The court, in plain terms

A pickleball court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long — the same footprint as a doubles badminton court — divided by a net that sits 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches at the center. Painted lines mark two service courts on each side plus a 7-foot zone on either side of the net called the non-volley zone, better known as "the kitchen." That's the entire court; there's no deuce court/ad court distinction like tennis, which is part of why pickleball is so approachable for new players.

The non-volley zone ("the kitchen")

This is the rule that catches almost every beginner at least once. You cannot volley the ball (hit it out of the air without a bounce) while any part of your body, paddle, or momentum carries you into the kitchen. You're allowed to stand in the kitchen and hit the ball after it bounces — the restriction is only on volleying. Step in to volley, or step in immediately after volleying before the ball bounces, and it's a fault, even if only your shoelace touched the line.

Serving basics

Serves must be underhand, contact must occur below the waist, and the paddle head must stay below the wrist at contact. The serve is hit diagonally into the opposite service court, and only one serve attempt is allowed — there's no let-and-replay for a serve that clips the net and lands in, unlike tennis.

Scoring

Traditional pickleball uses side-out scoring: only the serving team can score a point. Games are typically played to 11, win by 2. In doubles, each player on the serving team gets a service turn (except at the very start of the game) before the serve passes to the opposing team, so you'll hear scores called as three numbers — serving team's score, receiving team's score, and server number (1 or 2).

Why eye protection matters from game one

New players stand closer to the net than they should, react late to dinks, and misjudge how fast a ball comes off a paddle at close range — exactly the conditions that cause eye injuries. Unlike tennis, where players are usually 60+ feet apart, doubles pickleball regularly puts four players within a few feet of each other at the net. Getting into the habit of wearing ANSI/ASTM-rated eyewear before you need it is far easier than relearning the habit after a scare.