While the basics of pickleball may be easy to learn, some parts of the game can be confusing. One of these elements is the service sequence dictating the flow of every match. To outsiders, servers in pickleball are decided at random. It’s difficult to see the pattern, especially when you’re watching high-octane professional games!

Fortunately, we’re ready to break these rules into bite-sized pieces.

So, get ready to learn more about the serving rules for pickleball! Keep scrolling to learn more and see how your serving position relates to your team’s score.

Understanding the Service Sequence and Score

We’ll start with calling the score.

In singles, you know who’s serving. Similarly, you know the score; it’s “1 to 3” or “5 to 4.”

However, things get a bit more complicated when you’re tackling a doubles match.

In a doubles game, players call the score with three sequential numbers. For example, the score might be “3, 1, 2” or — at the beginning of a match — “0, 0, 2.” Why?

Let’s break that into individual parts: A, B, and C:

• The first number — A — is the serving team’s score.
• The second — B — is the receiving team’s score.
• Finally, the third number — C — is the server number. This will always be a 1 or 2.

You may have noticed this already, but the third number is omitted when calling the score in a singles game. You don’t need it, after all! You’re the only person capable of serving on your team. So, unless you’re playing with ghosts, you don’t need to clarify who’s serving.

What Is the Server Number?

Parts A and B are easy to understand. It’s that third number that really trips people up!

In a doubles match, you don’t want one person hogging all the fun. Similarly, the receiving team won’t want to play against a serving fiend the entire game! So, to rectify the situation, players take turns serving. (We’ll dig deeper into this topic in a moment!)

However, many pickleball players can attest to getting caught in the energy of the game. It’s easy to lose track of who’s serving in the midst of a tense match. So, that third number — the server number — helps us keep track. You’ll never have more than 2 servers (unless you’re playing a new, crazy form of pickleball…), so this number is always 1 or 2.

Assuming you’re the first server of a game, you’re “Server 2.” This means the ball passes to the other team when a fault occurs. When the ball returns to your team, it goes to your partner, “Server 1.” Thus, they’ll call the score as “A, B, 1.” When your team commits a fault, the ball returns to you. Likewise, your score announcement will be “A, B, 2.”

What to Know About Serving in Pickleball

Awesome!

We know how to call the score. Now, let’s look at 4 basic rules for serving.

Many of these rules apply to everyone, regardless of whether you’re playing doubles or volleying singles! We’ll highlight any rules that only apply to one style of gameplay. So, with that in mind, let’s get started!

The first rule is simple, so we won’t count it as a unique entry!

The 10-second rule — as its name implies — gives servers 10 seconds to perform a successful serve after calling the score. During this time, servers may repeatedly toss or drop the ball.

1. Service Begins on the Right

Let’s start where every match begins: the first rally.

The first serve of a game will always be from the serving team’s right service court. That means the chosen server must stand to the right of their team’s centerline. Likewise, when serving rights pass to the opposing team, they must also serve from the right service court.

Moreover, because serves must land in the diagonally opposing service court, these initial hits will always move between each team’s right service courts.

Many officiated matches have approved armbands, shirts, or flags for the first server to wear when playing doubles, and players must wear these signifiers (per § 5.A.3).

2. Alternate Serving Positions

Secondly, pickleball utilizes alternating serving positions. This rule is also why the left and right service courts are sometimes called, respectively, the “odd” and “even” service courts.

As we’ve established, the first server always serves from the right. Should they score a point during this rally, they’ll move to the left service court for their next serve. And upon scoring another point, they return to the right service court.

You do not swap sides if you do not earn a point.

So, let’s assume you’re the first server, and — unfortunately — your first rally ended with a fault against your team. When the ball returns to your team, your partner must serve from the right side of the court. Conversely, if your first serve earned a point, you’d swap with your partner and serve from the left (or “odd”) service court.

A simpler way to explain this is found in USA Pickleball’s rulebook. (If you want the specifics, you’ll find these rules under section 4.B.6.b.) When the score is odd, players serve from the left (the “odd” service court). Conversely, even scores are served from the right (“even”) service court (with 0 considered an even score).

