on court
Skinny singles
2 players · 20 min
Splitting the court
Two ways, and they are not the same game.
Cross-court — you each play the diagonal half, the same diagonal the serve already uses. Every rule holds, serve included. Start here.
Down the line — you both take the same lane and hit straight at each other. Cross-court is a longer court over the lower middle of the net, so there is margin for a soft ball. This one is shorter and crosses the net nearer the post, where it is higher.
One honest note: a straight serve is not a legal serve. Down the line breaks that single rule on purpose. Everything else holds.
What is in and what is out
Your half is the whole court: the centreline and one sideline are your boundaries, and anything landing in the other half is out.
That is the entire modification. Nothing else changes — the two-bounce rule applies, the kitchen works exactly as usual, and a serve is still a serve.
Scoring
Singles scoring, which is simpler than doubles:
- Only the server can score.
- Your own score picks your side: even on the right, odd on the left. Your opponent lines up to match.
- Serve until you lose a rally, then the serve goes across.
- Play to 11, win by 2.
Because the side follows the server’s score, the lane you are playing moves as the game goes on. Getting that wrong is the usual mistake, and remembering your own score is the whole fix.
Turn the dial
Easier — open up the full court once the ball has crossed three times, so rallies do not end on a stray one.
Harder — switch to down the line: less room, higher net, no margin on the drop.
Harder still — a point only counts if you win it from the kitchen line. Winners hit from the transition zone score nothing, which forces you to get in rather than fire from deep.