1. The Serve: Start with an underhand serve from behind the baseline. You’ve got to hit it diagonally across the court into the other team’s service box, and it has to clear the "kitchen" (more on that soon!). Remember, no overhand smashes on the serve—keep it chill!
2. Double Bounce Rule: After the serve, both teams have to let the ball bounce once before hitting it back. So, serve-bounce-hit, bounce-hit, and THEN you're free to start the volleying madness. It’s the pickleball way of saying, “Let’s ease into this.”
3. Stay Out of the Kitchen (Unless You’re Dinking!): The "kitchen" is that 7-foot zone next to the net where you can't volley (hit the ball out of the air). You can only step into the kitchen if the ball bounces there first, which leads us to the art of dinking—a soft, gentle shot that lands just over the net. Dinks are like pickleball’s secret sauce for setting up bigger shots!
4. Scoring: You can only score points when you're serving. Games are usually played to 11 points (win by 2), but some folks like to mix it up with longer games. Pro tip: The team that scores gets to keep serving, so hold onto that serve for as long as you can!
5. Faults Happen: If you hit the ball out of bounds, into the net, or step into the kitchen when volleying, it’s a fault. On the serve, if the ball doesn’t land in the right spot, or you hit it straight into the net, that’s also a fault. Don’t worry, though—faults just mean the other team gets the ball. It’s all part of the game, and no one’s counting (unless you’re really competitive, in which case… maybe they are).
6. Keep It Fun: Above all, pickleball is about having a blast. Whether you're hitting powerful shots or mastering the dink game, remember to keep the mood light, the laughs loud, and the paddles swinging!

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