Pickleball Rules – Governing Bodies

Below you will find links to the worlds only Pickleball Rules Organization and Governing Body (that we know of). Click on the link below for more information about the organization listed.

United States of America Pickleball Association (USAPA)

Basic Rules of Pickleball

Pickleball began in the Puget Sound region of the State of Washington USA. Though it has been around for about twenty years, the last five has seen tremendous growth. Pickleball is a simple paddle game, playing a special perforated slow-moving ball over a tennis type net, on a badminton-sized court. The ball is served underhand, without bouncing it from the court, and is served diagonally to the opponent’s service zone. Pickleball Rules staet points are scored by the serving side only and occur when the opponent faults (fails to return the ball, hits the ball out of bounds, etc.). The server continues to serve, altering service courts, until the server faults. A game is won by the first side to reach eleven (11) points but will continue until won by a two point margin.

Unique Pickleball Features

  • Serve Position: Server can have one foot inside the baseline, as long as the other foot is outside at moment of serve.
  • Service Bounce Rule: Following serve, each side must make at least one ground-stroke, prior to volleying the ball (hitting it before it has bounced).
  • Non-volley Zone: A player cannot volley a ball while standing within the non-volley zone.