New Player?  Learn the Lingo with our Glossary of Terms

Pickleball basics

• Ball: lightweight, perforated plastic ball that’s slightly larger than a tennis ball (similar to a wiffle ball).
• Paddle: A standard pickleball paddle is composed of a honeycomb structure (the core, which constitutes the paddle’s middle layer) encased between two faces (the paddle’s surface on both sides).
• Pickleball: world’s most-fun racquet sport that includes elements of badminton, tennis, and ping-pong. Two players or four players hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball with paddles over a 34-inch-high net

Court Layout

• Backcourt: area of the court in front of the baseline
• Baseline: back line marking the edge of the court
• Court (size, etc): 20’ x 44’ court with a 36-inch high net
• Non-volley zone / Kitchen: This marked court area is a 7-foot by 20-foot section adjacent to the net. Players may legally enter this zone at any time, but cannot hit a ball out of the air in this zone. 

Shot Types

• Ace: A serve that is not touched by the intended receiver, resulting in a point for the serving side.
• ATP (Around the Post): a legal shot around the outside of the post on either side of the court. The shot will not go over the net, but around it.
• Backspin: Hitting the ball with a low-high motion that causes the ball to spin in the opposite direction.
• Bert: The partner shot to an Erne. A shot where a player jumps to hit the ball, but rather than jumping on their own side, the player jumps to the partner’s side or cross-court.
• Cross court dinking: a soft, precise shot aimed diagonally over the net into the opponent’s non-volley zone.
• Dink: A soft, arching shot that bounces in the non-volley zone.
• Erne: Leaping shot made by a player legally traveling over the kitchen, as they hit the ball mid-air before landing out of bounds.
• Groundstroke: any shot made after the ball has bounced. It can be executed from anywhere on the court but is most commonly performed near the baseline
• Lob: A high, arching shot hit to the opponents backcourt
• Punch: A quick shot with a minimal backswing, with a similar motion to stabbing the ball out of the air with the paddle. 
• Serve: The serve must start from behind the baseline with the server aiming diagonally. Play starts from the northwest corner of the court. Drop serves (where the ball bounces once before hitting) and volley serves (where the ball is dropped directly onto the paddle) are permitted. 
• Slice: type of serve where the ball is hit with a sidespin, causing it to curve and bounce unpredictably
• Third Shot Drop: The shot taken after a return of the serve that is strategically placed in the opponent’s kitchen. This gives your team time to move up and is mainly unattackable for the receiving team.
• Topspin: spinning the ball forward by giving it a rotational motion
• Volley: shot that picks the ball out of the air before it bounces

Strategy

• Poach: In doubles, when a player hits the ball in an area that was generally considered their partner’s responsibility or zone. This can be used strategically as a put-away shot or to confuse opponents.
• Reset: A way to keep the ball in motion or play without losing control, but also prevent an opponent from attacking or applying further offensive hits to your side.
• Stacking: strategy where both players on a team line up on the same side of the court before a serve or return. After the ball is hit, each player shifts to their desired side

Rules/rule violations

• Bodybag: when a person is hit with a ball, the hitting player gets a point
• Double Bounce Rule: A basic pickleball rule that requires both teams to allow the ball to bounce. The serve must bounce, and the return shot must bounce. After this sequence, the ball can be volleyed.
• Double hit: When the ball strikes the paddle twice in one play. This is legal as long as it happens as part of one continuous stroke.
• Foot fault: A fault that occurs because of foot placement. This can be on the server (where the server steps across the baseline) or when stepping into the non-volley zone.
• Must win by 2: play to 11, but if the game is tied 10-10, next point does not win