Pickleball glossary

53 pickleball terms defined — from ATP and Erne to skinny singles and the soft game. The vocabulary you need to understand open play, watch tournaments, and not get lost on a 4.0 court.

4 5 A B C D E F G H K L M N O P R S T U V

4

4.0: A 4.0 player is generally considered an advanced recreational player with solid shot selection, reliable resets, and strong doubles awareness. The exact standard can vary by local scene and rating system.

5

5.0+: A 5.0+ player is a high-level competitive player with advanced consistency, point construction, and pressure handling. At this level, speed, resets, and tactical discipline are all much sharper.

A

ATP: ATP stands for Around the Post. It is a legal shot that travels outside the net post and lands in bounds on the opponent's side.

B

Backhand: A backhand is a shot hit on the side of your body opposite your dominant hand orientation. Many players use it for dinks, resets, and blocks under pressure.
Backspin: Backspin is spin that makes the ball rotate backward in flight. It can keep slices lower and make the ball stay short after bouncing.
Ball: The pickleball is a perforated plastic ball used for play. Indoor and outdoor balls are built differently and do not feel the same in rallies.
Baseline: The baseline is the back boundary line of the court. Players serve from behind it and often start points there before moving forward.
Banger: A banger is a player who prefers hitting hard drives instead of building points with a soft game. The term is descriptive and sometimes mildly critical.
Block: A block is a compact defensive shot used to absorb pace and redirect the ball with minimal swing. It is especially useful against hard drives.

C

Carry: A carry is an illegal contact where the ball is caught and propelled rather than cleanly struck. Clean paddle contact should be brief and continuous.
Court: A standard pickleball court measures 20 feet by 44 feet. The same court size is used for both singles and doubles.
Crosscourt: Crosscourt means hitting diagonally across the court. Crosscourt dinks and drops often give players more margin and safer angles.

D

Dink: A dink is a soft shot that lands in the opponent's kitchen. It is used to control pace, create pressure, and force balls that can be attacked later.
Double Bounce Rule: The double bounce rule requires the serve to bounce and the return to bounce before volleys are allowed. It is also commonly called the two-bounce rule.
Doubles: Doubles is the four-player version of pickleball with two players on each side. It is the most common format in recreational and competitive play.
Drive: A drive is a firm, aggressive shot hit with pace, usually from deeper in the court. Players use drives to pressure opponents or set up weaker replies.
Drop: A drop is a soft shot intended to land short and low, usually in or near the kitchen. It helps a team move forward without giving opponents an easy attack.
DUPR: DUPR is a dynamic pickleball rating system that tracks results across many types of matches. Clubs and players use it to find more balanced games.

E

Erne: An Erne is an advanced volley taken near or outside the sideline beside the kitchen to attack a ball above net height. It lets a player bypass the non-volley zone without stepping into it.

F

Fault: A fault is any rule violation that stops the rally or ends the serve. Examples include hitting the ball out, volleying from the kitchen, or serving illegally.
Forehand: A forehand is a shot hit on the natural front side of your body based on your dominant hand. It is usually the first groundstroke most beginners feel comfortable with.

G

Grip Size: Grip size describes the thickness of a paddle handle. The right grip should feel secure without making you squeeze too hard.

H

Half-Volley: A half-volley is a shot taken immediately after the ball bounces. It is often used defensively when there is no time to let the ball rise.

K

Kitchen: Kitchen is the common name for the non-volley zone. It is the 7-foot area on each side of the net where players cannot volley the ball.

L

Lob: A lob is a high shot hit over an opponent to push them back. It can be offensive or defensive depending on timing and placement.
Let: A let is a replay situation in some informal settings, though standard rally scoring and modern rules have reduced its role. Local play customs may still use the term casually.

M

Midcourt: Midcourt is the transition area between the baseline and the kitchen. It is often the most difficult place to defend during a rally.
Mixed Doubles: Mixed doubles is a doubles format with male and female partners. It is a standard event category in many tournaments.

N

Net: The pickleball net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches high in the center. Players must hit the ball over it and into the proper court area.
Non-Volley Zone: The non-volley zone, or NVZ, is the official name for the kitchen. Players may enter it to play a bounced ball but may not volley while touching it or its line.

O

Open Play: Open play is shared court time where players rotate in and out rather than reserving a court privately. It usually follows a visible queue or paddle stacking system.

P

Paddle: The paddle is the solid hitting surface used in pickleball. Paddle weight, shape, grip, and face feel all affect how the game plays.
Paddle Stacking: Paddle stacking is a common open-play rotation method where waiting players place paddles in order to claim the next game. It helps keep court access fair and visible.
Pickle: A pickle is a slang term for scoring zero in a game. If one team wins 11-0, the other team was pickled.
Poach: A poach is when a doubles player crosses over to take a ball that could have gone to the partner. It can be smart if timed well and disruptive if overused.
Putaway: A putaway is an attackable ball hit decisively to finish the point. Good putaways usually come after setting up a high or weak reply.

R

Reset: A reset is a soft defensive shot used to neutralize pace and get back into a rally. Players often use resets from transition or after a hard attack at their feet.
Return: The return is the shot hit back after the serve. Deep returns are especially valuable because they buy time to move up to the kitchen.
Rally: A rally is the exchange of shots after the serve until a fault ends the point. Longer rallies often depend on control and positioning more than power.

S

Serve: The serve starts each point and must be struck underhand according to the rules. It is usually hit diagonally into the opposite service court.
Side-Out: A side-out happens when the serving team loses the serve and it passes to the opponents. In traditional doubles scoring, only the serving team can score points.
Sideline: The sideline is the boundary line running lengthwise along each side of the court. Shots landing outside it are out.
Singles: Singles is the two-player version of pickleball with one player on each side. It requires more court coverage and often rewards movement and passing shots.
Skinny Singles: Skinny singles is a practice format using only half the court, usually diagonally or straight ahead depending on the variation. It is popular for drilling movement and control.
Soft Game: Soft game refers to controlled touch shots such as dinks, drops, and resets. It is essential for higher-level doubles play.
Spin: Spin is the rotation placed on the ball during contact. Topspin, backspin, and sidespin can all change bounce and flight path.
Stacking: Stacking is a doubles positioning strategy that lets partners stay on preferred sides after the serve or return. It can create tactical advantages but requires communication.

T

Third-Shot Drop: The third-shot drop is a soft shot hit by the serving team on the third contact to land low in the kitchen. It is one of the most important shots in doubles strategy.
Topspin: Topspin is forward ball rotation that helps shots dip and jump after the bounce. It can make drives and rolls more aggressive while still staying in bounds.
Transition Zone: The transition zone is the area between the baseline and the kitchen, often called no man's land. Players try to move through it quickly and under control.
Two-Bounce Rule: The two-bounce rule means the serve must bounce and the return must bounce before either team can volley. It prevents servers from rushing the net immediately.

U

UTPR: UTPR is the USA Pickleball Tournament Player Rating. It is based mainly on sanctioned tournament results and often separates singles, doubles, and mixed ratings.

V

Volley: A volley is a shot hit out of the air before the ball bounces. Volleys are legal everywhere except when a player is in or touching the non-volley zone.