Are you just starting your pickleball journey?

Things can be confusing for new players. Like most sports, pickleball has its own lingo. Sometimes, it may seem like other players are speaking an entirely different language!

You can memorize the rule book front to back, but many new pickleball players struggle to remember pickleball vocabulary in the middle of intense matches. Moreover, many common terms aren’t part of the official book.

Don’t fret! Pickle Goddesses is on the case!

We’ve gathered as many must-know pickleball terms as we could and put them into this blog post. Keep scrolling to learn more and decode the strange world of pickleball!

9 Basic Pickleball Terms to Know

Let’s start with the basics.

Think of these as your guide to basic pickleball speak. These are your ABCs. They’re simple to explain and easy to understand, so we won’t take too much time elaborating!

1. Dink Shot

When a ball is hit softly, it often results in a dink shot. The ball flies low, barely clearing the net, before dropping quickly in the non-volley zone. Under USA Pickleball guidelines, both straight and cross-court dinks are valid plays.

2. Double-Bounce Rule

Not to be confused with the similarly-named two-bounce rule, a double-bounce (and its namesake rule) is one of many ways to receive a fault. Double-bounces happen when the ball bounces twice on one side of the court.

3. Faults

Speaking of faults…

A fault isn’t about blame. In pickleball, a fault is any action that interrupts continuous play.

Faults are most usually called when there’s a rule violation. Double bounces, improper serves, and out-of-court balls are common examples of pickleball faults.

4. Game

It may seem silly to define a “game,” but we want to ensure everyone is on the same page!

Pickleball is often played in sets. Players compete to reach 11, 15, or 21 points with a two-point lead. Each of these competitions is known as a rally. In formal play, competitors strive to win two of three rallies. The result — either two or three rallies — is considered a game.

5. Service Sequence

Also known as the serving order, the service sequence is pickleball’s predetermined way of choosing which of a team’s two players hits the serve. It’s one of pickleball’s more complex concepts, so we recommend doing some reading to understand the specifics.

6. Shot

Neither a blast nor a small drink, a pickleball shot is another way of saying “hit.” A legal shot occurs when the ball passes over the net.

The first shot of a game is the serving hit. When the defending team returns the serve, that’s the second shot.

7. Two-Bounce Rule

Not to be confused with a double-bounce, the two-bounce rule removes some of the advantages of being the serving team. According to the two-bounce rules, players must wait until the third shot of a rally before volleying the ball.

In more specific terms, the ball must bounce at least twice — once on the defending side and once on the serving side.

8. Volley Shot

A volley shot is often shortened to “volley.” These occur whenever a player hits the ball from the air before it bounces. Another way to think about a volley is as a midair shot.

As we just established, players cannot volley the ball before the third shot of a rally. Likewise, players cannot volley the ball within the non-volley zone.

9. Understanding the Pickleball Court

Finally, we want to do a quick recap of the pickleball court. We suggest referring to our handy diagram for this portion of our digital pickleball dictionary.

The Baseline

At the far end of both sides of a pickleball court, there are baselines. These lines mark the furthest edge from the net.

When serving, players must stand behind the baseline. Official rules demand both feet behind the baseline. However, casual players may allow one foot ahead of the line. Failing to meet this requirement results in a “foot fault” and a service change.

The Service Court

There are four service areas on a pickleball court.

A single service court is 15 feet long and 10 feet deep. Each side of the court has two side-by-side service courts. Until the third shot, all shots must bounce once (or twice in wheelchair pickleball) within each side’s service area.

At the far end of each service court is the baseline, which marks the furthest edge of the legal playing field.

The Non-Volley Zones

The non-volley zone (or kitchen) is between the paired service areas and the net. There are two adjoining non-volley zones straddling the net on every pickleball court.

The non-volley zone (NVZ) spans the full width of a court. A single NVZ is seven feet long, and both NVZs span 14 continuous feet of the court. Those drop-shot volley hits should land in this area.

As its name implies, players cannot volley within this area.

4 Pickleball Tournament Terms

Next, let’s look at some rule book definitions.

These terms are more complex than our first set, so read the definitions carefully! Anything in this section is essential knowledge if you’re judging your own game. You’ll also hear these terms from referees during tournament play.

Think of these entries as “rule terms.” They’re pickleball terms that impact your ability to call faults against the opposing team, so don’t forget them!

1. Dead Ball

A dead ball immediately occurs whenever a fault is called. They’re not active parts of the game anymore, so don’t run to hit them back! Most dead balls come from faults. However, any ball that hits a permanent part of the court (including fences, lighting, posts, or walls) after bouncing is also considered dead.

As most dead balls are part of a technical foul, there’s no need to return them by hitting them as if they’re in play. You can carry, toss, or hit the ball to the opposing team if it’s still their turn to serve.

2. Foot Fault

The foot fault is defined on page 26 of the USA Pickleball rulebook. It’s a broad statement encompassing all possible foot placement violations during a serve.

To better understand the concept, let’s quickly review pickleball’s serving rules. Or, rather, let’s take a closer look at the rules for foot placement. When playing pickleball, the appropriate player on the serving team must:

• Be in the appropriate service court. When the score is odd, players stand on the left. Even scores — including zero points — are served from the right.
• Remain behind the baseline. We mentioned it earlier, but let’s say it again! In official play — including every championship match you’ll see — both feet must be behind the baseline. Not even a toenail can cross that line!
• Remain within court boundaries. It may seem silly, but it’s worth stating. You can’t serve from the sidelines. You can stack, but only the non-serving partner can stand on the side of the court. The server cannot cross the imaginary extension of the sideline.

Breaking any of these rules constitutes a foot fault.

