Your first two weeks

Tick these off as you go

A man in a cap reaching low for the ball on an outdoor court, with a fence and blue sky behind him — Open play on a public court

02

The rules in two minutes

The court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long for both singles and doubles. The net is 36 inches high at the posts and 34 inches at the center.
The serve is underhand, struck below the waist, and goes diagonally into the opposite service box. You get one attempt.
The two-bounce rule: the serve must bounce before it is returned, and the return must bounce before the serving team hits it. After that, anyone may volley.
The kitchen is the 7 feet on each side of the net. You may not volley while standing in it or touching its line, and your momentum may not carry you in after a volley. You may step in any time to hit a ball that has bounced.
In traditional scoring only the serving team scores. Games go to 11 and you must win by 2.
In doubles the score has three numbers: your score, their score, and whether you are the first or second server on your side. Each partner serves until the team loses a rally, then the serve crosses the net.
A ball on any line is in, except a serve that lands on the kitchen line, which is a fault.

A neon-yellow ball lying where two white lines meet on a blue and green court — On the line is in

The rules from the governing body

03

Choosing a paddle and getting ready to play

Five things to check before you buy

Weight

A midweight paddle of 7.5 to 8.3 ounces is the safe first choice. Lighter paddles are quick at the net and pass more shock to the elbow, and heavier ones hit harder and tire the shoulder.

Core

A polymer honeycomb core about 16 millimeters thick absorbs pace and gives a bigger sweet spot. Thinner cores of 13 or 14 millimeters add power and punish off-center hits.

Face

Fiberglass is the livelier, cheaper surface. A textured carbon fiber face grips the ball for more spin and control and is where most players end up.

Shape

A standard wide body, about 16 inches long and 8 inches wide, forgives the most mishits. Long, narrow paddles add reach and shrink the sweet spot.

Grip

Most adult paddles measure 4 1/8 to 4 1/4 inches around. When unsure, buy the smaller size, since an overgrip builds it up and nothing makes a thick handle thinner.

What to skip, and what to do before you play

Skip the wooden paddles sold in bargain sets. They weigh 10 ounces or more and teach a stiff, arm-only swing.
Before each session, check the ball for cracks and for a flattened, out-of-round shape, and wipe grit off the paddle face with a damp cloth so the texture keeps working.
Never leave a paddle in a hot car. Heat softens the glue that holds the face to the core, and a delaminated paddle is not legal for play.

A gray carbon paddle with an orange grip leaning against the net, a yellow ball on the court beside it — A carbon face and a wrapped grip

A hand holding a paddle edge-on and a yellow ball in front of an indoor net

04

Where you will play

The court decides the ball

Outdoor CourtsPainted hard courts at parks, often lined onto old tennis courts. This is where most open play happens, and it uses a harder ball with 40 small holes that holds its line in wind.

Start here

Find the nearest public courts with open play, bring a paddle and three outdoor balls, and put your paddle in the rack or line of paddles by the gate. That is the queue, and it gets you into the next game.

Pickleheads court finder

Indoor CourtsGym floors at rec centers, schools and dedicated clubs, played year round with a softer ball that has 26 larger holes and a lower, slower bounce.

Start here

Call your rec center, YMCA or community gym and ask for the pickleball open gym hours. Bring indoor balls and shoes with clean non-marking soles, since most gyms check.

Home CourtA portable net and marked lines on a driveway or a quiet lot, good for drilling and family games between trips to the park.

Start here

Measure a flat 20 by 44 foot patch of driveway, cul-de-sac or empty parking lot with 5 feet or more of run-off at each end, then set up a portable net and mark the lines.

Leagues and laddersOrganized matches against players of your own rating, once open play starts to feel comfortable.

Start here

Ask the organizer at your regular courts about a beginner ladder or a 2.5 to 3.0 league, and record your first few matches so you get a rating.

DUPR

Open one to see where to start. Outdoor Courts, Indoor Courts and Home Court each have a button that adds their gear to the bag.

05

Skills to work on first

From the baseline to the kitchen line

The deep serve and deep return

Nothing fancy, landing in the back third of the court. Depth keeps the other team away from the net.

Getting to the kitchen line

After you return serve, walk up and stand an inch behind the line. The team that holds the line wins most rallies.

