The Ultimate Guide to Pickleball Scoring for Competitive Players

One of the most difficult aspects for new pickleball players is teaching them how to score. For beginners and advanced players, keeping score in pickleball can be confusing. However, figuring out the nuances of scoring can be achieved quickly once you start to play. When you understand the scoring, you can work on mastering strategies that can turn you into an expert player.

Pickleball Scoring Basics

Scoring in pickleball is limited to the serving player or team. If you’re playing defense, which means that you aren’t on the serving side, the goal is to not fault.
A fault is any error by a pickleball player. If the defensive side faults, the serving team scores a point.
If the offensive side faults, the defense can regain the serve. Games are typically 11 points. You must win by 2 points. The game continues until one player or team gets ahead by 2 points.
When the serving side faults and gives up their serve, it’s called side out.
The pickleball travels diagonally on the serve and must land inside the box or it’s a fault. If it hits a line, the pickleball is in play.

Singles Scoring

Singles scoring is less complicated than doubles scoring because only one person serves. The key to remember with all pickleball scoring is that only the server can score.

There are two players.
Theoretically, a player could win without letting their opponent serve. They’d just have to make 11 straight points.
There is no second server in singles. If the server faults, their opponent gets the serve.
When the score is even, the server hits from the right side. When it’s odd, the server hits from the left side.
The scoring in pickleball is the server’s score first and their opponent’s second. For instance, if it’s 1-4, that means the server has a point and their opponent has 4 points.

Doubles Scoring

The main difference between singles and doubles scoring is the way the score is announced. Doubles scoring always announces the score using 3 numbers while singles scoring uses 2 numbers.

There are 4 players. Each team has 2 players.
The team that serves first gives up serving if they fault.
The team that serves second gets two faults before giving up the serve. After the first round of serves by both sides, it alternates teams after one fault for the rest of the match. Examples of a fault include hitting the ball into the net during play or when the server doesn’t land the ball inside the court.
Three numbers are used to document the score. A score of 1-4-1 means that the serving team is losing 1 to 4. The last number is the number of the server.
The first server on a team is No. 1 and the second server is No. 2. The player who begins on the right side of the court is No. 1 and the player on the left side of the court is No. 2. The player on the right side always serves first. Their number is designated as 1.
If you’re playing in a tournament, the score should be called out by the server. Failing to do so could result in a fault.

Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

For new players, learning how to score means avoiding some beginner's errors. Avoid these rookie mistakes.

Running to the Net After the Serve. In tennis, an attack move is to rush the net and swat an incoming shot out of the air before it hits the ground. Rushing the net is a power move that can make it hard for your opponent to recover. In pickleball, after the serve, the ball must bounce at least once before it’s hit and then the returning team must let it bounce before returning it. This is called the 2-bounce rule. It’s best to stay back to return the first volley.
Not Understanding the Kitchen Rules. The kitchen is a non-volley zone. It’s a 7-foot rectangular box that extends from the net from side-to-side. You can return a shot from the kitchen, but you can’t start a volley from inside the kitchen nor can you allow any part of your body to land in the kitchen after hitting a shot. You do have access to the air above the kitchen. That means you can follow through with your paddle into kitchen space and not be penalized.
Getting to the Kitchen Line. Winning points primarily happens around the kitchen area. Once a serve and volley have been executed, it’s best to get close to the kitchen. This is where skillful players attack. Staying back is more of a defensive posture. You just have to make sure you stay out of the kitchen.
Standing in the Middle of the Court or in No Man’s Land. Just like in tennis, you either want to be on the baseline or near the kitchen. Playing by the baseline gives you more room to chase shots. If you’re close to the kitchen, you can make offensive shots. No man’s land is the worst of both worlds. It’s hard to cover both sides of the court from that position and you aren’t in a great position to attack.
Hitting the Ball too Hard. Many beginners think smashing the ball is a great strategy to score but it’s difficult to control full-force shots. It’s better to learn how to drop balls in the corner and work on cutting and spinning the pickleball.

Winning a Game of Pickleball

To be competitive and to make the game challenging and fun, players need to understand the scoring. It’s a good idea to call out the score every time even if it’s not required. That’ll help you learn how to keep score. Remember, you must win by at least 2 points. While scoring is just one facet of the game, understanding the nuances of scoring will help you elevate your pickleball strategy. Knowing if you're ahead or behind can change your approach depending on the game situation. Once you’ve figured out how to keep score, you can focus your energy on the finer points of the game, like developing different shots and defining your offensive strategy.