Pickleball Singles Rules: How to Master the Court Without a Doubles Partner

So, you’ve decided to jump into pickleball singles. It’s just you, your paddle, and maybe a questionable sense of stamina facing off against your opponent. Before you storm the court like a tennis ace who wandered into the wrong sport, let’s talk about the basics that make singles pickleball its own beast—yep, you’ll cover twice the ground with half the help. In singles pickleball, you serve diagonally, only score points while serving, and play to 11 points (but you still need to win by 2) (Pickleball singles rules).

Here’s where things get interesting: you chase down every shot yourself. The score even tells you where to serve—if your score is even, serve from the right; if it’s odd, go left (Singles serving rules).

Suddenly, math class haunts you mid-game. Wild, right?

If you’re curious whether you’re a hidden pickleball prodigy or just someone who likes sprinting after plastic balls, stick around. We’ll break down what you really need to know before you serve up a storm (or at least get your steps in).

Basic Rules of Pickleball Singles

You’re out there alone—just you, a paddle, and maybe a bit of nerves—ready to take on your neighbor or whoever shows up. Here’s what you need to know so you don’t look completely lost at the first serve.

Singles is less chaotic than doubles, but don’t worry, you’ll still have plenty of chances to show off.

Overview of Pickleball Singles Rules

Singles rules are pretty straightforward. One player stands on each side of the net, trying to score by serving and keeping the ball in play.

You serve underhand (sorry, no tennis-style rockets allowed) and must send the ball into the opposite diagonal service court.

You get one serve attempt per turn. If the ball nicks the net and lands in the correct box, you get a “let” and try again.

You only score points when you serve. Games usually go to 11 points, but you need to win by 2, so don’t celebrate too soon.

Watch out for the no-volley zone, aka the “kitchen,” near the net. Step in to smash and you’ll lose the point. These pickleball singles rules keep things fair—and your toes out of trouble.

Key Differences: Singles vs Doubles

Playing singles is like being the only one doing the group project. It’s all on you—no one else to blame if things go sideways.

The court size doesn’t change, but you’re covering the whole side yourself. That means a lot more running.

You don’t have a partner to bail you out if you send a wild shot flying.

Serving rotation is more straightforward. In doubles, both teammates serve before handing over the serve. In singles, you keep serving until you lose a rally, then your opponent serves.

You switch sides only after you score a point. Always serve from the right if your score is even, and from the left if it’s odd. If you want more details, check out the pickler guide.

How to Play Pickleball Singles

Start behind the baseline and serve underhand diagonally. You have to get the ball in the correct service box—“close enough” doesn’t cut it.

The receiver lets the serve bounce before returning it. Then you let the next shot bounce too. No volleying until both bounces happen!

You score by winning rallies while serving. If you mess up, your opponent gets the serve and a shot at scoring.

Play continues until someone reaches 11 points and leads by 2.

Every time you score, switch sides of the court. If you want a workout, singles will deliver—you might even wonder why doubles exists. For a deeper dive, see this detailed guide.

Pickleball Singles Court Setup

Singles pickleball happens on a court smaller than a tennis court but still big enough to leave you winded. Knowing the court size and net height saves you from tripping over lines or serving into the wrong spot.

Court Dimensions and Layout

The pickleball court isn’t as huge as tennis (your knees might thank you). Standard size: 20 feet wide and 44 feet long. That’s true for both singles and doubles.

Each side splits into two service courts—left and right. Then there’s the non-volley zone, or “kitchen,” stretching 7 feet from the net. Step in too soon and you’ll fault.

Need a quick reference? Here’s a handy table:

Area	Length (feet)	Width (feet)
Full court	44	20
Non-volley zone	7 (from net)	20
Service court half	15	10

You’ll see baseline at both ends, sidelines on the edges, and a centerline dividing up the service courts. Think of these as helpful reminders to stay in your lane.

Net Height and Service Area

The net won’t trip you, but it does have exact measurements. It stands 36 inches high at the sidelines and drops to 34 inches in the center. That lower center lets you pull off some dramatic rallies.

You can see these specs at Pickleland’s pickleball singles rules.

When you serve, stand outside the baseline and hit diagonally into your opponent’s service court. Don’t let your foot touch the baseline or court before you hit the ball—unless you’re practicing for hopscotch, remember that rule.

Your service area is the rectangle diagonally opposite you. Miss it and your opponent gets the point (and maybe a chuckle). These simple rules keep things fair and cut down on debates about what “diagonal” means.

