Pickleball has a lot of vocabulary for a young sport. Some of it comes straight from the rulebook (fault, volley, non-volley zone), some from other racquet sports (forehand, lob, overhead), and some from the courts themselves (ATP, Erne, shake and bake). This page defines all of it in plain language, one or two sentences per term.
Where a term comes from the official rules, the definition follows the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook and gives the rule number, so you can check it. Where DinkFlow has a deeper guide on a term, the definition links to it.
How to use this page. Jump to a letter below, or search the page for the word you need. If you are learning the game, read the rules terms first: fault, volley, non-volley zone, two-bounce rule, and side out cover most of the questions that come up in a first game. When the words feel familiar, try the pickleball quiz to check that you can apply them to real situations.
Jump to: A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · K · L · M · N · O · P · R · S · T · U · V
A
Act of volleying
The rulebook’s term for the whole volley. It starts when you hit the ball out of the air and ends when the movement from your follow-through stops, and the kitchen rules apply for that entire time, not just at contact (Section 2, Rule 11.A).
ATP (around the post)
A return that travels around the outside of the net post instead of over the net. It is legal (Rule 13.C) and can be hit at any height, even below the top of the net, as long as it lands in the opponents’ court. Full guide: the pickleball ATP .
Attackable ball
A ball you can hit at or above net height while balanced, so you can hit flat or down instead of lifting it. It is the kind of ball worth speeding up. See when to attack in a dink rally .
B
Backhand
A shot hit on the non-paddle side of your body, with the back of your paddle hand facing the net. For a right-handed player, that is the left side.
Balance point
Where a paddle balances along its length, measured from the butt cap in inches or as a percentage of total length. A lower balance point (toward the handle) gives quicker hands; a higher one (toward the head) gives more plow-through. See the paddle balance point guide .
Banger
A player who hits hard on most balls, especially drives from the back of the court, instead of using soft shots. See how to beat a banger .
Baseline
The line at each end of the court, parallel to the net (Rule 3.A.4.a). The server stands behind it.
Bert
An Erne hit on your partner’s side of the court: you cross in front of your partner and volley from outside their sideline, beside the kitchen. See what is an Erne .
Block
A short, compact volley that absorbs the pace of a hard shot and sends it back low, often into the kitchen. It is the basic defense against a drive when you are at the net. See how to defend hard drives .
C
Carry
Hitting the ball so that it rides along the paddle face instead of bouncing off it. A carry, like catching the ball on the paddle, is a fault (Section 2, Rule 12.C).
Centerline
The line down the middle of each end of the court, from the kitchen line to the baseline, that divides the right and left service courts (Rule 3.A.4.d). It does not run through the kitchen.
Counterattack (counter)
Answering an opponent’s attack with a fast shot of your own instead of blocking it softly, usually a quick volley back at them during a hands battle.
Counterdink
A dink hit in reply to an opponent’s dink, keeping the soft exchange going instead of attacking. A run of dinks and counterdinks is a dink rally.
Crosscourt
A shot hit diagonally, to the half of the opponents’ court that is not directly across from you. The opposite is down the line: a shot hit straight ahead, parallel to the sideline.
D
Dead ball
A ball that is no longer in play (Section 2). Every fault and every called hinder makes the ball dead (Rules 9.B, 9.C).
Dink
A soft shot, usually hit from at or near the kitchen line, that arcs just over the net and lands in the opponents’ kitchen. A good dink stays low enough that the opponent has to hit up on it.
Double bounce
When the ball bounces twice on one side of the net before it is returned. Letting the ball bounce twice is a fault (Section 2, Rule 10.B).
Double hit
Hitting the ball twice during one stroke. It is legal only when the stroke is continuous, in one direction, and by one player (Rule 10.D); otherwise it is a fault, and it is always a fault when both partners hit the ball (Rule 10.D.2).
Drive
A hard, low, flat shot, usually hit from the back of the court, meant to skim the net and land deep or at an opponent. On the third shot, it is the alternative to the drop. See third shot drop vs drive .
Drop (drop shot)
A soft shot hit from the back of the court or the transition zone that arcs over the net and lands in the opponents’ kitchen, buying time to move forward. The best known is the third shot drop.
DUPR
Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating, a results-based rating calculated from who you played, whether you won, and by how much. It is not the same as a skill rating from written descriptions. See why your DUPR feels wrong .
Dwell time
How long the ball stays on the paddle face at contact. Longer dwell is usually described as more control and feel, and it depends on the core, the face, and the construction. See paddle grit vs spin .
