➢ Male “Open Class” for all ages
➢ Male “Senior Class” for ages 40 and older (40+)
➢ Female “Open” for all ages
➢ Female “Senior Class” for ages 40 and older (40+)
➢ Mixed “Open Class” for all ages
➢ Mixed “Senior Class” for ages 40 and older (40+)
Basic Rules
Pickleball is played in doubles (two players per team) or singles; doubles is the most common
The same playing area size and rules are used for singles and doubles
The Serve
The server’s arm must move in an upward arc when the ball is hit.
The paddle’s contact with the ball must not be above waist level.
The paddle head must not be above the highest part of the wrist at the moment of contact.
A “drop serve” is also permitted, in which case none of the above apply.
At the moment the ball is hit, the server’s feet may not touch the court or outside the imaginary extension of the sideline or center line and at least one foot must be behind the baseline on the playing surface or on the ground behind the baseline.
The serve is made diagonally across the court and must land within the boundaries of the diagonally opposite court.
Only one serve attempt is permitted per server.
Scoring
Points are scored only by the serving team. Matches are normally played to 11 points, won by 2.
Tournament matches may be played to 15 or 21, won by 2.
When the serving team’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10), the player who was the first server in the game for that team will be on the right/even court when serving or receiving; when it is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), that player will be on the left/odd court when serving or receiving.
Two-bounce rule
When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning it, and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning it, thus two bounces.
After the ball has bounced once on each team’s court, either team may volley the ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it after one bounce (groundstroke).
The two-bounce rule eliminates the serve-and-volley advantage and extends rallies.
