Learning how to play pickleball takes about ten minutes. The court is 6.10 m by 13.41 m, the net sits at 91.4 cm at the posts and 86.4 cm in the middle, the serve goes underhand and diagonally across, and the first side to 11 points by a margin of two wins. Everything else that trips up new players comes down to two things: the two-bounce rule and the kitchen. Once those click, you can finish a real game on your first afternoon.
This is the short version, written so you can play today rather than read all day. Where a part of the game deserves a page of its own, we link it and move on.
How to play pickleball in six steps
- Pick ends and decide who serves first.
- The server stands behind the baseline and serves underhand, diagonally, into the service court opposite.
- The receiving side lets the serve bounce. Then the serving side lets the return bounce. That is the two-bounce rule.
- After those two bounces, play the ball however you like, off the bounce or out of the air, as long as you are not standing in the kitchen when you volley.
- Rally until someone faults: into the net, out of bounds, a second bounce, or a volley struck from the kitchen.
- Only the serving side can score. First to 11, win by two.
That is a complete game. The sections below fill in the detail in the order you will actually need it.
The court, the net and the kitchen
A pickleball court is the same footprint as a doubles badminton court, which is why so many Australian halls have both sets of lines painted on the floor.
| Feature | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Full court (lines included) | 6.10 m x 13.41 m | 20 ft x 44 ft |
| Net height at the posts | 91.4 cm | 36 in |
| Net height at the centre | 86.4 cm | 34 in |
| Kitchen depth, each side | 2.13 m | 7 ft |
The dip in the middle of the net is deliberate, and getting it wrong is the most common setup error on a home court. Our pickleball net height and court dimensions guide has the full six-step setup if you are lining your own.
The kitchen is the 2.13 m strip on either side of the net, running the full width of the court. Its proper name is the non-volley zone, and that name is the rule: you cannot volley the ball (hit it out of the air) while standing in the kitchen, or while your own momentum carries you into it afterwards. You can stand in there all day if you let the ball bounce first. The edge cases are worth knowing once you are playing regularly, and they are all in our guide to the non-volley zone.
The serve, and the one attempt you get
The serve is struck underhand with an upward swing, with contact below your waist, from behind the baseline. It travels diagonally into the service court across from you, and it has to clear the kitchen line.
You get one attempt. There is no second serve, which is the first thing players coming from tennis have to unlearn. A drop serve is also legal: bounce the ball off the ground and hit it after the bounce. Plenty of new players find that version easier to land, and nothing in the rules asks you to justify the choice. The spin, placement and legality details are in our guide to serving in pickleball.
The two-bounce rule, and why it exists
The serve must bounce before the receiver hits it. The return must then bounce before the serving side hits it. Two bounces, and after that the ball can be taken out of the air by anyone.
It exists to stop the serving pair from serving and immediately crashing the net, which would make the serve far too strong an advantage. The practical effect is that the receiving side gets to the kitchen line first, so the serving side spends the early part of each rally working their way forward. That one rule is the reason the third shot drop exists as a shot at all.
Keeping score, and saying it out loud
Games go to 11 points and you have to win by two, so 11 to 10 is not a win. Only the serving side can score a point. If the receiving side wins the rally they do not score, they win the right to serve.
In doubles you call three numbers before every serve: your score, their score, then whether you are the first or second server of that turn. "Four, two, two" means your side has four, the other side has two, and you are the second server. Singles drops the third number because there is only one server. The full worked examples, including why the first serve of a doubles game starts with only one server, are in our pickleball scoring guide.
From there the formats split. Read pickleball doubles rules for serving order, positioning and stacking, or pickleball singles rules if you are playing one against one and need to know which side to serve from.
What you actually need to start
A paddle, a ball, and a court with a net. That is the whole list, and only the first one has to be yours.
A paddle. You do not need an expensive one to learn. The Six Zero Quartz is $99 and is the paddle we hand most new players, in six colourways. We wrote up how it plays in our Six Zero Quartz review. If you would rather compare the entry tier properly, the beginner pickleball paddles collection is the shortlist, and the whole range sits in pickleball paddles.
A ball, and the right one. Outdoor and indoor pickleballs are genuinely different, not marketing. Outdoor balls are harder with smaller holes to cope with wind, indoor balls are softer with larger holes. The Franklin X-40 Outdoor 12 pack is $47.95 and is the ball most Australian outdoor clubs default to; the Franklin X-26 Indoor 12 pack is $49.99 for hall play. Our indoor versus outdoor pickleballs guide explains which to buy, and the rest are in pickleball balls.
A net, only if you are making your own court. Most people never buy one, because clubs and councils have them. If you are setting up a driveway or a hall, the JOOLA Elemental Pickleball Net is $239.95 and sets to the regulation heights in the table above. Alternatives are in pickleball nets.
Or the lot in one box. If you are starting with a mate, the Pickld Starter Set is $238.95 for two Quartz paddles, balls and covers, which is less than buying the pieces apart. Bigger combinations, including the ones with a net, sit in pickleball sets.
Free AU shipping over $150, excluding bulky items. Nets and 100-pack ball boxes are charged real freight because their prices are held down for clubs and councils rather than averaging postage into the sticker.
Five mistakes in your first game
- Volleying with a toe in the kitchen. It is the most called fault in social play, and your momentum counts: land in the kitchen after the volley and it is still a fault.
- Setting a home net flat at 36 inches. Without the drop to 34 at the centre, shots that should stay in play clip the tape. Set the centre last.
- Using an outdoor ball indoors. It skids and plays far too fast on a sprung floor. Different ball, not a different technique.
- Trying to win every point with power. The players who improve fastest learn to dink early, because a soft ball into the kitchen beats a hard one into the net.
- Serving overhand. A tennis habit, and an instant fault. Underhand, below the waist, upward swing.
Common questions
Can you play pickleball on a tennis court? Yes, and it is how most Australians start. A tennis court fits more than one pickleball court, and you can tape lines without marking the surface. We cover the layout in setting up pickleball on a tennis court.
Can two people play? Yes. Singles uses the same court and the same two-bounce rule, with a two-number score call. See pickleball singles rules.
How long does a game take? Most social games to 11 run about 15 to 25 minutes, which is why clubs rotate courts quickly and why you will usually play several games in a session.
Do you need special shoes? Court shoes with lateral support are better than running shoes, because the game is side to side rather than forward. We do not stock shoes, so treat that as advice rather than a sell.
Where to play, and what to read next
Finding a game is the last step and usually the easiest: most Australian clubs run social sessions where paddles are lent out and nobody minds that it is your first day. Our guide to pickleball courts in Australia is the place to start looking, and pickleball for beginners in Australia covers what to expect when you turn up.
When you want the letter of the law rather than the short version, read the full pickleball rules for Australia. When you can rally and want to start winning, pickleball strategy is the next one.
Disclosure: Pickld carries the brands featured here (Six Zero, Franklin, JOOLA). Prices and stock were read from our live product pages on 6 November 2026, and recommendations are based on what we sell and what new players actually get on with, not affiliate incentives.
Still not sure which paddle to start on? Send us a note. We would rather point you at the $99 paddle that suits your game than the $400 one that does not.
