Pickleball Terms and Glossary

Court & Markings:

Baseline: The back line of the pickleball court.
Centerline: The line dividing the court in half, perpendicular to the baseline.
Dink: A gentle, controlled low shot in which the player strikes the ball to go just over the net into the kitchen.
Drive: A powerful groundstroke hit with a flat trajectory.
Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone or NVZ): The 14’ x 20’ area divided in half by the net, or 7’ x 20’ area on each side of the net, where volleying (hitting the ball out of the air before it bounces) is a fault.
Kitchen Line: See Non-Volley Line.
Net: Similar to tennis, divides the court in half but stands only 36” (three feet) high at the sidelines and 34” at the center point.
Non-Volley Line (Kitchen Line): The line, part of the non-volley zone (NVZ), marking the front of the NVZ.
Non-Volley Zone (NVZ): See Kitchen.
NVZ: See Kitchen.
Out of Bounds: Any area outside the court boundaries (baselines and sidelines).
Service Area: See Service Court.
Service Court (Service Area): Designated as right or left, it is the rectangular area of the court (outlined by the baseline, centerline, sideline, and kitchen line) where the server serves from (behind the baseline) and it is the equivalent area diagonally located on the other side of the net where the server aims to bounce the ball.
Sideline: One of two boundary lines, perpendicular to the net, running the length of the court on each side.

Equipment:

Edge Guard: The part of the paddle that protects the edges of the head.
Face: The flat hitting surface of the paddle.
Grip: The way a player holds the paddle, or the surface of the paddle handle.
Grip Size: The circumference of the paddle handle.
Head: The part of the paddle that includes the flat hitting surface and edge guard.
Net: Similar to tennis, divides the court in half but stands only 36” (three feet) high at the sidelines and 34” at the center point.
Overgrip: An additional grip that covers a paddle’s handle, commonly used to improve the player’s grip on the handle.
Paddle: An instrument with a head and handle that a player holds and uses to strike the ball. It is typically made of composite materials including carbon fiber, graphite, or fiberglass on the paddle face. The core is usually made of a strong, yet responsive honeycomb design, that is made of a polymer, nomex, or aluminum. Entry level paddles are sometimes made of wood or thick plastic.
Pickleball: The perforated plastic ball used in the sport. Indoor balls have 26 holes and outdoor balls have 40 holes to better mitigate wind.

Gameplay:

Ace: A legal serve that the receiving player does not return, even more so if that player does not make any contact with the ball.
Approach Shot: A shot hit while moving towards the net to gain an offensive position.
Around the Post (ATP): An advanced shot in which a player hits the ball around (not over) one of the two ends of the net and the ball successfully enters the opposing team’s side of the court. Typically a player takes the shot from out of bounds, to the left or right of a sideline, and usually it is taken following an angled dink from an opponent.
ATP: See Around the Post.
Backhand: Hitting the ball in a manner that the outside of the wrist of the player’s primary hand holding the paddle is facing the net’s general direction when making contact with the ball. The opposite of a forehand.
Backspin: A shot where the ball spins backward following contact, usually toward from the player striking the ball. It is the opposite of topspin.
Baseline Play: Shots played from the back of the court.
Bert: It is an Erne, when a player hits the ball from his partner’s side of the court.
Blaster: A hard-hit shot with a flat flight path.
Block: A defensive shot that stops an opponent’s attack.
Centerline Fault: A fault committed when the server steps on or over the centerline during the serve.
Double Bounce Rule: After each serve, both teams must allow the ball to bounce once on their side of the net before any player may volley.
Double Fault: Failing to serve legally twice in a row. This does not currently apply in pickleball as a server loses the right to serve if that player commits any fault during the serve.
Drop Shot: A soft shot that lands just over the net and into the non-volley zone.
Erne: An advanced shot, named after Erne Perry, who is credited with popularizing the shot. The aggressive shot is conducted by either a player hitting the ball out of the air while simultaneously jumping over the kitchen (then landing out of bounds), or a player hitting the ball out of the air after stepping in or around the kitchen and re-establishing both feet out of bounds (to the side of the kitchen).
Fault: Any action that violates the rules and stops play. If the non-serving team commits a fault, the serving team is awarded a point. In standard scoring, if the serving team commits a fault, then the last player to serve forfeits their next serve and no points are awarded to either team. In rally scoring, if a team commits a fault, the opposing team will be awarded a point regardless of which team served.
Forehand: Hitting the ball in a manner that the inside of the wrist of the player’s primary hand holding the paddle is facing the net’s general direction when making contact with the ball. The opposite of a backhand.
Groundstroke: A shot played after the ball bounces.
Half Volley: Hitting the ball just after it bounces off the court surface.
Kill Shot: A very strong shot intended to win the point and typically difficult to return.
Let: A situation where variables outside of normal gameplay, such as a different game’s pickleball enters the court and hinders a player’s shot, results in the point being replayed.
Lob: A high arching, strategic shot that targets the back of the opposing team’s court.
Overhead Smash (Spike): A powerful shot hit with an overhead swing in a downward motion.
Passing Shot: A shot that lands in bounds, going around or over the opponent, out of reach.
Point: In traditional pickleball scoring, it is awarded to the serving team when the receiving team commits a fault. In rally scoring, if a team commits a fault, the opposing team will be awarded a point regardless of which team served.
Rally: The sequence of shots between players until a fault is committed, stopping play. When a rally ends, a team receives a point and/or a team loses their first or second serve.
Rally Scoring: Unlike traditional pickleball scoring, each time a team commits a fault, the opposing team is awarded a point regardless of which team served.
Ready Position: The stance a player assumes in order to have a better chance at making a successful play on the ball when anticipating to receive a shot from an opponent. The most common locations on the court for a player to take the ready position is in the service court before receiving a serve or behind the kitchen line.
Return of Serve: The first shot hit by the receiving team after the serve.
Serve: The act of initiating a rally by hitting the ball from behind the baseline of one service court diagonally over the net into the opposing team’s service court.
Slice: A shot with a sideways spin that causes the ball to curve.
Soft Shot: A low powered shot normally taken for placement rather than brute force.
Spike: See Overhead Smash.
Spin: The rotation of the ball after it is hit or bounces.
Stroke: The action of hitting the ball with the paddle.
Third Shot Drop: A serving team’s drop shot (which is commonly used as a defensive tactic), that immediately follows the first two groundstrokes of a rally.
Topspin: A shot where the ball spins forward following contact, usually away from the player striking the ball. It is the opposite of backspin.
Volley: Hitting the ball out of the air before it bounces. It is an illegal shot in the non-volley zone.
Winner: A shot that the opponent is not able to return legally.

– PICKLEBALL HEADLINES –