Pickleball Rules

Pickleball League Rules [Traditional]

Volo welcomes all players. As with our workplace practices, we will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We strictly prohibit harassment of any kind. To read our full Player Code of Conduct, please reference this PDF.

Volo Policies

• Teams without the minimum players will forfeit after 10 minutes from their designated start time (the time is yours if you want to scrimmage!).

• The Top 4 teams are guaranteed to make playoffs unless otherwise noted or if a team forfeits 2 times.

• Rules in bold indicate the most commonly confused rules 

Team Composition

• Roster minimum: 3

• Minimum players to start official game: 2

• Maximum players on the court: 2

Match Format

• Matches are best-of-3 sets played to 11 points (no win by 2)

• Standard scoring is used (a point is scored only when serving)

Serving

• The server must serve underhand with the paddle below the waist

• The serve must be hit diagonally across the court and land in the correct service box (serves into the kitchen or on the kitchen line are considered out; all other lines are in)

• Server must keep both feet behind the baseline until after contact

• Only one serve attempt is allowed per server

Service Sequence

• Both players on the serving doubles team have the opportunity to serve and score points until they commit a fault (except for the first service sequence of each new game*)

• The first serve of each side-out is made from the right-hand court

• If a point is scored, the server switches sides and the server initiates the next serve from the lefthand court. As subsequent points are scored, the server continues switching back and forth until a fault is committed and the first server loses the serve

• When the first server loses the serve the partner then serves from their correct side of the court (except for the first service sequence of the game*)

• The second server continues serving until his team commits a fault and loses the serve to the opposing team

*At the beginning of each new set, only one partner on the serving team has the opportunity to serve before faulting, after which the service passes to the receiving team. They are considered the “second” server in this instance

Gameplay Rules

• The ball must bounce once on each side before players may volley (the “Double Bounce Rule”)

  • Aka Both the receiving and the serving teams must let the ball bounce on their first respective returns

• Volleys (hitting the ball in the air) must be done outside of the Non-Volley Zone (the “Kitchen”)

  • Players may not step into the kitchen when volleying the ball. 

  • The ball must bounce in the “Kitchen” before a player may enter (aka Groundstrokes may be played from inside the kitchen)

• Only one hit is allowed per team per rally (aka the ball must get over the net in one hit)

• If the ball touches a player or their clothing, the point is lost

Court Boundaries

• The lines are considered in (except the kitchen line)

• A ball landing on any part of the baseline, sideline, or centerline is good

• Serves must land within the diagonal service box (not in the kitchen)

• Any ball hitting permanent fixtures (e.g., ceiling, wall) is out of play

Forfeits

• A forfeit is declared if a team is not ready to play 10 minutes after the scheduled start time

Sportsmanship

• Unsportsmanlike behavior may result in warnings, point deductions, or ejections

• Respect officials, opponents, and teammates at all times

Playoff Rules

• We aim to include as many teams as possible in the playoffs, but only the top 4 teams are guaranteed a playoff spot based on regular season standings

• Seeding is based on regular-season standings (e.g., win-loss record, head-to-head results, point differential as tiebreakers)

• Playoff rounds are single elimination, unless otherwise specified

• All playoff matches follow the same best-of-3 format as regular season

• Higher-seeded team has choice of serve/side in the first set

• Only rostered players are eligible to compete in the playoffs

• Forfeits in playoffs result in automatic advancement of the opposing team