Pickleball 101: Rules, Gear, and How to Play

A source-backed guide distinguishing official pickleball rules from local open-play customs, including line calls, score calls, rotation, coaching, safety, and sportsmanship.

Whether you're painting lines on a driveway, booking court time, or just settling a debate at the net, here are the exact pickleball court dimensions — plus how much total space you actually need and how a pickleball court compares to tennis and badminton.

The five doubles strategy fundamentals that beginner pickleball players need — positioning, communication, and when to attack.

Learn the serving, two-bounce, scoring, non-volley-zone, line-call, fault, and equipment checks that matter before a first pickleball game.

New to pickleball? Welcome to the most addictive sport on the planet. The rules are refreshingly simple — you can learn enough to play in about five minutes — but a few of them (looking at you, kitchen) trip up almost every beginner.

Pickleball is a singles-or-doubles paddle sport played with a perforated plastic ball on a 20-by-44-foot court. Learn its equipment, serve, scoring, kitchen, two-bounce rule, and name origin.