Pickleball / Topic 01

Pickleball rules

USA Pickleball / GPF · 2026

Last checked: 23 October 2026
Source: Official Pickleball Rulebook 2026 · Source pages: 7–8, 19, 38–39

In short

This guide follows the supplied 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Global Pickleball Federation edition. Its standard rules cover singles and doubles; tournament and adaptive sections add specific modifications.

On this page

The rule In practice

The rule

In practice

Players use paddles to send a perforated ball across a net. Standard scoring awards points only to the serving side. Rally scoring is a separate provisional option, not the default.

Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. This guide follows the supplied 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Global Pickleball Federation edition. Its standard rules cover singles and doubles; tournament and adaptive sections add specific modifications.
Sources & approach ↗