Never held a paddle? Good. Pickleball takes about five minutes to learn. This page has everything you need to walk onto a court in Shimoga and play a real game.
It is a paddle sport that borrows a little from tennis, badminton and table tennis, played on a small court with a low net and a light plastic ball full of holes.
Two players (singles) or four players (doubles) hit the ball back and forth over the net until someone misses. It is low-impact, easy on the knees, and genuinely fun from your very first rally. Doubles is by far the most common way to play, so that is what this guide assumes.
One side serves, and the ball must land in the diagonally opposite service court. From there, the key beginner rule: the ball has to bounce once on each side before anyone is allowed to hit it out of the air. So the serve bounces, the return bounces, and only then can players start volleying. This is the "two-bounce" rule and it stops the serving team from rushing the net for an easy smash.
After those two bounces the rally is open. Players hit it back and forth until someone hits the ball out, into the net, or breaks a rule. Only the side that served can score a point on that rally.
Games are played to 11 points, win by 2 (so 11–9 ends it, but 10–10 keeps going). You can only score when your side is serving. If you are serving and you lose the rally, you do not lose a point — the serve just passes on. When it passes back to the other team it is called a side out.
In doubles the score is called out as three numbers before each serve: your team's score, the other team's score, and whether you are the first or second server (1 or 2). "Four–two–one" means your side has 4, they have 2, and you are the first server. It feels odd for a week, then it is automatic.
The kitchen is the 7 ft zone on each side of the net. The one rule that matters: you cannot volley the ball (hit it before it bounces) while any part of you is inside the kitchen or touching its line. You are welcome to step in to play a ball that has already bounced — you just have to step back out before you volley again.
Almost every beginner fault happens here: reaching in to volley a ball out of the air, or catching your momentum and landing a toe on the line. When in doubt, let it bounce.
Start each point with both partners near your baseline. As the rally settles, the goal is to move up together to the kitchen line — that is the strongest position on the court, because you can take balls early and angle them down. Move up as a pair, not one at a time.
Talk to each other. "Yours", "mine", "out" — short and loud. If a ball comes down the middle, the player on the forehand side usually takes it. Fancy things like "stacking" exist; ignore them for now and just play.
Our three courts in Shimoga are open 6 AM to 11 PM every day and every skill level is welcome, complete beginners included. If it is your first time, tell the staff — someone will give you a two-minute walkthrough before you start. Courts are booked in one-hour slots, so be ready to finish up on time and let the next group on.
The best way to learn is to play. Grab a slot, bring a friend or two, and figure it out on the court.