Serving Rules for Singles

Serving in singles has a few rules that separate beginners from seasoned players. You’ll want to know your serve types, where to stand, which direction to hit, and how a coin toss can shape your game.

Underhand and Drop Serve

You’ve got a couple of options: the classic underhand or the drop serve.

The underhand serve is the bread and butter. Keep your palm open, paddle below your waist, and swing upward. Imagine you’re tossing an invisible loaf of bread.

Drop serves are legal too. Just let the ball drop from any height, then hit it after it bounces. No throwing or spinning—just let gravity do its thing.

Both serve types keep things fair. If you’re tempted to spike, don’t—it’s a quick way to lose the point.

Mix up your serves if you want, but stick to the basics. Keep the ball in-bounds and you’ll be just fine.

Diagonal Serve and Service Sequence

Every serve needs to go diagonally, like a checkerboard move. Stand behind the baseline and aim for the opposite service box.

A good serve clears the net and lands past your opponent’s non-volley zone. If it hits the kitchen or doesn’t clear the net, it’s a fault.

You get one serve attempt. No do-overs—unless you’re already thinking about the next game.

The service sequence in singles is straightforward. Keep serving until you lose a rally. Then your opponent serves.

No teammate rotations—just focus on winning your rallies.

Serving in Pickleball Singles

When you serve, start from the right if your score is even and from the left if it’s odd.

If you have 0, 2, or 4 points, serve from the right. If you have 1, 3, or 5, serve from the left. It keeps things simple and helps you avoid confusion.

You’re the only one serving—no one else to blame if you miss.

Stay behind the baseline until you hit the ball. If your foot crosses the line early, that’s a foot fault and you lose the serve.

Review these steps before each serve to keep things smooth and avoid silly mistakes.

Coin Toss and Serve Selection

Before the match starts, you and your opponent flip a coin to decide who serves first.

If you win, you can choose to serve or receive. Want to serve? Grab your paddle and get ready. Prefer to start on defense? Let your opponent serve.

The loser of the toss picks which side to start on. This is your chance to avoid the sun in your eyes or a weird fence view.

Once you’ve settled that, just follow the usual rotation. Keep track of your serving side, and maybe cross your fingers for some coin toss luck.

Scoring in Pickleball Singles

Scoring in singles is simple, but honestly, it can feel confusing when you’re starting out. You only score points when you serve, and sometimes keeping track feels like you’re breaking some secret code.

Scoring System and Format

In pickleball singles, you play to 11 points. You have to win by 2—so no sudden death drama here.

Only the server scores. If you win a rally while serving, you grab a point. Lose the rally? Your opponent gets the serve, but not a point. There’s no second server like in doubles. It’s just you, your paddle, and maybe a little hope.

You call the score with two numbers. The first is your score (the server), and the second is your opponent’s (the receiver). If you’re serving and it’s tied, you’d say, “3-3.”

Need more details on the scoring format? Take a look at this pickleball singles rules guide.

Keeping Score in Singles

Keeping score sounds easy until you’re out of breath and forget if you’re up, down, or just plain lost.

Tips for keeping score:

• Call the score out loud before every serve.
• Only the server’s score goes up after a point.
• Switch sides after each game—and after the first player hits 6 points in an 11-point match.

There’s no server number in singles, so your score always goes server score – receiver score, like “7-5.” Only the server can win a point, so don’t celebrate if you win a rally on your opponent’s serve. You just earned the right to serve, not a point.

For more on tracking scores, check out this resource on singles pickleball scoring and positioning.

Jot your score down if you need to, or invent a cheer to help you remember. That’s legal. Probably.

Player Positioning and Movement

Getting yourself in the right spot isn’t just for show—it actually helps you win and saves energy.

Singles pickleball makes you cover a lot more ground. Smart positioning and good movement matter a lot.

Court Coverage Strategies

In singles, it’s just you and your paddle against a pretty big court. You need to plan your steps, not just run wild.

Try to stay near the centerline after each shot. This gives you better reach to both sides and cuts down your opponent’s angles.

Use a “ready position” after every hit—feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, paddle up like you’re waiting for a flying pickle (don’t ask). Recover to the middle quickly if you don’t want to look like you’re chasing your own shadow.

Move forward to the non-volley zone as soon as you can. You want to control the net, since finishing shots is way easier up there.

