Prairie Training Center

• Peak Pickleballers made a great 2-minute intro to Pickleball video. Watch it here.

• Want more detailed rules? Check out the official USA Pickleball website rules summary here.

The Kitchen

• The kitchen is the everyday term used to refer to the non-volley zone on either side of the net. Volleys are not permitted when a player is standing inside this area. If a player is in the kitchen, they must let the ball bounce first before hitting it. Also, a player’s momentum must not carry them into the kitchen after a volley.

Dink

• A dink is a soft shot that is hit on a bounce from the kitchen. Its intent is to barely arc over the net and land in the opposing kitchen area. Effective dinks create a more difficult return shot for your opponent. Dinking is a skill that takes time to learn and can be very effective when done properly.

Volley

• To volley is simply to hit the ball out of the air without letting it hit the ground first.

Fault

• Faults can happen when a ball isn't returned over the net and if a serve isn't put in play. Faults are enforced if players volley inside the kitchen as well.

ATP

• An ATP (short for Around The Post) is one of the most exciting shots in pickleball. This shot is where you return your opponent’s shot “around the post” as opposed to returning it over the net.

Erne

• The erne is a shot in which a player strategically jumps from behind the kitchen and lands to the side of the court out of bounds. This shot is used to generate a surprise attack on an opponent and often to win the point.

The basic equipment needed is simply paddles and balls. Once you have those, you can play anywhere that has a net and pickleball lines!