How to Play Pickleball with Scoring

Introduction

Goal: Provide the clearest, most concise explanation of how to play pickleball and understand scoring.
Intended outcome: Viewers can learn to play pickleball in under 5 minutes.

Sections of the Court:
- Baseline
- Sidelines
- Left and right service box
- Non-volley zone ("kitchen")

Serving:
- Serve must be underhand and diagonal to the opposite server's box.
- Serve is out if it lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line.
- Serve is in if it hits the baseline, midcourt line, or sideline in the opposite box.
Receiving:
- The return team lets the serve bounce before hitting it.
- Serve team starts at the baseline; return team staggered with one player at the kitchen line.

Positioning:
- Serve and stay at the baseline; return and run to the kitchen line.
- Serving team uses third shot to approach the kitchen line.
- Best positioning: All players at the kitchen line.

Non-volley Zone ("Kitchen"):
- Cannot volley the ball with feet in the kitchen.
- Volley allowed if behind the kitchen line.
- Must avoid momentum carrying you into the kitchen after a strike.
Dinks:
- Soft shots hit at the kitchen line.
- Designed to be unattackable by opponents.
- Players wait for a high ball to attack or for opponents to make a dinking error.

Points:
- Earned if opposing team hits the net, out of bounds, or the ball bounces twice on their side.
- Score format: Your score, opponent's score, server number.
- Points can only be scored when serving.

Each player gets a chance to serve before a side out.
Server Positions:
- Server on right is the first server; on left is the second.
- Winning a rally: Switch sides and continue serving.
- Losing a rally: Pass serve to partner.
- First server example: Score 5-3, call "5-3-1," win = "6-3-1," lose = switch to partner "5-3-2."
Side Outs:
- Occur after both players have lost rallies.
- Start new serve sequence with the opposing team.
- Initial game start: Right server calls "0-0-2."