiving side must let it bounce once before returning, and the serving side must let that return bounce once too. Only after those two bounces can players volley.
- Stay out of the kitchen on volleys. You cannot volley the ball while standing in the 7 ft non-volley zone or touching its line. You can step into the kitchen anytime to play a ball that has bounced, but get out before you volley again.
- Rally until a fault. Keep the ball in play over the net and inbounds. A fault happens when the ball goes out, lands in the net, bounces twice, or someone volleys from the kitchen.
- Score only on your serve. Only the serving side can score a point. Win the rally on your serve and you get a point and keep serving; lose it and the serve passes to the other side.
Set it up
A pickleball court is 20 ft wide by 44 ft long, the same footprint as a doubles badminton court. The net is 36 in high at the sidelines and 34 in at the center. The kitchen (non-volley zone) extends 7 ft back from the net on each side, and the centerline splits each side into two service courts.