The dink

A soft push from the shoulder, with a quiet wrist, that drops into the opponent's kitchen so they cannot attack it.

The third shot drop

The serving team's soft arcing shot from the baseline into the kitchen, which buys time to come forward. It takes months, so start early.

The ready position

Paddle up at chest height and out in front between shots, because volleys at the net arrive in under half a second.

A black paddle with a taped grip resting on a yellow ball on a blue court — Paddle and ball, between games

06

What trips beginners up

What to expect, and what to drop

Expect the score to confuse you for the first three or four games. Everyone at open play has been through it and will help.
Expect to volley the return of serve by reflex and lose the point to the two-bounce rule. After serving, stay behind the baseline until the ball comes back.
Expect players twenty or thirty years older to beat you with soft shots. Placement beats athleticism for a long time in this game.
Do not hang back at the baseline in doubles. It leaves your partner alone at the net with an open gap beside them.
Do not swing hard at every ball. A ball that would fly long gets left alone by good players, and a soft shot at their feet does more damage.
Do not run through a shot. Stop, set your feet and then hit, even if it means letting the ball drop lower.
Do not use indoor balls outside or outdoor balls in a gym. The first blows around in any breeze and the second skids on wood.

07

Staying off the injury list

Never backpedal for a lob. Turn, run with your side to the net and let your partner call it. Falling backward onto an outstretched hand is the classic way players break a wrist.
Wear eye protection at the net. Players stand 14 feet apart at the kitchen lines, and a ball off a partner's paddle edge gives no time to react.
Warm up for five minutes with brisk walking, calf raises and gentle lunges. Calf and Achilles strains are common in players who go from the car straight to a game.
Call "ball on court" loudly and stop play when a ball rolls in from the next court. Stepping on one turns an ankle.
Bring water and sit out a game in the heat. Hard courts in summer run far hotter than the air temperature.

White lines meeting on a blue court, seen from above

08

Where to learn and find a game

Open play is the classroom

Open play is the classroom. Show up at the beginner or novice hours, say it is your first week, and you will be put into a game within minutes. A single intro clinic at a parks department or club, usually $10 to $25, is worth the money for the kitchen and scoring rules alone. Local volunteer ambassadors exist to point new players to courts and beginner groups, and most active courts have a group chat or sign-up page where games are organized. When you want harder matches, a rating lets organizers place you with players at your level.

Basics, local volunteers and ratings

09

Why the kit is built this way

The paddle is the only thing every player has to own, so it leads the list. Balls depend on where you play, so the outdoor and indoor balls sit behind their own add-ons: turn on the one that matches your courts, or both. Court shoes come next because pickleball is all short sideways steps, and running shoes are built to roll forward and tip over at the ankle. Eyewear costs little next to what it protects. The net and line markers are only for players setting up a court of their own. Overgrips are for later, once sweat or a too-thin handle starts to bother you. Court time is usually free at public parks, and a rec center open gym runs $3 to $8 a visit.

Two paddles and a yellow perforated ball lying on a wooden floor — Two paddles and a ball on a gym floor

10

Fill the bag

Compare the options below, then set your tiers and check out from the bag. Clicking a card selects it there. The paddle, shoes and eyewear start in the bag. Balls join once you switch on Outdoor Courts or Indoor Courts, and the net and line markers come with Home Court.

Pickleball paddle

essential · Core equipment

It is the one piece of gear every player brings. A midweight paddle with a thick polymer core forgives off-center hits, which is most of what a beginner produces.

budget

CORE Pickleball - Reaction Pro Carbon Fiber Pickleball Paddle | T700 Carbon Fiber Surface | Cushioned Comfort Grip | Honeycomb Polymer 16mm Core | Superior Spin Control

4.4(74)

$44.99

Pickleball

Your first two weeks

The rules in two minutes

Choosing a paddle and getting ready to play

Where you will play

Skills to work on first

What trips beginners up

Staying off the injury list

Where to learn and find a game

Why the kit is built this way

Fill the bag

Pickleball paddle

Court shoes

Protective eyewear

Outdoor pickleballs

Indoor pickleballs

Portable pickleball net

Court line markers

Overgrips