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Intramural Game Rules


Pickleball Overview and Rules
Pickleball is similar to the games of badminton and tennis. A game commonly consists of four
players
–
two players on each team. The teams aim to score points while rallying the ball using
wooden paddles.
The rules are as follows:
Serve
:
The ball is served underhand without bouncing it off the court and
is served diagonally to the opponent's service court.
The receiver is the only player who may return the ball. If the wrong
player returns the ball, it is a point for the serving team.
The serve must be made so that contact with the ball is made below waist
level.
The service always starts in the right-hand court and alternates from
right to left to right, etc., as long as server holds serve.
Served balls that clear the non-volley line and land on any other service
court line are good.
The serve is a let and will be replayed if it touches the net, strap, or
band, and is otherwise good and lands in the service court. There is no
limit to the number of lets a server may serve.
Double Bounce Rule
: Both the serve and the service return must bounce before a player can
strike the ball. After these two initial shots, a player is allowed to hit any of his following shots
before the ball bounces on their side of the court if he chooses to do so.
Non-Volley Zone:
The non-volley zone is a small portion of the court located on both sides adjacent to the
net.
A player cannot volley a ball while standing within the non-volley zone.
A fault will be declared if, in the act of volleying the ball, a player or anything the player
is wearing or carrying touches the non-volley zone or touches any non-volley line.
Balls in play that land on any court line are good.
The ball may only bounce once on one side of the court before it is played
Double hits are not allowed. A double hit occurs when one team hits the ball twice before it
is returned over the net. Double hits may occur by one player or could involve both players
on a team.
Scoring
:
Only the serving team can score points.
Points are scored by legally serving an ace or by winning the rally.
The first side scoring 11 points and leading by at least a 2-point margin
wins. For example, if both sides are tied at 10 points, then play
continues until one side wins by 2 points.