Paddles, not pickles
Pickleball is a paddle sport played over a net with a perforated plastic ball. You can play singles, with one person on each side, or doubles, with two.
USA Pickleball describes a blend of tennis, badminton and table tennis. The court is badminton-sized, and the paddle has a solid face rather than strings. No actual pickles are required.
The two bounces come first
A rally starts with a diagonal serve. The receiving side must let it bounce before returning it. Then the serving side must let the return bounce too.
After those two bounces, players can hit the ball before it lands. That is a volley. The two-bounce rule means one bounce on each side, not two bounces before every shot.
Why is there a kitchen?
The kitchen is the non-volley zone: the strip extending seven feet from each side of the net. You cannot volley while touching it, including its line. Your momentum cannot carry you into it after a volley either.
It is not forbidden territory, though. You can enter the kitchen to play a ball that has bounced. Think “no volley”, rather than “never step here”.
Familiar equipment, different habits
Those small rule changes give pickleball its own rhythm. Recognising a tennis-like net does not mean you already know the game.
Fancy another sporting surprise? Find out why tennis scores sound unusual, or untangle the difference between snooker and pool.