E
Erne
A volley hit by a player standing outside the sideline, beside the kitchen, close to the net post. It is legal because the kitchen ends at the sideline (Rule 3.A.4.c), as long as the player does not touch the zone or its lines while volleying, does not let the volley’s momentum carry them back in, and, after stepping through the kitchen, has both feet back down outside it before volleying (Rules 11.A.1 to 11.A.3). It is named after Erne Perry and is often misspelled “Ernie.” See what is an Erne .
F
Fault
A rules violation that ends the rally and makes the ball dead (Section 2). Common faults are hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net so it is not returned over (Rules 10.C.1, 10.C.2), letting it bounce twice (Rule 10.B), and volleying while touching the kitchen (Rule 11.A.1). The team that faults loses the rally.
First server and second server
In doubles, the first server is the player who starts the team’s serving turn from the right side after a side out; their partner is the second server (Section 2, Rule 5.B.2). The team keeps the serve until both have lost a rally, then it is a side out.
First server exception
At the start of each game, the serving team gets only one server before a side out instead of two. That is why a doubles game starts with the score “zero, zero, two”: the starting server is treated as the second server (Rules 5.B, 5.B.2, 6.B.2).
Foot fault
A fault caused by where your feet are. On the serve, it means a foot touching the court or outside the correct serving area, or both feet off the ground, when you hit the ball (Rule 7.A). At the net, it usually means a foot in the kitchen or on its line while volleying (Rule 11.A.1).
Forehand
A shot hit on the paddle side of your body, with the palm of your paddle hand and the inside of your forearm facing the net. For a right-handed player, that is the right side.
G
Grit
The texture on a paddle face. It is one input to spin, not the same thing as spin: swing path, contact, dwell time, and stiffness matter too, and grit wears down with play. See paddle grit vs spin .
H
Hands battle (firefight)
A fast exchange of volleys at the kitchen line, with both teams hitting quickly at each other. Reading the opponent’s paddle face early matters more than raw speed. See how to get faster hands .
Hinder
Something that interferes with play and is not caused by a player in the match, such as a stray ball rolling onto the court. A called hinder stops the rally, and the rally is replayed (Section 2, Rule 9.C).
K
Kitchen
The common name for the non-volley zone. See non-volley zone below, and the pickleball kitchen rules guide .
Kitchen line
The non-volley zone line, 7 feet from the net. It is part of the kitchen: touching it while volleying is a fault, and a serve that lands on it is out (Rules 3.A.4.c, 8.C).
L
Let
There is no let serve in the current USA Pickleball rules. A serve that touches the net and lands in the correct service court is in play (Rules 7.E, 13.A). Rallies are still replayed in a few situations, such as a hinder (Rule 9.C.2).
Lob
A high, deep shot hit over opponents who are at the net, meant to land near the baseline.
M
Momentum
In the kitchen rules, the movement that carries you on after a volley. It ends when you regain balance and control or stop moving toward the kitchen; if it carries you into the kitchen first, it is a fault, even after the ball is dead (Section 2, Rule 11.A.2).
N
Nasty Nelson
A serve aimed at the receiver’s partner, who usually stands near the kitchen line. If the served ball hits the receiver or their partner before it lands, it is a fault against the receiving team (Rule 7.E.5), so the serving team wins the rally.
Non-volley zone (NVZ)
The 7-foot by 20-foot area on each side of the net where you may not volley. Its lines, including the stretch of sideline beside it, are part of it, and it does not extend into the air above the court (Rule 3.A.4.c). You may stand in it at any time; you just cannot volley while touching it (Rule 11.A), volley before both feet are back down outside it after being in it (Rule 11.A.3), or let a volley’s momentum carry you into it (Rule 11.A.2).
O
Out
A ball that lands outside the court. A ball that touches a line is in, with one exception: a serve that lands on the kitchen line is out (Rules 8.B, 8.C).
Overhead (smash)
A hard, downward shot hit from above your head, usually against a lob or a high ball.
P
Plane of the net
The imaginary vertical plane of the net, extending above, below, and beyond both sides of it (Section 2). You may not cross it before you hit the ball (Rule 13.I.1.a), though your follow-through may cross it after contact (Rule 13.I.1).
Plow-through (plow)
How well a paddle keeps driving through the ball at contact instead of being pushed back by an incoming hard shot. It comes from mass toward the head of the paddle, so it rises with swing weight and a higher balance point, at the cost of slower hands. See swing weight, twist weight, and balance point .
Poach
Crossing into your partner’s half of the court to intercept a ball that was heading to them, usually with a volley at the kitchen line. It is legal (Rule 5.B.4). See what is poaching and when to poach .
Put-away
A shot hit hard enough, or at a sharp enough angle, that the opponents cannot return it, usually off a ball that sat up high.
