The Serve: The server’s paddle face must be below the wrist of the paddle hand, the contact point of the ball must be below the person’s navel, the swing is an upward arc, and the server’s feet must be behind the base line when contact is made with the ball.  The served ball must land beyond the No Volley Line into the diagonal area where the other lines are in play.

The Serve Receiver:  The receiver of the served ball and their partner must let the ball bounce before the ball can be touched or hit. If the server hit the ball and the receiver’s partner touches the ball on the fly or the receiver hits the ball on the fly, the point goes to the server.

The Two Bounce Rule:  The ball must bounce twice before you can hit (volley) the ball on the fly. The serving side must let the service returned ball bounce on the ground in their court before hitting the ball to satisfy the two bounce rule.

Line Calls:  Line calls are made by the side where the ball lands. All balls are considered IN unless called OUT. Pickleball balls do not compress when they bounce on the ground, so a ball can be over the line and still not touch it. Catching an OUT ball before it bounces is considered an IN ball.

No Volley Zone (The Kitchen):  A player can stand in the NVZ and the only thing they can’t do is to volley a ball. So, anytime you hit the ball on the fly, you may not have any part of your body or equipment touch the NVZ after you strike the ball. That means if a hat or a paddle falls into the NVZ after you hit the volley or your momentum carries you into the NVZ, the point goes to the other side. If you let the ball bounce in the NVZ, you can hit the ball in the NVZ, and you can also go into the NVZ after hitting a bounced ball outside of the NVZ.

0-0-two and let’s start playing.  It’s great to see so many new people out playing, and of course, it’s great to see the core group that helps support the San Francisco Pickleball Community.  Thank You.

Pickle Relish, Mitch