1.
As with most racquet or paddle sports, the ball in pickleball can’t go out of bounds. The white lines on either side of the court tell you where you can and can’t hit the ball. If you hit the ball out of bounds, you lose your serve and give the ball back to the other team. Unfortunately, this mistake puts you at a disadvantage. So, it can alter the remaining course of the game. The good news is that if you make the mistake of hitting the ball out of bounds, you’re not completely doomed. Pickleball is unique in that it requires that the ball bounce both during the serve and the return of serve, which takes away some of the benefits of serving. So even if you hit the ball "out" on your serve, you have a better chance at getting to net when you're returning; which is where most points are won.
2.
The ball has to be held underhand and below the waistline. This formation is necessary for the game to get started. Keep one foot behind the baseline to ensure that the service is starting from the proper distance. Hit the ball diagonally to the opposite side of the court. In singles play, you can’t hit it directly across, or it’ll cause a fault. It has to happen from the right side of the court; then, the next service is the left side, and so on. Unfortunately, if you make an incorrect serve or a fault, the next serve either goes to your teammate if you're playing doubles or it goes directly to your opponent.
3.
An easy way to give the ball back to the other team (which is obviously not what you want) is to let the ball bounce twice on your side. If you’re serving or hitting it back to the other side, you need to make sure that it only bounces once on your side. When the ball bounces twice, your serve is over. On that note, there has to be at least one bounce per side on both the serve AND the return of serve. When the ball is coming in your direction after the serve, you need to make sure that you let it bounce once before you hit it. In addition, and this is unique to the game of pickleball, the return of serve must be allowed to bounce. So, if you served, and your opponent blasts a deep return your way, you MUST let the ball bounce before playing it.
4.
The no-volley zone is anywhere inside of the lined box that sits 7 feet off from the net. There’s a no-volley zone on both sides of the court, one for each team. You’ll know where the kitchen line is because it’s the only place in the whole area of play that has highlighted regions. It's also commonly known as the "kitchen line". You'll hear people say "stay out of the kitchen" meaning you cannot enter this section of the court unless the ball bounce inside this quadrant. If the ball touches the no-volley zone on the serve, you lose your serve. You must serve beyond it. After that however, you are free to drop the ball into the kitchen area. This is called a "drop-shot" and it's a signature shot in the game of pickleball. However, in terms of serving, aim beyond the kitchen line and aim for the baseline. The deeper the serve the better. In fact, keeping your opponent at the baseline while you're at the kitchen line is a fundamental winning tactic for any skill level. In simpler terms, to step into the kitchen, the ball must land in the kitchen but only after a legal serve has been executed.
5.
A traditional game of pickleball ends at 11 points. However, the winning team has to be winning by at least 2 points. If you’re at 11 points and the other team has 10, the game continues. Some pickleball games extend the score to 15, whereas others go all the way up to 21. In a solo game of pickleball, 11 or 15 are the most common point totals. When you’re playing doubles, 15 or 21 are the most common point totals. You’ll be able to discuss the total with your team and the opponents. There aren’t too many rule differences based on the point total. When you’re playing a game to 11 points, the teams switch sides whenever the first team hits 6 points. On the other hand, games that play to 15 or 21 points switch whenever the first team hits 8 points.