Pickleball for Beginners

Pickleball terms and terminology don’t differ all that much from tennis and other sports. Well, except for the occasional ‘dink’ or ‘Erne!’ 🙂

The sport known as “ping pong on steroids” brings a vernacular as unique as the game itself. Here is a running list of pickleball terms to help keep you in the know.

Please let us know if we missed one of your favorite pickleball vocabulary words.

Ace – A serve untouched by the receiver, granting a point to the service player.

APP (Association of Pickleball Players) – The other major professional pickleball tour alongside the PPA. Formerly known as the Association of Pickleball Professionals.

ATP (Around-the-Post) – Often the result of a super-wide dink, this shot is hit around the net post; the ball may or may not travel over the net.

Backcourt – The part of the pickleball court that lives close to the baseline.

Backspin – A ball struck in a manner that gives it a backward spin. These balls tend to stay low to the ground but tend to float if not executed properly.

Backswing – The extension of the arm before hitting the pickleball.

Banger – A pickleball player who relies on forceful hits as opposed to dinks or soft shots. Think POWER over placement.

Baseline – The 20-foot line at each end of the court, furthest from the net.

Bert – Similar to the Erne, this shot is performed by the non-kitchen player who leaps over the kitchen to poach a volley, crossing in front of their partner.

Block Volley – A volley that is carried out by moving the paddle in the path of the ball and deflecting it back into the opponent’s kitchen.

Body Bag (or Tag) – When you hit an aggressive shot that strikes your opponent directly in the body.

Carry – Catching or deliberately carrying the ball on the face of your paddle is a fault. However, a ball that makes multiple contacts during one continuous, single-direction swing can be legal. See “Double Hit.”

Centerline – The 15-foot line down the middle of each side of the court dividing the even and odd service courts.

Chicken Wing – An awkward shot directed toward a player’s paddle-side shoulder or elbow, making it difficult to return without flaring the elbow outward. A favorite target during hands battles.

Counterattack (Counter Volley) – An aggressive response to an opponent’s speed-up or hard volley, redirecting their pace back at them. Sometimes the best offense is a well-timed defense.

Dead Ball – A ball that can no longer be returned; the point is over.

Dead Dink – A dink that lands too high in the kitchen, giving your opponent an easy opportunity to attack.

Dink – A shot often hit from your kitchen line that lands in your opponent’s non-volley zone.

Dink Volley – When you return a dink on a fly and softly volley it back into your opponent’s non-volley zone.

Double Bounce Rule – Exclusive to pickleball, the ball must bounce once on the serve and once on the service return before either team is allowed to hit the ball out of the air. Also known as the Two-Bounce Rule.

Double Hit – Hitting the ball twice during the same stroke. It’s legal if both contacts occur during one continuous, single-direction swing by the same player. Separate swings or hits by both partners are faults.

DreamBreaker – Major League Pickleball’s singles tiebreaker when two teams are tied 2–2. Players rotate through singles matchups every four rallies, with the first team to reach 21 points and lead by two winning the tiebreaker. Think sudden-death drama, pickleball style.

Drip Shot (Hybrid Drop-Drive) – A modern hybrid between a third-shot drive and drop. Hit with moderate pace and topspin, the ball dips toward an opponent’s feet, making it harder to attack. Think more aggressive than a drop, but more controlled than a drive.

Drive – A flat, hard-hit groundstroke intended to put pressure on the opponent rather than finesse them.

Drop Serve – A legal serve where the player drops the ball from a natural height, lets it bounce, and then hits it. Unlike a volley serve, the ball must bounce before paddle contact.

Drop Shot – A soft shot, often with spin, that lands in your opponent’s kitchen. It is designed to change the pace of play or make your opponent advance towards the net.

DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) – The standard global rating system used to evaluate a player’s skill level (usually ranging from 2.0 to 8.0+).

Erne – A volley hit close to the net by a player positioned outside the left or right boundary of the non-volley zone. Named after Erne Perry, the shot’s ‘inventor.’

Even Court – When facing your opponent(s), this service area is on the right side of the court.

Fault – A rules violation that ends the rally. Common examples include hitting the ball out of bounds, serving into the net, or illegally volleying from the kitchen.

Fifth Shot Drop – A soft shot hit by the serving team on the fifth shot of a rally, often after a third-shot drive. Its goal is to land in the kitchen and help the serving team advance toward the net.

Firefight / Hands Battle – A rapid-fire volley exchange between players at the kitchen line.

First Server – In doubles, the player who begins the team’s serving turn from the right service court after a side-out.

Foot Fault – There are two common types of foot faults: when a server violates the serving-area rules with their foot position, such as touching the baseline during the serve, or when a player volleys while touching the non-volley zone or is carried into it by their momentum. Simply standing in the kitchen isn’t a fault.

Footwork – Feet preparation for proper balance and shot execution.

Forehand – Opposite of the backhand, the forehand is a shot executed by swinging the paddle across the body with the hand moving palm-first.

Fourth Shot – The shot hit by the receiving team after the serving team’s third shot. Often used to keep opponents pinned near the baseline or punish a weak third-shot drop.

Freeze (Score Freeze) – A rule used in some rally-scoring formats requiring a team to win its final point while serving. The freeze rules vary by league and are not part of USA Pickleball’s 2026 provisional rally-scoring format.

Ground Stroke – A ball strike after a single bounce that typically occurs from or near the baseline.

Half Volley – A shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces, creating contact well before the ball peaks.

IPTPA (International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association) – An organization offering pickleball instructor certification programs.

Kitchen – Jargon referring to the Non-Volley Zone.

