Learn How to Play Pickleball for Beginners? Pickleball Made Easy

Pickleball is a mixture of tennis and ping-pong, but its rules are quite different from both sports. As a beginner, you may need help understanding the basics of the game. When starting your pickleball journey, you need to know a few basic rules to make your life much easier. If you want to know how to play pickleball for beginners, you are on the right platform. 

In this article, we are discussing some of the basic rules of pickleball that you need to know. On the other hand, we are sharing some simple tips that can help you master pickleball in no time. Dive right in! 

The Basics of Setting up the Court

Before we dive into the tips and tricks of playing pickleball for beginners, learning about court rules is also essential. You may be the best pickleball player, but you will lose points if you make boundary mistakes on the court. Here are some basic rules to set up the court: 

• The net should be 36 inches high from both sides but dips 2 inches low in the centre. 
• If you are playing doubles pickleball, both players from the team should stand on opposite ends. 
• The kitchen or non-volley area is 7 feet from the net on each side, and you cannot volley from it. 
• You can hit the ball out of the air or make a groundstroke. 
• While serving, you cannot stand in the non-volley zone or kitchen area; your feet cannot touch the kitchen line. 
• Only the player standing on the right side gets to serve the ball to the diagonally opposite receiver side. 

Here’s a detailed guide on how to play pickleball for beginners:

The Rules to Play Pickleball for Beginners 

Pickleball is not a complicated game that requires exceptional stamina, skills, or intellect. It is a simple game that anyone can play regardless of their skills and expertise. However, you need to know a few simple rules to score points and avoid errors. Here is what you need to know as a beginner:

Only Server Can Score

Most people do not know how pickleball works; they think it is like tennis. However, tennis is quite different from pickleball; however, the base rules are similar. As a beginner, you should never forget that the server gets the point. There is no set rule to decide which team will serve first; however, most players use toss to decide which team will go first. 

The right-side player on the server team gets to serve first, and the ball should go horizontally across the court. The right-hand side player aims for the right-hand side player of the receiver team. The server team keeps getting the point until they make an error. If you are playing with double members on each team, the left-hand side player comes to the right if they make an error. 

Hit the Ball Below the Waist 

You should never ignore some basic rules when serving the ball. One of the first things you must consider when serving is always using the underhand or backhand technique. It is best always to hit the ball from a downward angle and never from above or in the air. 

On the other hand, always use your waist as the reference point; never serve from above the waist. If you touch the ball from below, it creates a diagonal arc which adds the right momentum to the shot. 

The server Continues to Get Points 

One simple rule you must remember is that the server continues getting points until they make an error. If you are playing with double players on your team, the left-side player gets a chance if the right-side one messes up. 

On the other hand, a few gestures can count as errors in pickleball. A server must not step into the non-volley or kitchen area to serve. The ball should never hit the net while serving, as it counts as a foul. Lastly, you should not hit the ball with high force as it can land outside the boundary, which is a foul. 

Ground Strokes Can Hit Volley Area

There are a few rules every player must remember; the basic one is you cannot volley in the non-volley area. You cannot let the momentum take you to the non-volley area and try to volley in the kitchen area. Even if you volley on the kitchen line, it will be considered a foul; hence, you must be very careful. 

However, one thing you can do is strike the ground shots in the non-volley area. Ground strokes are also called dink, which means you are serving weaker shots, so the receiver does not have much control over the ball. You must be careful when making the ground strokes and ensure the ball has minimum bounce. 

Let the Ball Bounce Twice Before the Volley 

You may find that the first team to reach 11 points is the winner, and you can only gain points when serving. If you are playing doubles pickleball, each player gets the chance to serve. The second server can serve if the serving team makes an error the first time. If the second server makes a mistake, the ball goes to the receiving team, and they become the serving team. 

 On the other hand, the most important rule to remember is that the ball must bounce on both sides once before you volley. If you don’t let the ball bounce, the server team will have a competitive edge over the receiving team. Hence, it is one of the biggest rules every player must follow to get a winning score. 

Conclusion 

We discussed how to play pickleball for beginners above with some ground rules you must remember. Keeping a few golden rules in your mind is important as it reduces the chances of making an error. Lastly, it is essential to remember which player has a turn, as it makes coordination easier.