The court

Meet the court

A pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, about the size of a badminton court, and it is the same size for doubles and singles. Almost every rule refers to one of its lines or areas, so learning the names now saves a lot of confusion later.

Tap a name to see it on the court.

The three names that matter most

The kitchen. Its official name is the non-volley zone, but nobody calls it that on court. It’s the 7-foot strip on each side of the net, and it has its own rule: you cannot hit the ball out of the air while you’re touching it. Its lines belong to it, so standing on the kitchen line counts as being in the kitchen.

The service courts. The centerline splits each side into a right and a left service court. “Right” and “left” always mean as you face the net, which is why the top team’s right is on the left of the drawing. Serves always travel diagonally, right to right or left to left.

The baseline. The server stands behind it. Your feet must not touch the baseline or the court when you hit the serve.

In or out?

A ball is in if it touches the line, even by a sliver. What counts is the spot where the ball meets the court, not the ball itself: seen from above, a ball can hang over the line while the spot it actually touched is just outside.

In

The mark is on the line.

In

A sliver touching the line is enough.

Out

The ball hangs over the line, but its mark doesn't touch it.

One exception: a serve that lands on the kitchen line is short, and that’s a fault. The basic rules covers it.

When in doubt, call it in. In most games you call the lines on your own side, and the rules say a ball you can’t clearly call out is in. Players are generous about it: if a little of the ball touched the line, they call it in, and so should you.

One name that is not on the rulebook

Players call the space between the kitchen line and the baseline the transition zoneTransition zoneThe area between the baseline and the kitchen line. Players moving through it are easy targets for balls hit at their feet.Glossary. It isn’t an official area and has no rules of its own, but the name tells you what it’s for: it’s the ground you cross. The best chance to win a point is at the net, standing at the kitchen line, so everyone’s goal is to get there, and the transition zone is in the way.

It’s also where you’re most exposed: the ball comes at your feet, and you have neither the time of the baseline nor the reach of the kitchen line. Getting through it safely is a big part of the Road to 4.0.