Pickleball Serve Rules and the Two-Bounce Rule

Where to serve from

Stand behind the baseline, between the imaginary extensions of the centerline and the sideline on the side you’re serving from. When you hit the ball, at least one foot must be on the ground behind the baseline, and neither foot may touch the baseline, the court, or the area outside those extensions. Breaking that is a foot fault.

Which side you serve from depends on the score; see how pickleball scoring works.

Where it has to land

Serve diagonally, crosscourt, into the opposite service court. The ball has to clear the kitchen. A serve that lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line is a fault. Any other line is in: a serve on the baseline, sideline or centerline of the right service court is good.

There are no lets. If the serve clips the net and lands in the right court, it’s in play. If it hits the net post, it’s a fault.

One try, within 10 seconds

You get one serve attempt. After the score is called, you have 10 seconds to serve.

Two ways to serve

The volley serve is hit out of the air. Three things must be clearly true when the paddle meets the ball:

1. The paddle is moving in an upward arc.
2. The top of the paddle head is below your wrist.
3. The ball is below your waist.

The drop serve is dropped and hit after it bounces. Drop it from a natural height, without throwing or pushing it down, and it can bounce as many times as you like, anywhere. The three volley-serve conditions don’t apply.

Spin

You can’t add spin with your hand when you release the ball. Since 2026, spin that comes from the paddle at contact is allowed. If the receiver thinks the ball was spun at release, they can ask for a replay before returning it.

The two-bounce rule

The first two shots of every rally must bounce:

1. The serve bounces before the receiver returns it.
2. The return bounces before the serving side hits it.

After that, either side may volley or play off the bounce. Volleying the serve, or volleying the return, is a fault.

The rule is why the serving side starts back at the baseline instead of rushing the net, and why the receiving side’s partner can stand at the kitchen line from the start. It’s also what makes the “third shot drop” the most talked-about shot in the game: it’s the serving side’s first chance to get to the net.