Scoring in pickleball can be a little confusing, especially for new players. Whether you're playing singles or doubles, it's important to understand the scoring rules. That's why we've created this Pickleball Scoring Guide to help you navigate the game and improve your skills. From serving rules to scoring, we've got you covered so you know how to score in pickleball!
Pickleball scoring guide.
- Points to Win: In Pickleball, the game is played to 11 points, and you must win by 2 points.
- Player Position: The player on the right service court always serves first for their team.
- Counting points: Points can only be won if your team has the serve. If you are on the receiving end, you cannot score a point. Similar to other sports, only the serving team can score points.
Pickleball Doubles Scoring & Rules:
In doubles, points can only be scored if your own team serves.
Here's how scoring works in doubles:
- The first serve is made by the player on the right side of the court (straight court) and is hit diagonally into the opposite court with the underhand.
- If the serving side wins the point, the server switches to the left side (odd side) and serves diagonally again.
- The serving team starts as serve number 2, and if they lose the rally, it becomes a team sideout. This applies only to the first serve of the game.
- The serving team continues to serve from right to left once they have scored a point.
- Players on the serving side switch from right to left when they score a point, while the receiving side does not switch sides.
- If the first server loses the rally, the serve passes to the second server on the team. The players remain on the side they were on at the end of the point, and the server serves from that side.
- If the second server loses the rally, it is the other team's turn, and the player on the right side serves first. This pattern continues throughout the game.
- The serve number (1 or 2) applies only to that particular service turn. The player on the right who returns the serve is the first server in that service turn only.
- On the very first serve of the game, only one person on the team serves. The first point called is 0-0-2, indicating that the second server is starting the game. If the serving team loses a point, the serve goes to the other team, minimizing the advantage of serving first.
How is the score announced in pickleball?
The score is always called by the person serving, who gives three numbers:
- Number one: score of the serving team.
- Number two: score of the receiving team
- Number three: number of the serving team (1 or 2).
Remember this: me, you, who.
Pickleball Singles Scoring & Rules:
In singles, you can only win points if you serve.
- If the server's score is even, serve from the right side. If the score is odd, serve from the left side.
- When you serve, first call your score: server's score, receiver's score.
- The first person to score 11 points wins the game, but you must win by two points!
Discover the pickleball fun:
Pickleball Corner has everything you need to get started with pickleball, including pickleball paddles, balls, and a mobile pickleball net. Discover the joy of this exciting sport and get your pickleball supplies today.
For more detailed information about scoring in Pickleball, visit the official USA Pickleball website.
As always, if you have any further questions about pickleball, don't hesitate to contact our Pickleball Corner experts at kontakt@pickleballcorner.ch.