R
Rally
Continuous play from the serve until the ball becomes dead (Section 2). The word is also used for any run of shots, as in a dink rally.
Rally scoring
A scoring method in which the team that wins each rally scores a point, whether or not it served. USA Pickleball lists it as a provisional option (Rule 14.A). In doubles, each team has one server per turn and the score is called with two numbers.
Ready position
The stance you hold between shots: feet about shoulder-width apart, knees soft, weight slightly forward, and paddle up in front of your chest.
Reset
A soft shot that takes the pace off an attacking ball and lands it low in the opponents’ kitchen, so they have to hit up. It turns a fast exchange back into a slow one. See speed up or reset .
Return of serve
The second shot of every rally: the receiver’s reply to the serve. The serve must bounce before it is returned, and the return must bounce before the serving team hits it (Rule 10.A).
S
Serve
The shot that starts each rally (Section 2). It is hit diagonally into the opposite service court and must clear the kitchen and its line (Rule 7.E). It can be a volley serve, hit out of the air with an upward arc, the paddle head below the wrist, and contact below the waist (Rule 7.C), or a drop serve, hit after the ball is dropped and bounces (Rule 7.D).
Server number
The third number in a doubles score call, 1 or 2, telling everyone whether the first or second server is serving (Rule 6.B.2). See how to keep score in pickleball .
Shake and bake
A doubles pattern in which one player hits a hard third shot drive and the partner moves forward to the net to put away the weak reply.
Side out
The serve passing to the other team after the serving side loses its serve (Section 2, Rule 5.A.3). In standard doubles scoring that happens after both partners have lost a rally, except at the start of a game.
Side-out scoring
The traditional scoring method, in which only the serving team can score a point (Rule 4.A). Games are usually played to 11, and you must win by 2.
Sideline
One of the two lines along the long sides of the court, perpendicular to the net (Rule 3.A.4.b). The stretch of sideline beside the kitchen is also part of the kitchen.
Skill rating
A level such as 3.0, 3.5, or 4.0, based on written descriptions of what a player can do reliably. It is not the same as DUPR, which is calculated from results. See the pickleball skill level test and what is a 4.0 pickleball player .
Speed-up
A sudden fast shot, usually from the kitchen line during a dink rally, aimed at an opponent’s body or paddle side. It is worth hitting only when the ball is attackable. See speed up or reset .
Split step
A small hop into a balanced, stopped stance just as your opponent hits the ball, so you can move in any direction. See return and run through the transition zone .
Stacking
A doubles formation in which both partners line up on the same side of the court before the serve or return, then move to their preferred sides as the point starts. It is legal, because only the server and receiver have fixed positions (Rule 5.B). See what is stacking .
Sweet spot
The area of the paddle face that gives the most solid, predictable response. Hits away from it lose pace and twist the paddle in your hand; a higher twist weight makes those misses more forgiving.
Swing weight
How heavy a paddle feels while it is moving: its rotational inertia around your hand, measured in kg·cm². Higher swing weight adds drive pace and plow-through but takes more effort to swing. See paddle specs explained .
Switch
Partners trading sides during a rally, usually after one of them is pulled wide or poaches, so both halves of the court stay covered.
T
Third shot
The serving team’s reply to the return of serve. Because the return must bounce first, the third shot is always played off a bounce (Rule 10.A.2). The main choices are the drop and the drive.
Third shot drop
A soft third shot that lands in the opponents’ kitchen, giving the serving team time to move up to the kitchen line. See third shot drop vs drive .
Transition zone
The middle of the court between the baseline and the kitchen line, which players move through on the way to the net. Balls often arrive at your feet there, so the usual answer is a reset. See return and run through the transition zone .
Tweener
A shot hit between your legs, usually while running back toward the baseline with your back to the net after a lob.
Twist weight
How well a paddle face resists twisting when you hit the ball off-center, measured in kg·cm². Higher twist weight means more forgiveness on mishits. See paddle specs explained .
Two-bounce rule
The serve and the return of serve must each bounce before being hit (Rule 10.A). From the fourth shot on, either team may volley. See the two-bounce rule .
U
Unforced error
A missed shot the opponent did nothing special to cause, such as dumping an easy dink into the net.
V
Volley
Hitting the ball out of the air, before it bounces (Section 2). You may not volley while touching the kitchen or its lines (Rule 11.A.1). A shot hit after one bounce is a groundstroke.
Your next step
Definitions are the easy half. The harder half is applying them in the middle of a point: whether that volley was a fault, whether that ball was attackable, whether the serve that clipped the net is in. Take the pickleball quiz to test your rules calls, then the free Pickleball IQ test to see how your in-game decisions hold up. For the full rules in one place, read the plain-language pickleball rules guide .