1. The Serve

• Underhand Only: The serve must be made underhand. The paddle contact with the ball must be below the waist.
• Cross-Court: You must serve diagonally to the opponent’s service court.
• No Let: If the ball hits the net and lands in the correct service box, it is played (unlike tennis, there are no “let” re-serves in most modern rules).

2. The Two-Bounce Rule

This is the most important rule for beginners to remember.

• The Sequence: After the serve, the ball must bounce once on the receiving side and once on the serving side before anyone can hit a volley (hitting the ball in the air).
• Result: You cannot “serve and volley.” You must stay back and let that first return bounce before moving forward.

3. The Non-Volley Zone (The Kitchen)

The “Kitchen” is the 7-foot area on both sides of the net.

• No Volleys: You cannot hit the ball while standing inside the Kitchen unless the ball has already bounced.
• Momentum: If you hit a volley while standing outside the kitchen but your momentum carries you inside afterward, it is a fault.
• Dinking: You can stand in the kitchen anytime, as long as you aren’t hitting the ball out of the air.

4. Scoring

• Points: You can only win a point when your team is serving.
• Game Total: Games are typically played to 11 points, and you must win by 2.
• The Three Numbers: In doubles, the score is called as three numbers:
  1. The serving team’s score.
  2. The receiving team’s score.
  3. The server number (1 or 2).
  Example: “4 – 2 – 1” means the serving team has 4, the receivers have 2, and it is the first server of the rotation.

5. Faults

A “fault” ends the rally. Common faults include:

Being hit by the ball (it counts as a fault against the person hit!).

Hitting the ball out of bounds.

The ball failing to clear the net.

Volleying in the Kitchen.