Pickleball is a game played with a whiffle ball and wood or composite paddles on a badminton court with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center. It is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players. On the North Coast, we play indoors at a variety of locations from Fortuna to McKinleyville (see Open Play Calendar), and outdoors at Larson Park in Arcata, the College of the Redwoods tennis courts, and the Blue Lake tennis courts. We have a few local tournaments each year and many of our players travel out of the area to compete against other players. 

Rules Summary

The serve must be hit underhand and each team must play their first shot off the bounce, (the two-bounce rule). The serve is made diagonally cross court to the box beyond the no-volley zone, (aka the kitchen), the area of the court within 7 feet of the net.  

After the ball has bounced once on each side, both teams can either volley the ball in the air or play it off the bounce. However, no volleying (playing the ball before it bounces) is permitted within the no-volley zone. During and after volleying the ball, the player may not step into the no-volley zone. A player may be in the non-volley zone at any other time, generally when playing a ball that bounces close to the net.  

Games are usually played to eleven points, win by two. Point are only scored by the serving team.  When a team wins the serve, whichever player is on the right serves first. If they win the point, the two players on the serving team switch sides and the same player continues serving. If they lose the point, the other teammate gets a chance to serve. When the second server loses a point, the serve goes to the other team. 

Immediately before serving, the server calls the score as three numbers: our score, your score, and whether the server is the first or second server during this serving rotation. 1-2-2 would mean the serving team has one point, the receiving team has two points, and the current server is the second one, so that losing the point will result in the serve going to the other team. To avoid giving one team too much of an advantage, the first server of each game is considered a second server, so the first score is always 0-0-2.  (Yes, it is confusing at first.)

The hand is considered an extension of the paddle.  The player loses the rally if the ball hits any other part of his body or clothing, is not returned, fails to clear the net, or lands outside the court. All lines are considered part of the court (in). The kitchen line is considered part of the kitchen..

 Note:  This is an abbreviated form of the rules to give a quick overview of how the game is played.  See the official rules for more information.