How to Play Pickleball: An Interactive Beginner’s Guide

I started this blog to help beginners learn how to play and learn how to become pickle “ballers” (pun intended).

My beginner experience learning pickleball was at my brother-in-law’s bachelor party where we played in a doubles pickleball tournament.

I wish I had an interative beginner’s guide in my first tournament, so I put this guide together for you to learn as quickly as possible. Now, this is how to play singles or doubles pickleball, but if you are playing 3 player pickleball, you may want to check our other guide.

I also prefer videos, so I added my favorite videos into this guide.

Here’s what we are going to cover:

1. Brief Pickleball Introduction
2. What Are The Rules?
3. Beginner Mistakes to Avoid
4. Beginner Pickleball Strategy
5. What Equipment Do You Need ?
6. Where Can I Play?

I’ll also cover the best beginner pickleball paddles after testing 25-50 paddles, best outdoor pickleball balls, and best pickleball portable nets.

Also, I have a quick shameless plus. If you’d like to get videos how to improve your game, consider subscribing to my email newsletter. No spam ever. Thanks for considering.

Okay, enough, let’s get started

Brief Pickleball Introduction

Even in 2024 pickleball continues to be the fastest growing sports in America. Here’s some quick facts:

1. The game combines aspects of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong.
2. It can be played in singles or doubles format and is played on a badminton sized court.
3. Pickleball is suitable for players of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels.
4. It’s easy to pick up the basics, making it the perfect activity for staying fit, healthy, and boosting your social life.
5. The pickleball community is very friendly!

Finally, it’s a low-impact sport that is easy on the joints, allowing you to stay fit through a fun and engaging game.

Let’s cover the rules.

What are the rules?

I thought this video provides a brief 2 minute introduction to the rules that I’ll cover in greater detail below.

The United States Pickleball Associates (USPA) has the official rules on its website, but I wanted to simplify them for you.

Startup:

• Pickleball is commonly played as doubles.
• Regardless of singles or doubles, the rules remain the same.

Serving:

• Arc Motion: Your arm must move forward in an upward arc when striking the ball.
• Contact Level: Your paddle contact cannot be made above your waist level.
• Paddle Position: Your paddle’s head cannot be above the higher part of your wrist.
• Drop Serve: You can do a drop serve, exempting the previous three rules.
• Foot Position: When striking the ball, your feet cannot touch the court, and at least one foot must be behind the baseline.
• Faults: You cannot fault on the serve and get a second attempt; only one attempt is allowed.
• Starting Serve: Determine who serves first by a coin flip or a paddle flip (heads or tails). The serve is made diagonally cross-court, opposite to the serving side.

Serving Sequence:

Doubles:

• Each team has a chance to serve and score points, except for the first service sequence of a game where only one player on a serving team serves.
• Starting Serve: Because the score is 0, the first serve is from the right side of the court.
• Switching Sides: If a point is scored, the server switches sides to initiate the service from the left side of the court.
• Faults: When a fault is committed (e.g., ball in the net or out of bounds), the server loses the serve.

Singles:

• Starting Serve: You serve on the right side when your score is even and the left side when your score is odd.

Scoring:

• You only score when you are serving.
• Games are usually played until 11 points, with a win by 2. Tournaments may be played to 15 or 21.
• Serving Side: When serving, you stand on the right or left based on YOUR score.

In Game Play:

Two-bounce rule:

• After the two bounces, both teams can hit the ball before it bounces or allow the ball to bounce one time off the ground.

Non-Volley Zone (kitchen):

• The non-volley zone (also known as “the kitchen”) is the court area within 7 feet on both sides of the net.
• Volleying is not allowed in the kitchen.
• Faults: It is a fault if volleying the ball, if the player steps into the kitchen, or if your momentum causes you or anything you are wearing to touch the kitchen or associated lines.
• Legal Entry: You can legally enter the kitchen at any time other than when volleying the ball.

Line Calls:

• A ball is “in” if the ball hits any part of the line, except on the serve if the serving ball hits the non-volley zone line.

Faults:

• A fault is an action that stops play due to a rule violation (such as hitting the net).
• A fault by the receiving team results in a point for the serving team (not vice versa).

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

There are 6 common mistakes to avoid, and I thought this video did a great job explaining those mistakes.

Again, I removed the introduction to get right to the content.

Beginner Pickleball Strategy

You want to have basic strategies such as keeping the ball low and learning how to counter attack. Learn how to control the game.

Here’s a video covering 4 beginner pickleball strategies.

What equipment do you need to play?

The key pieces of equipment you need to play pickleball are a paddle and a ball.

Best Beginner Pickleball Paddle

I’ve purchased 25-50 pickleball paddles to find you the best beginner pickleball paddle. I even have a paddle that is under $10, so you can really get a feel for the game before investing.

The pickleball paddle features a handle and a large, solid flat surface for hitting the ball. Paddles come in different shapes, sizes, weights and materials to accommodate the preferences and playing style of the player.

The cost of a pickleball paddle can vary greatly, with beginner paddles starting from as little as $30, and top-of-the-range paddles costing more than $200.

If you are a total newbie to the game, you may want to see whether your local club offers paddle rental. This way you can get a feel for the different types of paddles and figure out if you like the game enough to purchase your own equipment!

After your first couple of sessions, it’s safe to say you will be hooked! Now you can go ahead and purchase your own paddle – be sure to do your research before deciding on one!

For your first paddle, I don’t recommend spending any more than $100 – you should focus on developing your skills and establishing your playing style before making a purchase.

Best Pickleball Balls

Moving onto the ball, made of plastic and hollow, is dotted with holes throughout its surface. It is slightly larger than a tennis ball, and its weight varies depending on factors including brand, material, and whether it is designed for indoor or outdoor use.

Check these best outdoor pickleball balls tend to be heavier to minimize the impact of wind. There are a variety of different balls on the market, each one with their own unique selling points, including weight, thickness, and durability.

Do you need a ball?

The chances are, the people playing at your chosen court will have a ball to use (so no need to buy your own at first) – and they will most likely be willing to give you some playing tips to help get you off the ground.

Once you become more engaged in the sport, you might want to consider buying yourself a pack of balls to have handy in your bag in case nobody has one!

Do you need special shoes?

No, running shoes, basketball shoes or tennis shoes can work for pickleball.

The key is that the shoes are comfortable and have plenty of grip.

As you get better, you may consider specific pickleball or tennis shoes.

When I started, I had basketball shoes, and now I have tennis shoes that I play with. I still have not seen whether the technology for pickleball shoes has made those shoes worth it.

Where can you play?

There are two places to find pickleball courts:

1. Google maps – Type “pickleball courts near me” to find your nearest court.
2. Additionally, the US Pickleball Associate just partnered with Pickleheads as the official court and game finder

You can also purchase a portable pickleball net that you can use on your street. I tested many different nets.

Finally, you can find a tennis court and setup a portable pickleball net with markers. My favorite portable pickleball net comes with a net, 4 pickleball paddles, pickleball balls, a carrying case, and pickleball court markers.

See you on the courts

I hope this guide has made you feel more at ease with kicking off your pickleball journey. When you’re starting, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process. The finer details will become clear gradually, and you’ll be able to address them further down the line.