Pickleball glossary: terms you will hear on court

Use the letter headings to jump around. Where a term has its own guide on this site, the definition links to it.

A to C

Approved paddle. A paddle on the USA Pickleball approved list, which is required for sanctioned tournament play. See the paddle guide.

Baseline. The line at the back of the court, parallel to the net. You serve from behind it.

Carry. Hitting the ball so it does not bounce away from the paddle but is carried along on the face. A fault.

Centreline. The line down the middle of each end, from the kitchen line to the baseline, separating the right and left service courts. The rulebook spells it "centerline".

Come and try. Australian club term. A free or low-cost introductory session for new players, which Pickleball Australia recommends as the best way to learn.

D to F

Dead ball. A ball that is no longer in play.

Dink. Slang. A soft shot hit from near the kitchen line that drops into the opponent's kitchen. See doubles strategy.

Distraction. Physical actions not common to the game that interfere with an opponent, such as loud noises, stomping or waving the paddle erratically. Not allowed when the opponent is about to hit.

Double bounce. The ball bouncing twice on one side before it is returned. A fault.

Double hit. Hitting the ball more than once. Legal only if it happens during one continuous stroke in a single direction by one player.

Drive. Slang. A hard, flat shot, often hit from the back of the court.

Drop serve. A serve made by dropping the ball and hitting it after it bounces. See serving rules.

DUPR. The Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating, a rating system that many clubs and events use to group players by level. See the DUPR guide.

Fault. A rules violation that results in a dead ball and the loss of a rally.

First server. In doubles, the player who begins the team's service turn from the right side after a side out.

Foot fault. Common term. A service fault caused by the server's foot touching the court, the baseline or outside the sideline or centreline extension at contact.

G to L

GPF. The Global Pickleball Federation. Pickleball Australia links to the 2026 rulebook in its GPF edition.

Groundstroke. A shot hit after the ball has bounced.

Hinder. Any passing event not caused by a player that affects play, such as a stray ball, a flying insect or a player from another court. Usually leads to a replay. Permanent objects are not hinders.

Kitchen. The common name for the non-volley zone. See the kitchen guide.

Kitchen line. The line 2.13 m from the net marking the edge of the kitchen. It is part of the kitchen.

Line call. A signal, by voice or hand, that a ball has landed out.

Live ball. The time from the start of the score call until the ball becomes dead.

Lob. Slang. A high shot over the net players' heads, aimed to land deep.

M to R

Mini-singles. A half-court singles variation in the rulebook where only one side of each end is in play. Also called skinny singles.

Momentum. The movement that carries you on after hitting the ball. It matters for the kitchen rule, because a volley does not end until your momentum stops.

Non-volley zone (NVZ). The 7 ft by 20 ft (2.13 m by 6.10 m) area on each side of the net where you cannot volley.

Permanent object. Anything on, above or near the court that can interfere with play, such as ceilings, walls, fences, light fittings and net posts.

Poach. Slang. Crossing in front of your partner to take a ball that was heading to their side.

Rally. Continuous play after the serve and before the ball becomes dead.

Rally scoring. A provisional scoring option where a point is scored on every rally, whoever served. See scoring.

Ready position. Slang. Feet apart, knees bent and paddle up in front of you, ready to react.

Receiver. The player who returns the serve.

Replay. Restarting a rally without awarding a point or changing the server.

S to Z

Second server. In doubles, the first server's partner, who serves after the first server loses a rally.

Service court. The area on either side of the centreline, excluding the kitchen, that the serve must land in.

Serving area. The area behind the baseline you serve from, bounded by the imaginary extensions of the sideline and centreline.

Side out. The serve passing to the other team after they win a rally against the server (and, in doubles, after both servers have had their turn).

Sideline. The lines along each side of the court, perpendicular to the net.

Stacking. Slang. Arranging team positions so each player stays on their preferred side. Legal because the rules fix positions only at the serve and return.

Starting server. The player on each doubles team designated to serve first in the game.

Technical foul. A one-point penalty for extreme unsportsmanlike behaviour, mostly relevant in refereed tournaments.

Third shot drop. Slang. A soft shot by the serving team, the third shot of the rally, that lands in the opponent's kitchen so the serving team can move forward.

Two-bounce rule. The serve return must bounce, and the serving team's next shot must bounce, before anyone can volley.

Volley. Hitting the ball before it bounces.

Volley serve. A serve hit out of the air, which must meet the upward arc, below-waist and paddle-below-wrist tests.

Zero, zero, two. The score call at the start of every doubles game. The "two" means the first serving team has only one server. See scoring.