In singles, players only need to move to the opposite side of the court. In doubles, the server swaps places with their partner.

3. Know Where to Stand

Servers must stand at or behind the baseline and on the appropriate side of the court. Officially, both feet must be behind or at the baseline. (Some casual players accept stances with one foot at or crossing the baseline.) Servers have plenty of lateral movement, though; anywhere between the centerline and the server’s respective sideline is an acceptable serving spot.

In officiated play, serves must be visible to the opposing team and the tournament operations personnel. This is sometimes enforced in casual play, although it is considered grounds for a replay rather than an outright fault.

4. Know When a Fault Occurs

Obviously, violating any of these rules is grounds for a fault. Once called, a fault results in a dead ball, which should not be hit or volleyed. (Doing so is, itself, a fault!) However, there are many other reasons for a failed service attempt.

The simplest line calls are botched serves, including:

• Failing to clear the net (including balls that go under the net)
• Hitting the served ball outside of the court (e.g., beyond the sidelines or baselines)
• Hitting to the wrong service court (e.g., the serving team hits from the right, and the ball lands on the opposing team’s left court) or the non-volley zone (defined as anywhere between a respective team’s side of the net and the non-volley zone line)
• Incorrect form (more on that in a moment!)
• The incorrect player serves
• The server serves from the wrong side of the court

However, some technical faults can nullify your otherwise perfect serve! Now, some of these rules may sound silly, but they’re all meant to keep players safe. Nobody wants to get hurt at a pickleball game, so keep an eye out for these serving faux pas:

• The ball hits any part of the server or the server’s partner (including clothing, worn items, and — in wheelchair pickleball — any part of a wheelchair)
• The served ball contacts any “permanent object” (defined in § 3.A.24 as “anything at or near the court,” including ceilings, fences, fixtures, furniture, gates, lighting, walls, and — humorously enough — both referees and spectators)

Should any of these faults occur, either the players or the referee must make a line call. This will immediately stop play, and the serve passes to the server’s partner or the opposing team.

How to Serve in Pickleball

Remember what we said about a player’s serving form? It’s time to build on that!

In a pickleball game, there are two legal serves: drop serves and volley serves. While we don’t have time to do an in-depth examination of these maneuvers, we have plenty of time to cover the basics!

Rules for Both Serving Styles

First, let’s get some general rules out of the way.

These regulations apply to both drop and volley serves. Naturally, should any of these rules be broken, the offending team commits a fault, and the serve passes to the next player.

In addition to what we’ve already discussed (namely, position and sequence), serves must also meet the following criteria:

• No intentional spin is allowed (as of 2022).
• The ball must be dropped from one hand, although using the face of the paddle is an acceptable alternative (§ 4.A.5).
• The server’s arm must move in an “upward arc” (no baseball- or volleyball-style serves in a pickleball game).
• The serve attempt must come after calling the score. The server’s team commits a fault if the server serves before or while calling the score (§ 4.M.11).

What Are the Rules for Drop Serves?

The drop serve is a beginner-friendly serving style.

They’re easy to learn and simple to replicate, making them the perfect tool for burgeoning pickleball players. Simply drop the ball and wait for it to bounce off the playing surface (per the “one bounce rule”) before hitting it!

Of course, there are still rules, namely:

• A server’s natural reach (as in “how far you can stretch your arm above your head”) is the maximum drop height for all drop serves (§ 4.A.8.a).
• Servers cannot impart additional force when dropping the ball. Throwing the ball and propelling it off the pickleball paddle are exclusively discouraged and considered a foul against the offending team (§ 4.A.8.b).
• The initial bounce cannot exceed the height of a server’s navel. However, pickleballs aren’t very bouncy! We’ll be really impressed if you somehow manage to achieve this.

After calling the score, a server can drop the ball as many times as they can within that 10-second window. However, failing to make a serve attempt counts as a fault against the serving team.