3. Groundstroke

A groundstroke shot happens whenever a shot bounces before being returned.

The two-bounce rule requires each side of the court to perform at least one valid groundstroke shot per rally before volleying. Similarly, the first groundstroke on the receiving side must be diagonally opposite the server.

4. Hinder

A “hinder” call means that something has interrupted the game. While a valid hindrance is not a fault, it still results in a dead ball. Hindrances also pause the game. This break continues until the hindrance is addressed.

Common examples of hindrances include insects, injuries, and stray balls. In non-tournament play, players often allow a replay after a valid hindrance is called.

4 Tactical Pickleball Terms

Our last group of pickleball terms focuses on the strategic side of the game.

It may be fun, but pickleball is all about tactical choices. Even an inexperienced team can beat a poorly organized pro.

While you may believe you can call these concepts whatever you’d like, knowing the proper words helps you communicate your goals with others. This is great for mixed-skill level matches or whenever your usual partner can’t play.

1. Body Shot

It may sound like a foul play, but a body shot is a valid pickleball shot. These happen when a player hits the ball so that it flies toward the lower portions of another player’s body. You obviously cannot aim for the face, so most body shots are focused around the torso. Hips, shoulders, and stomachs are perfect spots to aim these low and powerful shots.

Being hit by these balls can be a real blow to your ego. In pickleball, players often refer to being hit by the ball as being “tagged” or getting smacked by a “body bag.”

2. Drop Shot

A drop shot occurs when a player hits a deep-court ball to the opponent’s non-volley zone.

The best drop shots rely on gentle touches and finesse. They’re less about power and more about absorbing the ball’s energy. In most cases, drop shots are used to counteract volley hitting. Their frequent use is synonymous with the third-shot drop, wherein a team launches a strategic attack on that critical third shot.

And don’t confuse a drop shot with a drop serve. Both are similarly named, but they’re entirely different concepts.

3. Flick Shot

A flick shot is a trick shot. It’s an offensive play that imparts speed, spin, and energy on the pickleball ball.

Flick shots can be done backhand or forehand. Either way, they counteract the otherwise slow and tactical nature of a non-volley zone dink-off.

4. No Man’s Land

Pickleball’s colloquial no man’s land isn’t a battlefield or a trench; it’s the cavernous gulf between the “deep court” and the non-volley zone. Some players also call this region the transition zone, as it forces players to move from the dink shot to their more potent volleys and slams.

Although its name may be ominous, you shouldn’t fear it! This region is the perfect spot for unattackable shots. You’ve probably found yourself there before, especially after an unexpectedly short volley shot. It’s where many a midair pickleball shot falls short, too.

Players often neglect this portion of the court. They’re always focused on that short dinking game or cross-court banging. However, using this otherwise underutilized playing space is the perfect way to force a technical foul.

4 Pickleball Faults You May Not Think About

Now, you may think this would be the end of the blog post.

Nope! We have one more surprise!

While these ideas aren’t technically pickleball terms, they’re worth adding to your pickleball knowledge. Aside from being fun trivia, these otherwise uncommon faults may earn you some points in your next game.

(If you want to learn even more about faults, check out section seven of the USA Pickleball guide!)

1. Dropping the Ball — Literally!

In non-officiated play, a pickleball player can carry additional balls onto the court. They can be stored in a player’s pockets or transported with a pouch or pickleball bag. But keep an eye on those spares!

If any of those spare pickleballs fall onto the court after any players have started hitting the ball, it’s a fault!

It makes sense, too. Errant pickleball balls are round and slippery. Stepping on one can result in twisted ankles — or worse! Thus, monitoring where that extra equipment goes is in everyone’s interest.

2. Watch the Wrists

Did you (or the opposing team) flub a shot? It’s part of the learning curve, but it’s also a potential fault.

The official rules of pickleball state that the pickleball cannot contact any part of the player’s body above their wrists.

Hands and wrists are fine. And — obviously — the ball can contact the pickleball paddle. However, everything else is off-limits. Notably, this includes any clothing a pickleball player is wearing. A ball contacting the bill of a player’s cap is synonymous with contacting their head. A ball that hits someone’s jacket is the same as a ball hitting their chest.

Failing to heed such rules is a fault upon the player hitting the ball.

3. Don’t Dink Around the Post

While the net is an obvious boundary, the equipment supporting that net is also off-limits.

Hitting the ball into the net’s support posts is as bad as slapping it into the net. Otherwise, players might start aiming around the post. Players would then dive to return the ball and likely smash headfirst into those metal posts. Ouch!

Generally, it’s best to let any shots heading for the regions around the post fall out of bounds. You’ll save yourself from a literal headache!

4. Check Those Fits

Finally, there’s a reason for tight-fitting athletic wear. Yes, it keeps you cool and looks great. It also reduces fault risks. How?

Well, remember what we said about clothing counting against a player?

That rule remains the same across the board. Anything you wear counts against you when serving, returning, and dinking! Just as the pickleball paddle is considered an extension of a player’s arm, so, too, are their clothes.

So, if your baggy overcoat grazes the net, you’ve committed a fault. Did your shoelace ring against the metal net post? That’s a fault. Was the left hem of your cargo shorts slightly beyond the baseline when serving? You guessed it! That’s a fault!

Learn More About Pickleball

That’s all for today’s post, but there’s more to learn!

Follow along with Pickle Goddesses as we spread the joy of pickleball to women across the world! Check our blog for more pickleball terms, tricks, and tips. We even keep readers in the ready position with regular pickleball news updates.

Did this post help you understand the game? We hope so! We also hope you share this post to get more people talking about America’s fastest-growing sport.