You can learn this in five minutes. That's the whole appeal.
The court
A full pickleball court is 13.41m long and 6.10m wide — that's 44ft by 20ft, about a third the size of a tennis court. In fact you can fit four pickleball courts inside one tennis court.
The net sits 91cm (36in) high at the posts and 86cm (34in) at the centre — it dips slightly in the middle, which is deliberate.
Short on space? Play a half court and you'll still get a proper game in half the room. Plenty of driveway games are played this way.
Marking it out at home
You don't need anything fancy. Chalk works on concrete and bitumen and washes off in the rain. A garden hose laid flat works on grass. Some people just agree on landmarks — the crack in the concrete is the baseline — and get on with it.
The kitchen
There's a 2.13m (7ft) zone either side of the net called the non-volley zone — everyone calls it the kitchen. You can't hit the ball out of the air while standing in it. That single rule is what stops pickleball turning into a smashing contest, and it's why players of very different ages and fitness can have a genuinely competitive game together.
Serving
- Serve underarm, below waist height
- Serve diagonally, into the opposite service box
- The serve must clear the kitchen
- One serve attempt — no second serves
The double bounce rule
After the serve, the ball must bounce once on each side before anyone can volley. Serve bounces, return bounces, then it's open. This keeps rallies going instead of ending them at the net.
Scoring
Only the serving side scores. Games go to 11, and you have to win by 2.
In doubles the score is called as three numbers — your score, their score, and whether you're the first or second server. It sounds confusing for about ten minutes and then it's automatic.
How much room do you really need?
The court itself is 13.41m × 6.10m. Clubs allow run-off space around it — ideally a few metres each side — but at home you can play right up to the line. If your driveway is a standard double, you're very likely fine.
That's it
Everything else you'll pick up by playing.
Want to play with other people?
The Pickleball Australia Association has clubs in every state, and most run beginner sessions. Search for your nearest one — they're famously welcoming, and turning up alone is completely normal.