The kitchen rule says you can't volley while you are in the kitchen. The kitchen is the non-volley zone, the strip of court within 7 feet of the net on each side. You can stand in it whenever you like. You just can't hit the ball out of the air while you, or the line around it, are touched.
This one rule saves a lot of arguments between points. It's the best-known of the pickleball rules, and the one new players fault most often.
What is the kitchen rule?
A volley is any shot you hit before the ball bounces. The kitchen rule bans volleys from inside the non-volley zone. According to the rules summary, it stops players from smashing the ball from right at the net.
Standing in the kitchen is not a fault. The same summary says a player may be in the zone any time other than when volleying a ball. So you can walk in to play a ball that has bounced, and you can wait there between shots.
Two things make a fault:
- You hit a volley while any part of you is in the zone.
- You hit a volley while touching the kitchen line.
How big is the kitchen?
The kitchen is a fixed size, and there's one on each side of the net.
| Part of the court | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Court, singles and doubles | 20 feet wide by 44 feet long |
| Kitchen depth | 7 feet from the net, on each side |
| Kitchen width | The full width of the court |
The court size and the 7-foot zone are the same for singles and doubles. The line 7 feet from the net is called the non-volley line.
Can you step into the kitchen?
Yes, as long as you aren't volleying. If the ball bounces in the kitchen, you can step in and hit it. Many players do this on a dink, a soft shot that lands in the kitchen.
What you can't do is volley while you're standing in it. If you touch the zone for any reason, you have to get both feet back outside before you volley again. One reference puts it plainly: a player may step in to play a ball after it bounces, but must return both feet outside the zone before volleying.
Does the kitchen line count?
Yes. The line belongs to the kitchen. Touching it while you volley is a fault, same as stepping well inside. A toe is enough.
What is a momentum fault?
A momentum fault happens after you hit the volley. You hit the ball legally from outside the kitchen, but your forward movement carries you into it.
The rules summary says it is a fault when your momentum causes you, or anything you are wearing or carrying, to touch the zone. Your shoe, your hat and your paddle all count. This holds even if the ball is already dead, so you need to stop yourself before you reach the line.
A few plain examples:
- You volley and your back foot lands on the kitchen line. Fault.
- You volley, stay outside, but your paddle hand swings down and touches the kitchen. Fault.
- You volley from behind the line and are balanced on the line when you stop. Fault.
Does the serve have to clear the kitchen?
Yes. On a serve the kitchen line is not in. The rules summary says a serve that touches the non-volley zone line is short, and a short serve is a fault. Every other line is in.
So the serve must clear the kitchen, including its line, and land in the diagonal service court. If you aren't sure who serves from where, our guide to server 1 or server 2 walks through it.
The two-bounce rule keeps the kitchen from becoming a rush to the net straight off the serve. The serve must bounce once on the receiving side, then the return must bounce once on the serving side, before anyone may volley. The rule exists, in the rules summary's words, to remove the serve and volley advantage and to extend rallies.
What mistakes do players make most often?
Most kitchen faults come from a handful of habits:
- Leaning in to volley a ball that is about to bounce. If it is close, let it bounce and then play it.
- Forgetting that the line counts, so a toe on the paint gets called.
- Stopping late after a volley at the net, when momentum does the damage.
- Stepping into the kitchen to volley and thinking that touching it first doesn't matter.
If you keep your feet back and let the short balls bounce, you avoid nearly all of them. When a ball is hit hard at you from close range, a step back usually gives you the room to volley legally.
Try it with Pickle Call
Pickle Call keeps score for you, so you can keep your eyes on your feet. It scores games to 11, 15 or 21, win by 2, in matches of best of 1, 3 or 5. It tracks game point and match point, and it calls the change of ends. It doesn't call kitchen faults. That call is still yours and your opponents', and it is always worth agreeing the line before you start.
Pickle Call is coming to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. There is no account and no tracking.
Bottom line
The kitchen is the 7-foot zone on each side of the net. You can stand in it, you can hit a ball that has bounced from it, and you can't volley from it. Touching the line or being carried in by your momentum is a fault, and a serve on the kitchen line is short.
Questions
- Can you stand in the kitchen in pickleball?
- Yes. You can stand in the kitchen any time you are not volleying. You can step in to play a ball that has already bounced.
- Is the kitchen line part of the kitchen?
- Yes. Touching the line while you volley is a fault, and a serve that lands on the kitchen line is short.
- Can you hit a ball that bounces in the kitchen?
- Yes. Once the ball has bounced, you can play it from inside the kitchen or from behind it.
- What is a momentum fault in pickleball?
- If your momentum after a volley carries you, or anything you wear or carry, into the kitchen, it is a fault. That holds even if the ball is already dead.