Let – Even though USA Pickleball removed “service lets” from the official rules in 2021 (meaning you now play the ball if it clips the net and lands in), players still use “Let” to stop play if a ball from another court rolls onto theirs.

Lob – A shot hit over your opponent’s head designed to send them back towards the baseline.

Midcourt – The area of the court between the kitchen line and the baseline, aka “transition zone” or “no man’s land.”

Mini-Singles – An official half-court variation of singles pickleball where the playable side changes according to each player’s score. Similar to skinny singles, but with standardized rules.

Mixed Doubles – Male/Female vs. Male/Female.

MLP (Major League Pickleball) – The premier team-based professional pickleball league.

Nasty Nelson – A cheeky, intentional serve that hits the non-receiving player standing near the kitchen line, winning the server an automatic point.

Non-Volley Zone – The 20′ x 7′ area on each side of the net where the ball cannot be hit on a fly, aka the “kitchen.” You can enter the kitchen and hit a ball after it bounces. You just can’t volley while touching it or have your volleying momentum carry you into it.

Odd Court – The left service court when facing the net. The opposite of the Even Court.

Open Play – A casual pickleball session where players rotate partners and opponents rather than arriving with a predetermined group. A great way to meet people and occasionally discover you aren’t quite as good as your DUPR suggests.

Overgrip – Grip tape placed over existing grip tape on a paddle’s handle to increase the size, provide an additional cushion, or absorb sweat.

Paddle Stacking – A system used at busy pickleball courts where players place their paddles in a rack or queue to determine who plays next. Not to be confused with the doubles positioning strategy of stacking.

Paddle Tap – Opponents tap paddles at the net after a match.

Pancake Shot – A volley where the paddle face is turned nearly horizontal to block or redirect a ball, often one aimed high toward the player’s body. Not quite the breakfast maneuver it sounds like.

Passing Shot – A groundstroke that passes an opponent positioned at or near the kitchen line.

Poach – When a player moves across the court, possibly in front of their partner, to hit a volley.

PPA (Professional Pickleball Association) – A professional pickleball tour featuring players competing for prize money.

PPR (Professional Pickleball Registry) – An organization offering pickleball instructor certification programs.

Pop-Up – An unintentionally high return that gives opponents an easy opportunity to attack. Frequently the unfortunate result of a poorly executed dink or reset.

Put-away – An offensive shot that is hit so well (usually a smash or fast volley) that the point is immediately won.

Rally Scoring – A scoring system where a point is awarded after every rally, regardless of which team serves. Different from traditional pickleball scoring, where only the serving team can score. Provisionally approved as an option under USA Pickleball’s 2026 rules.

Ready Position – Knees bent; feet shoulder-width apart; paddle in front of your body as you wait to hit the ball.

Reset – A soft, controlled shot used to neutralize an aggressive exchange and return the pace of play back to a dink rally.

Roll Volley – A volley hit with topspin. Instead of punching the ball flat, the player rolls their paddle up the back of the ball, allowing them to hit it hard while keeping it dipping down into the court.

Scorpion – An aggressive volley where a player crouches low and strikes the ball with a high, downward paddle motion, resembling a scorpion’s tail. A flashy way to attack a ball that might otherwise be difficult to handle.

Second Server – In traditional doubles scoring, the first server’s partner, who serves after the first server loses their serve. The exception is the opening serving turn of a game, when only one player serves.

Shake and Bake – A doubles strategy where one player drives the ball hard while their partner poaches at the net to finish the point.

Sidelines – Two 44-foot lines that run down both sides of the court from baseline to baseline.

Side-out – When the serving team loses its opportunity to serve and the serve shifts to the opposing team.

Side-Out Scoring – The traditional pickleball scoring system where only the serving team can earn points. The receiving team must win the serve before it can score.

Singles – One vs. One.

Skinny Singles – Pickleball practice or a game that uses only one-half of the court vertically.

Slice – A shot hit with undercut/backspin.

Smash – Overhead shot favored by ‘bangers.’

Speed-Up – An intentional hard shot thrown into a dink rally to catch your opponent off guard and force an error.

Split Step – A small hop or balanced movement performed just before an opponent strikes the ball, allowing a player to react quickly in either direction.

Stacking – A strategy used where doubles partners position themselves to keep one player on a particular side of the court as opposed to standard positioning.

Third Shot Drive – The aggressive counterpart to the Third Shot Drop. It’s a hard-hit groundstroke on the third shot of the rally, usually intended to force a weak pop-up from the returning team.

Third Shot Drop – A shot that arcs upwards and lands softly into the opponent’s non-volley zone.

Topspin – The ball will continue to travel forward when it lands, unlike slice which can redirect or slow down.

Transition Zone (No Man’s Land) – The area between the baseline and kitchen line. Players often find themselves defending difficult shots here as they move toward the net.

Tweener – A trick shot hit between the legs, usually as a last-resort defensive move. Crowd-pleaser? Absolutely. Recommended? Debatable. 😄

Two Bounce Rule – After the serve, each side must let the ball bounce on its side of the court before the first volley is permitted. Also known as the Double Bounce Rule.

Unforced Error – Exactly what it sounds like. 🙂

UPA-A (United Pickleball Association of America) – An organization that establishes competition and paddle standards for professional pickleball events, including the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball.

USAP (USA Pickleball) – The national governing body for the sport in the United States.

Volley – A ball hit out of the air before it bounces.

Volley Llama – Slang for illegally volleying the ball while standing in the kitchen; a common beginner mistake.

We hope our glossary of popular pickleball terms was helpful. Did we miss any pickleball words? Let us know and we’ll get them added.