But if you get lobbed, hustle back—don’t just wave your paddle and hope for the best.

Court Positioning Tips

Always serve and return from behind or on the baseline. Don’t step on or over the line until after you hit the ball—unless you like giving away points.

Pickleball singles rules say at least one foot must stay behind the baseline during a serve. This rule helps you dodge those annoying foot faults.

After your serve or return, move up to the center of the court. Hanging out in no-man’s-land (the area between the baseline and the kitchen) is usually a bad idea—unless you want to play dodgeball with a pickleball.

Once you get to the kitchen line, stay light on your feet for quick changes in direction.

If your opponent’s at the back of their court, move in closer to put the pressure on. If they’re at the net, hang back a bit to defend against those fast volleys.

Movement Techniques

Pickleball footwork probably won’t win you a dance trophy, but it can win you points. Stay low, keep your weight on the balls of your feet, and shuffle—don’t cross your feet.

This way, you’re ready to spring sideways without tripping or ending up in a heap.

After you hit, recover to a balanced stance in the middle—not leaning anywhere. Quick, small steps help you stay in control instead of making big, clumsy lunges.

Slide or hop back for deep balls, then scoot forward again to stay close to the action.

Use your non-paddle hand for balance. It actually helps you change direction faster.

Mastering these small tweaks turns you from a ball-chaser into someone who actually moves with purpose.

Non-Volley Zone (Kitchen) Rules

The non-volley zone, or “the kitchen,” is way more than a place to burn breakfast.

It’s got special rules that keep things fair and stop people from smashing right at the net.

If you get the hang of these, you’ll avoid easy mistakes and those weird mid-game arguments.

Kitchen Boundaries and Faults

The kitchen is a 7-foot area on both sides of the net. Solid lines mark its boundaries, and you can’t just ignore them.

Don’t stand in the kitchen unless you really have to.

If you touch the kitchen (or its lines) while hitting a volley, you fault. This includes your paddle, hat, foot, or even your shoelaces.

If anything touches the kitchen during a volley, you just handed your opponent the point.

If you’re hitting a groundstroke (the ball bounces first), you can be in the kitchen all you want. Only volleying triggers the drama.

Here are some classic kitchen no-no’s:

• Stepping on the kitchen line while volleying
• Letting your paddle dip into the kitchen on a volley
• Having your hat or anything you wear fall into the non-volley zone during a volley
• Jumping, volleying, and then landing in the kitchen (still a fault!)

Want to avoid headaches? If you want to hit the ball out of the air, keep everything you own behind that kitchen line.

Learn more about pickleball kitchen boundaries and faults.

Volleying in the Kitchen

Volleying means hitting the ball in the air before it bounces. If you try this inside the kitchen, get ready for a fault—and probably some gloating from your opponent.

Volleying in the kitchen is never allowed, even if you think you’re sneaky.

Your momentum counts, too. If you volley just outside the kitchen but stumble and fall in, it’s still a fault—even if only your sunglasses make it across the line.

The kitchen is “staff only” for groundstrokes.

If you want to volley, keep both feet and everything you own completely outside and behind the kitchen line. That includes after the volley; your forward motion can’t carry you in.

For tips on not embarrassing yourself, check out this detailed explanation of volleying in the kitchen.

So, keep your feet, paddle, and dignity out of the kitchen during a volley.

Common Faults and Penalties in Singles

Pickleball singles games move fast, and it’s easy to trip up if you’re not careful.

The most frequent mistakes can cost you points or even the game.

Out of Bounds and Line Calls

Step a toe over the line or let the ball bounce past the baseline and you’ll end the rally the hard way.

If you hit the ball and it lands outside the court lines, that’s a fault. Simple as that.

In singles, your side shrinks to 10 by 22 feet. Not much space for wild shots or accidental paddle flicks.

Barely missing the correct service box means you didn’t clear the serve, and that’s your opponent’s point—or as some call it, a “gift.”

If you’re squinting at a close call, remember: lines are in. Only a ball completely outside the line is out. The shadow doesn’t count.

Still not sure? Check out the pickleball singles rules for more on line calls.

Double Bounce Rule

The double bounce rule, or two-bounce rule, can sneak up on you if you forget.

The ball must bounce once on each side of the net—first on the serve, then on the return.

If you charge the net after the serve and volley the ball in mid-air, you just found a fault. The rally’s over, and your opponent gets the point.

