Quick answer: The kitchen is the 7-foot non-volley zone on each side of the net. You cannot hit the ball out of the air (volley) while you are standing in it or touching its line. You can step in to hit a ball that has bounced.
If you have ever heard someone yell "kitchen!" on a pickleball court, you know it is serious. It is the rule that trips up new players more than any other. Do not worry. We have all been there.
What is the kitchen in pickleball?
The kitchen is the 7-foot-deep zone on each side of the net, running the full width of the court. The lines count as part of it. Officially it is the non-volley zone, and it exists so nobody can park at the net and smash every ball into next week.
The kitchen rule
You cannot volley, meaning hit the ball before it bounces, while any part of you, or anything you are wearing or carrying, touches the kitchen or its lines. Paddle, shoe, hat, momentum, all of it. Volley, then stumble in? Fault, even if the ball is long gone.
What you CAN do in the kitchen
Quite a lot, actually. You can stand in it, walk through it, and hit a ball that has bounced. You just cannot volley while you are in there. You may stay in the kitchen to play a ball after it bounces. Before volleying again, reestablish both feet completely outside the kitchen and its lines. Your momentum from a volley must not carry you into the kitchen—even after the rally ends.
The serve and the kitchen
A serve that lands in the kitchen is a fault. It has to clear the kitchen and land in the right diagonal service court. The back line of the kitchen counts as kitchen too.
Common kitchen faults
- Stepping on the line while volleying
- Volleying, then face-planting forward into the kitchen
- Reaching over the net from inside the kitchen to volley
- Serving into the kitchen (so close, yet so wrong)
How to stay out of trouble
Look at your feet near the line, and let low balls bounce instead of lunging. Learn the dink, the soft shot hit from the kitchen line that lands in the opponent's kitchen. Practice placing a soft shot instead of trying to smash every ball. Your doubles partner may appreciate the plot twist.
Kitchen rule FAQ
Can you step in the kitchen in pickleball?
Yes. You can step in any time, as long as you are not volleying.
Is the kitchen line in or out?
The line counts as part of the kitchen, so touching it while you volley is a fault.
Can you serve into the kitchen?
No. A serve that lands in the kitchen is a fault.
Why is it called the kitchen?
Nobody knows for sure. One popular guess is that you can get burned if you are not careful.
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