What Are the Rules for a Volley Serve?

The more advanced serving style is known as a volley serve. It’s the preferred style for most professional pickleball players. Unlike the drop serve, a volley serve hits the ball before it bounces off the playing surface.

Nonetheless, the process is similar. In a volley serve, servers drop the ball and hit it near-immediately. As such, you’ll usually get only one serve attempt.

A proper volley serve meets the following requirements:

• The highest point of contact must be a player’s wrist. This means that hitting the ball from the side — as one would a baseball — is a fault. Similarly, the serving team commits a fault if the server serves with an overhanded volleyball-like hit (§ 4.A.7.b).
• The initial point of contact must be below the server’s waist (§ 4.A.7.c). Some players consider the belly button the cutoff for a legal volley serve.

Again, failing to meet all these requirements is a fault, and the server loses their right to serve.

How to Know Who’s Serving (When Playing Doubles)

Mastering either serving style requires patience and practice. However, many players quickly find their groove! Once you’ve mastered the art of serving, it’s time to understand the proper sequence of a pickleball game.

Now, this can be a complicated topic. We’ve found that having a visual makes it easier to understand the process. So, we’ve set up a hypothetical doubles game. Alice and Rose are Team A. The opposing team, B, is Jane and Cindy. The players are positioned as follows:

The First Server Exception

For the first rallies, only Rose and Jane will serve.

This is known as the “First Server Exception.” As we’ve established, both Rose and Jane will be the second server for their respective team’s side.

If Rose scores a point, she and Alice swap places. Then, Rose can make a second service attempt from the left service court. However, should she fail to score points, Jane gets to serve.

Similarly, if Jane gets a point, she swaps with Cindy and serves from the left court.

Now… Alternate Servers

This is where things get tricky.

After the first serve, players alternate serving duty. And — going way back to the beginning of the blog post — the first server of each subsequent round becomes “Server 1.” So, after Rose and Jane have served the ball, Alice gets to serve. If she fails to score points, the ball passes back to Rose. (Hence her position as “Server 2.”)

However, players do not swap service duty after every attempt. Only a fault results in a server change.

Allow us to explain.

Let’s say neither team scored with their starting serve. Now, Alice serves from the right court and manages to hit a perfect dink. The opposing team fails to return to the served ball, and Team A scores a point — making the hypothetical score 1, 0, 1! Having scored, Alice remains the server and swaps places with Rose; her next attempt will be from the left court.

However, whenever Alice commits a fault, Rose becomes the second server. If the score is an odd number, Rose will move to the left service court. For an even score, Rose must use the right service court. Again, Rose retains serving rights until a fault occurs, at which point Cindy becomes the opposing team’s first server.

Where to Go From Here

It seems complicated, but pickleball’s serving rules are easy to understand once you play!

So, what should you know before you start playing a pickleball game? Here’s the TL;DR:

• Keep Track of Turns: Singles games are simple. In doubles, however, you must know who’s serving. Every team gets two chances to serve before the team loses a rally. The only exception to this rule is the first two rallies, which follow the first server exception.
• Know the Faults: Faults include technical calls — such as side-outs — and failed serves. For example, it’s a fault if your ball hits the net before clearing it.
• Know the Score: Players must call the score before each rally begins. Know how it’s done! Know, too, that you have ten seconds after calling the score to hit a successful serve.
• Know Where to Serve: Always serve to the appropriate service court. You want to hit to the diagonally opposing playing surface. Practice makes perfect! Consider running through some beginner’s drills to perfect your control.
• The Player Position Matters: All games start from the right service court. Afterward, alternate serving positions according to your team’s score. Even scores — including 0 — are served from the right; odd scores are served from the left.

Once you’ve mastered the art of the serve, you’ll be scoring points in no time!

And — if you’re looking for even more pickleball news and updates — be sure to check out the rest of the Pickle Goddesses blog! We’re always updating our site with tips, tricks, and guides to keep you at the top of your pickleball game.