If you let the ball bounce twice on your side before hitting, same deal—your comeback will have to wait.

Quick list to remember:

• The serve must bounce on the receiver’s side.
• The receiver’s return must bounce on the server’s side.
• Only then can you start volleying.

Miss either bounce rule and you’ll lose the rally. You can read more about how the double bounce rule works in the official rules.

Other Penalties

Pickleball has some extra traps waiting for you. If you touch the net with your paddle or body, you just earned a penalty.

Step into the non-volley zone—aka the “kitchen”—while volleying? That’s a fault.

Serve violations are common too: miss the correct service area, hit the net, or serve above your waist, and you lose your serve.

If you stand on the wrong side while serving or receiving, you’ll get hit with another penalty. Always serve from the correct spot for your score, or the referee (or your opponent) will call you out.

There’s nothing like giving away a point just because you stood in the wrong place.

If you want the full list of what not to do, the USA Pickleball Rulebook has every rule and fault you could imagine. Give it a look before heading to the court—unless you like being a walking penalty machine.

Equipment Needed for Singles Pickleball

Before you rush to the court like you’re a pro, make sure you’ve got the right gear. Singles pickleball equipment is simple, but getting it right will save you headaches—and maybe a little pride.

Pickleball Paddle and Ball

To play singles, you really just need two things: a good pickleball paddle and the right kind of ball. Nope, a tennis racket won’t cut it.

A pickleball paddle is smaller, solid, and feels comfortable in your hand. You won’t sprain your wrist just trying to look cool.

Manufacturers usually make paddles out of wood, composite, or graphite. Wood paddles feel heavy and cost less.

Graphite paddles? They’re lighter, tougher, and yeah, a bit pricier. Composite sits somewhere in between.

Most folks just grab a paddle that feels right and doesn’t resemble a lunch tray.

About the ball: a standard pickleball looks a lot like a wiffle ball, with 26–40 holes. Singles and doubles use the same ball, so you don’t need to bring extras—definitely not your dog’s chew toy.

Recommended Singles Gear

If you want to impress your friends (or at least avoid tripping over your shoelaces), you’ll need the right gear. Besides your paddle and ball, grab a pickleball net that stands 36 inches tall at the sidelines and 34 inches in the center.

That’s the official height—don’t just eyeball it!

You’ll also want proper court shoes. Shoes with good grip keep you from accidentally “pickleball dancing.”

Regular sneakers might leave you slipping and sliding, and not in a good way.

Pack some water, a towel, and extra balls in your bag. Sunscreen is a must if you’re outside—unless you really want a sunburn as a souvenir.

Some players wear wristbands or a visor, mostly for the look or to keep sweat out of their eyes. If you want more details, check out these pickleball singles equipment tips.

Advanced Play: Skinny Singles and Unique Variations

If regular singles feels a bit too easy, skinny singles might just shake things up. This format tweaks your strategy, challenges your footwork, and forces you to rethink your shot choices.

It’s like playing chess with a sneaky gym coach.

Skinny Singles Format

In skinny singles, you play on just half the court each point. Sometimes you split the court right down the centerline. Other times, you play diagonally across from each other.

The court feels smaller, but don’t get fooled—it’s not actually easier. There’s less space, but your brain’s working overtime.

You and your opponent serve, rally, and score like usual, but only balls landing in the correct half count. The side you play on can switch based on your score or whatever you agreed on before you started.

Pro tip: don’t zone out and smash a winner down the line—if the ball lands outside your half, you lose the point. Awkward.

This format really helps you focus on accuracy and footwork. You won’t have to run yourself into the ground.

Curious about how court divisions work? Take a look at this guide to skinny singles rules.

Shot Selection and Deep Serves

Court space feels way tighter in skinny singles, so your shot selection matters a lot more. You can’t just smash shots and hope for the best anymore.

Pick your targets with intention. Cross-court shots? They can send your opponent scrambling, but if you aim too wide, you’re basically handing them a free point. That’s not what you want.

Try out these hot tips:

• Hit deep serves to keep your opponent back. Push your return as far as you can without smacking the fence.
• Go for sharp angles, but only if you’re confident. If you miss, you’re just giving away a point.
• Mix up your pace and placement. Sometimes a slow, spinning dink will get under your opponent’s skin more than a hard drive ever could.

Curious for more? Here’s a skinny singles pickleball breakdown that dives into other strategies and tips.