How to Play Pickleball: Step-by-Step for Beginners

To play pickleball, two or four players use solid paddles to hit a plastic ball over a net on a badminton-sized court. You serve underhand diagonally, let the ball bounce once on each side, then volley. Rally until someone faults. First to 11 points (win by 2) takes the game.

That is the whole sport in a nutshell. The rest of this guide walks you through the gear, the court, scoring, and how to survive your very first game without feeling lost.

What is pickleball, and why is it so easy to start?

Pickleball blends tennis, badminton and table tennis. The court is small, the ball is slow, and the underhand serve is gentle, so beginners can hold a real rally within minutes, not weeks. It is low-impact on the knees, social by design, and works perfectly indoors, which matters in Singapore’s heat and afternoon thunderstorms. That mix is why courts have multiplied across community centres, ActiveSG halls and dedicated venues island-wide.

What equipment do you need to play pickleball?

You need very little to get going. Most beginners borrow or rent gear for their first session before buying anything.

Item	What to look for	Beginner budget (SGD)
Paddle	Light (210-250g), mid-priced graphite or composite	50-120
Ball	Indoor balls (26 larger holes); outdoor balls are harder	5-15 per pack
Shoes	Court/indoor shoes with grip and lateral support	60-150
Clothing	Light, breathable activewear	Use what you have

Indoor and outdoor balls differ: indoor balls are softer with bigger holes and fly slower, while outdoor balls are heavier and faster to cut through wind. Since most Singapore play is indoors, start with indoor balls. A wooden paddle is fine for a one-off try, but a light composite paddle gives far better control once you commit.

Understanding the court and the “kitchen”

A pickleball court is 13.4m x 6.1m, the same footprint as a doubles badminton court. The net sits at 0.86m in the middle. The most important feature for beginners is the 2.13m zone on each side of the net called the non-volley zone, almost always nicknamed the kitchen.

The rule: you cannot hit the ball out of the air (a volley) while standing in the kitchen or touching its line. You may step in to play a ball that has already bounced, but you must exit before volleying again. Respecting the kitchen is the single biggest thing that separates a beginner who “gets it” from one who keeps faulting.

How to serve in pickleball

The serve sets up every point, and it has a few firm rules:

1. Stand behind the baseline, on the right side for the first serve of a game.
2. Hit the ball underhand, with contact below your waist (navel height).
3. Serve diagonally into the opposite service court, clearing the kitchen.
4. The serve must land in the diagonal box (lines are in) to count.
5. Only the serving side can score points.

You get one serve attempt per point (no second serve like tennis). If you miss, the serve passes to your partner or the other team.

The double-bounce rule (the one beginners forget)

After the serve, the ball must bounce once on the receiver’s side, and then once again on the server’s side, before anyone is allowed to volley. In plain terms: the serve bounces, the return bounces, and only then can players start hitting the ball out of the air.

This double-bounce rule exists to stop the serving team from rushing the net and smashing. Learn it early. Forgetting it is the most common beginner fault, and it instantly hands the rally to the other side.

How does scoring work?

Scoring trips up almost every new player, so go slow here.

• Games are played to 11 points and you must win by 2.
• You only score when your side is serving. Win a rally on serve, you get a point; lose it, you lose the serve (a “side out”) but not a point.
• In doubles, the score is called as three numbers: your team’s score, the other team’s score, then the server number (1 or 2). For example, “4-2-1” means your team has 4, theirs has 2, and you are the first server.
• At the very start of a game, the first serving team only gets one server before a side out. After that, both partners serve before it switches.

It feels fiddly written down. After three or four games it becomes automatic. Tournament and competitive games sometimes go to 15 or 21, and some social groups use “rally scoring” where every rally scores; for a full breakdown, see our companion guide on the rules of pickleball.

Your first game: a simple step-by-step

1. Warm up your shoulders, wrists and ankles. The lateral movement catches cold muscles out.
2. Pick doubles. With four players the court is covered and rallies last longer, which is more fun and less tiring.
3. Dink, don’t smash. Aim for soft, controlled shots over the net rather than power. Control wins beginner games.
4. Let it bounce. When in doubt early in a rally, let the ball bounce. It keeps you legal under the double-bounce rule.
5. Get to the kitchen line. Once the ball is in play, move up to just behind the kitchen line, where most points are won.
6. Call the score before every serve. Saying it out loud keeps everyone honest and helps you learn faster.

First-game tips that actually help

Keep your paddle up and in front of you between shots, so you are always ready. Communicate with your partner with simple calls like “mine,” “yours” and “out.” Aim returns deep to push opponents back, then come forward yourself. And do not chase power early; consistency beats winners when you are learning.

Most beginners are genuinely rallying within their first hour. Indoor, air-conditioned courts make that learning curve gentler in Singapore’s climate, and multi-sport venues like Super Arena in Clementi offer dedicated pickleball courts where you can book a slot, rent a paddle and just start playing.

Once the basics feel comfortable, the natural next step is learning the finer rules, footwork and shot selection that turn a casual hitter into a confident player.