The Complete Guide to Pickleball: History and Rules
Whether you are a first-time player or brushing up before your next match, this guide covers everything from pickleball's unlikely origins to the essential rules every player needs to know.
A Brief History of Pickleball
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. The story goes that one summer afternoon the families were looking for something to entertain their children, only to discover their badminton set was missing several shuttlecocks and rackets.
Rather than give up in the afternoon, they grabbed ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball, lowered the badminton net, and started playing. Over the following weekends they refined the rules with one guiding principle: a game the whole family could enjoy together. Pickleball was born.
Joan Pritchard (Joel's wife) said the name came from the pickle boat in crew racing — a vessel crewed by oarsmen left over from other boats — reflecting how pickleball drew from the leftovers of other sports. However, some family members, including Joel's son Frank, have maintained that the game was named after the family dog, Pickles. Both accounts originate from the Pritchard family and the true origin of the name remains a friendly piece of disputed history.
Basic Rules of Pickleball
Pickleball's rules are intentionally simple to pick up but reward players who study the finer details. The game blends elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis into something entirely its own.
1. The Serve
- At least one foot must remain behind the baseline when initiating the serve.
- The serve must be struck underhand, making contact with the ball below waist level.
- The serve must travel diagonally cross-court and clear the non-volley zone (the "Kitchen") entirely.
- Each server receives only one serve attempt. If the ball clips the net and lands in the correct service court, it is a live ball and play continues — there are no "lets" under current official USA Pickleball rules.
2. The Two-Bounce Rule
After the serve, the receiving team must let the ball bounce before returning it, and the serving team must then let that return bounce before playing it. Once both bounces have occurred — one on each side of the net — either team may volley the ball out of the air or continue playing off a bounce. This rule eliminates the serve-and-volley advantage found in tennis and encourages longer, more exciting rallies.
3. The Non-Volley Zone (The Kitchen)
The non-volley zone is the 7-foot area on either side of the net. Mastering the Kitchen is what separates beginners from experienced players.
- Volleying — hitting the ball before it bounces — is never permitted from within the Kitchen.
- Stepping on the Kitchen line while volleying, or being carried into the zone by your own momentum, also counts as a fault.
- You may enter the Kitchen at any time to play a ball that has already bounced inside it.
4. Scoring
Games are played to 11 points and must be won by a margin of 2.
Only the serving team can score points. When the serving team commits a fault, possession passes to the opponent — this is called a side-out. In doubles, the score is called as three numbers: serving team's score, receiving team's score, and the server number (1 or 2). For example: "Five, three, two."
5. Faults
A fault is any rule violation that stops play and awards the point or side-out to the opposing team. The most common faults are:
- The ball lands out of bounds.
- A serve fails to land in the correct diagonal service court.
- A player volleys the ball while standing in the non-volley zone.
- The ball is hit into the net.
- Either team fails to let the ball bounce once on each side during the first two shots (a violation of the Two-Bounce Rule).
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