Pickleball Terms

Ace: A serve that is not hit at all by the receiver. Point for serving team.

Approach Shot:  When the ball is hit while moving forward towards the net. ​

Backcourt:​ The area from the baseline to around 3-4 feet inside the court.

Backspin: Applying spin to the ball by striking it with high-to-low motion​ causing the ball to spin backwards.

Backswing: the motion of swinging the pickleball paddle back from the ready position before swinging it forward.

Backhand: Shot where the player strikes the ball while the back of their hand is facing forward, usually on the non-dominant side of their body  (the opposite side of the hand you’re holding the paddle with).

Baseline: Lines that forms the back of the court; parallel with the net (22 feet from the net).

Carry:  A shot where the pickleball rolls or slides along the face of the paddle during the forward swing as opposed to when the ball pops off as its hit.

Centerline: The line the extends from the Non-Volley Zone to the Baseline and divides the service court into two equal halves.

“Champion Shot”:  A pickleball shot that bounces twice in the Non-Volley Zone.​

Chop: Swing the paddle quickly from high to low to put backspin on the pickleball.

Cross-court: The court area on the other side of the net and opposite your side (left or right) of the court.

Dead Ball:  A ball is declared “dead” after a fault, the point is over.

“Dead Paddle”:  When the ball is hit with very little power causing it to fall short of the net.  (see also “falafel”)

“Dillball”: Shot that is inbounds and has bounced once, a live ball. ​

Dink: A soft shot made from near the non-volley zone that arcs over the net and falls into or near the opposing team’s non-volley zone.

Doubles: A pickleball game played between four people (two on each team).

Double Bounce: A ball that bounces more than once on one side of the net before being returned.

Double Hit: When the pickleball is hit twice by one team before being returned over the net. This can happen by the same player or one hit per teammate.

“Down the Line”: A shot that travels near and parallel to the sideline.  ​

Drive:  A forehand shot hit straight and low, usually deep into the opposing team’s backcourt. ​(see also drive serve)

Drop Shot: A soft shot hit from middle to back court that clears the pickleball net and falls in or near the non-volley zone.

Drop Shot Volley: A drop shot hit before the ball touches the ground.

Drop Spin: Spin that’s put on the ball by chopping or slicing so that drops quickly after making it over the net.

Face: The broad surfaces of either side of the pickleball paddle used to strike the ball.

“Falafel”:  When the ball is hit with very little power causing it to fall short of the net.  (see also “dead paddle”)

Fault: Any action that stops play due to a rule violation.

“Flabjack”: A mid air pickleball that must bounce once before it can be hit. (during the serve and after it’s return)

Flat Face:  When the face of the pickleball paddle is held parallel to the net.

Foot Fault:  A fault caused by stepping over or onto a line when doing so causes a fault.

Follow Through: The continuation of the forward motion of the paddle in the direction you want the pickleball to travel.

Forehand:  Shot where the player strikes the ball while the front of their hand is facing forward, usually on the dominant side of their body (the side of the hand you’re holding the paddle with).

Game:  A series of points played until one team has reached the designated number of points (often 11, 15, or 21). Usually must win by 2 points.

Grip: The material wrapped around the handle of a pickleball paddle or the way a player holds the paddle.

Ground Stroke: When the ball is hit after a bounce (as opposed to a “volley”, which is hit before it bounces)

Half-Volley: A ground stroke shot that’s hit immediately after the ball contacts the court.

Head: The part of the pickleball paddle above the handle that’s used to hit the ball. Includes the paddle face.

Kitchen: A common slang term for the Non-Volley Zone.​

Let: A serve that hits the net but still lands in the service court.  Let serves are replayed.

Line Calls: An indication by of whether or not the ball hit in-bounds or out of bounds. See complete article about Line Calls.

Lob: A  high deep shot going over the heads of the opponents with the intent of forcing the opponent to their backcourt. See complete article about the Lob Serve.

Midcourt: The middle area on the pickleball court from the Non-Volley Zone to the backcourt.

Non-Volley Zone: An area that extends 7 feet from the net on each side, within which a player is not allowed to strike the ball without it first bouncing. (see also “kitchen”)

Overhead Shot: A shot hit where the paddle starts above your head and moves downward.​

“Opa”:  Often yelled after the 3rd shot has been hit and open volleying has begun. ​

Open Face: A way of holding the pickleball paddle angled slightly upward.​

Paddle: The equivalent of a racket ​in tennis. Pickleball paddles are made of wood, composite, or graphite.

Passing Shot: A shot that goes beyond an opponent’s reach and lands in bounds. Often made as an opponent approaches or is already at the non-volley zone.

Permanent Object: Any object on or near the court, including hanging over the court, that can interfere with play. Permanent objects include the ceiling, walls, fencing, lighting fixtures, net posts, the stands and seats for spectators, the referee, line judges, spectators when in their recognized positions, and all other objects around and above the court.

“Pickle!”: Varies by region. 1) A warning yelled out by the server to notify all players on the pickleball court that they are about to serve. 2) A warning yelled to notify players on a different court that there is an extra ball on the court which stops play and helps keep players from stepping on an errant ball.

“Pickled”:  Scoring zero total points in a game. The same as getting “skunked” in other sports.

“Pickledome”:  Court where the championship match in a pickleball tournament is played.

“Pickler”:  Someone who plays pickleball. Can also refer to someone who not only plays the sport, but plays often and promotes the sport.

Poach: To reach into your partner’s side of the court to hit a shot (in doubles).

“Put Away”:  A shot with no chance of being returned.

Punch Shot: Quick, short volley shot with little back swing and short follow through.

Rally: The time between a serve and a fault causing play to stop.

Rally Scoring: A non-standard method of scoring where either team can gain a point regardless of who is serving.

Ready Position:  Describes the position of a player when they are in position and “ready” for the ball to be hit by their opponent.

Receiver: The player diagonally opposite from the server

Second Serve: The serve that happens at the start of a game or after a team loses the first of its two allowed serves.

Serve: An underhand shot used to put the pickleball into play at the start of a rally/point. (see also “service”)

Service: An underhand shot used to put the pickleball into play at the start of a rally/point (see also “serve”)

Server Number: Either a “1” or a “2” to denote the first or second server allowed per side. Vocalized as the third number when calling the score. For example, when the score is 10-8, a player will say “ten, eight, two” or “ten, eight, on two”.

Service Court: The area where a serve must land – on either side of the center line between the non-volley line and the baseline.

Shadowing: Lateral movement with your doubles partner ​so that you always stay around 10 feet (or 6-7 feet depending on your strategy) apart to maintain maximum court coverage.

Sideline: The lateral border of the pickleball court that splits the playing area and the out of bounds area.​

Side Out: When one team loses its serve and other team is awarded serve.

Singles: A game with only two players, one player on each side of the court.

Slam: ​ An overhead shot that’s hit with power. (see also “smash”)

Slice: A type of shot used to create backspin on the ball where the paddle moves sharply downwards as it comes in contact with the ball.

Smash: ​ An overhead shot that is hit with power. (see also “slam”)

Stroke:  The motion of arm and paddle when striking the pickleball.

Technical Foul: When a player violates any rule calling for a technical foul, the referee will add one point to the opponent’s score.

Top Spin: When the ball spins forward causing the ball to drop quickly and skip forward when it bounces.

Volley: When the ball is hit in the air before it bounces.

“Volley Llama”: An illegal move where the pickleball is hit as a volley in the non-volley zone.

Quotes (“”) denote an unofficial term, slang, or jargon.

Are there any terms we’ve missed? Any that you think are unclear or could use further detail? We’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments!