Pickleball 101

Pickleball is fast, fun, and surprisingly easy to pick up — a mix of tennis, badminton, and table tennis all in one. Here’s the lowdown to get you started:

The Basics

  • Played on a small court with a paddle and a lightweight plastic ball with holes.

  • You can play singles (1v1) or doubles (2v2).

  • The game is played to 11 points, and you have to win by 2.

TIPS:

  • Don’t worry about being perfect — pickleball is about having fun, meeting people, and enjoying the game.

  • Start with casual rallies, learn the court, then try volleys and more advanced shots as you go.

    At Pickleplex, it’s all about your pace — fast, slow, or somewhere in between.

The Serve

  • Serve underhand, hitting the ball diagonally across the net.

  • The serve must clear the kitchen (non-volley zone) in front of the net.

  • After the serve, the ball must bounce once on each side before volleys are allowed. (The receiving team must let it bounce and the serving team must let the return bounce before hitting).

The “Kitchen”

That’s the 2.13 meter zone on either side of the net.

  • You can’t volley (hit the ball in the air) while standing inside the kitchen

  • A player can hit the ball within the kitchen if it bounces first.

Scoring

  • Only the serving team can score points.

  • Games are fast or at your pace, rallies are fun, and there’s always room to improve.

Winning

  • The first team to 11 points wins, but you must be ahead by at least 2 points.