Pickleball, a sport enjoyed by many for its accessibility and social nature, becomes even more dynamic and strategic when played in doubles. Understanding the rules governing the serve in doubles pickleball is fundamental to competitive play. This guide breaks down the essential serving rules, ensuring you have a solid foundation for your doubles pickleball games.
The Foundational Serve Rules in Pickleball
In both singles and doubles pickleball, the serve initiates each point and must adhere to specific guidelines. These rules are designed to ensure fair play and prevent the serving team from gaining an undue advantage right from the start. Here are the key aspects of a legal pickleball serve:
- Underhand Delivery: All serves, whether a volley serve or a drop serve, must be executed with an underhand motion. This means that when you strike the ball with your paddle, contact must be made below your waistline, specifically at navel level or lower.
- Paddle Contact Zone: The paddle must make contact with the ball in the underhand motion. This reinforces the underhand nature of the serve and prevents any overhand or tennis-style serves.
- Foot Placement: At the moment you initiate the serve, at least one foot must be positioned behind the baseline. Crucially, neither foot can touch the baseline or the court itself until after the paddle has made contact with the ball. This rule prevents servers from gaining court position advantage before the ball is in play.
- Diagonal Placement: The serve must be directed diagonally across the court, landing within the boundaries of the service box that is diagonally opposite to the server. A serve that lands outside these lines or in the incorrect service box is deemed a fault.
- Single Serve Attempt: In pickleball, you only get one serve attempt per point. However, ‘let’ serves, where the ball touches the net on the serve but still lands legally in the service box, are permitted and are replayed.
Decoding the Doubles Service Sequence
Doubles pickleball introduces a unique serving sequence that differentiates it from singles. Understanding this sequence is vital for smooth gameplay and knowing when each player gets to serve.
- First Server Advantage (Except Initial Serve): In doubles, both players on a team get the chance to serve and score points before a fault leads to a side out, transferring the serve to the opposing team. The only exception to this is at the very start of each game.
- Right-Hand Court Start: The first serve at the beginning of each side out always originates from the right-hand service court.
- Switching Sides on Points: If the serving team scores a point, the server and their partner switch positions. The same server then serves again, but this time from the left-hand service court. This pattern of switching sides after each point continues as long as the serving team keeps scoring.
- Server Rotation After Fault: If the first server commits a fault and loses the serve, the service doesn’t immediately go to the opposing team. Instead, the serve passes to their partner. The second server then serves from their correct position on the court.
- Side Out to Opponents: Only after the second server on a team also commits a fault does a ‘side out’ occur. This means the serve then goes to the opposing team. When the serve goes to the opposing team, the player in the right-hand court will always be the first server for their team.
- Limited First Serve at Game Start: For the very first serve of each new game, there’s a slight modification. Only one player from the starting serving team gets to serve before a fault occurs, after which the serve passes to the receiving team. This rule is in place to slightly balance the game’s start.
Scoring System and Server Positioning
Pickleball scoring is unique and directly linked to serving and server positioning, particularly in doubles.
- Serving Team Scores Only: Points can only be scored by the serving team. If the receiving team wins the rally, they win the serve (side out), but they do not score a point.
- Games to 11, Win by 2: Pickleball games are typically played to 11 points, and a team must win by at least two points. This ensures that close games continue until there is a clear two-point lead. In some matches, especially in tournaments, you might encounter games to 15 or 21, also win by 2.
- Server Position Based on Score: The position of the first server of a team is dictated by the serving team’s score. When the serving team’s score is an even number (0, 2, 4, etc.), the player who was the first server for that team at the beginning of the game will be positioned in the right-side court when serving or receiving. Conversely, when the score is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, etc.), that same player will be in the left-side court. This positioning rule helps players keep track of who should be serving and from where.
The Double-Bounce Rule and Serve Reception Strategy
The double-bounce rule significantly influences the dynamics of pickleball, especially in doubles, affecting how serves are received and returned.
- Mandatory Bounces on Serve and Return: When a serve is delivered, the receiving team must allow the ball to bounce once on their side of the court before hitting it back. Similarly, after the receiving team returns the ball, the serving team must also let it bounce once before they can play their shot. Hence the term ‘double-bounce rule’.
- Volleying After Double Bounce: Once the ball has bounced once on each side of the net after the serve, the double-bounce rule is lifted. From this point onward in the rally, players can choose to either volley the ball (hit it in the air before it bounces) or hit it after a bounce (groundstroke).
- Neutralizing Serve Advantages: The double-bounce rule is crucial as it effectively eliminates the serve-and-volley tactic that is common in sports like tennis. By forcing both the receiving and serving teams to let the initial shots bounce, it encourages longer rallies and more strategic play from the baseline, particularly in doubles pickleball.
Non-Volley Zone and Serve Placement
The non-volley zone, often called “the kitchen,” is the court area extending 7 feet from the net on both sides. It has specific rules that affect play, especially around the serve and subsequent shots in doubles.
- No Volleying in the Kitchen: Players are prohibited from volleying the ball while they are within the non-volley zone. This rule prevents players from dominating the net and hitting unreturnable smashes from close range.
- Faults Related to Non-Volley Zone: It’s a fault if a player volleys a ball and steps on the non-volley zone line or into the zone itself during the volley. It’s also a fault if a player’s momentum from volleying causes them or anything they are wearing or carrying to touch the non-volley zone, even after the volley is completed.
- Legal Presence in the Kitchen (Except During Volley): Players can be inside the non-volley zone at any time, except when they are volleying a ball. This means you can enter the kitchen to hit a ball that has bounced inside it.
- Strategic Serve Placement: Understanding the non-volley zone is important for serve strategy in doubles. A well-placed serve can force the receiving team to hit a weaker return, possibly landing short in the kitchen, setting up opportunities for the serving team on the subsequent shots.
By mastering these serving rules and understanding their implications for doubles play, you’ll enhance your pickleball game and play with confidence and strategic awareness.
