The doubles bounce rule in pickleball is one of the most confusing rules for beginning pickleball players to pick up because it is so unnatural for a player to be restricted from hitting a playable ball. But the rule serves a purpose in a pickleball game and we will talk about that purpose here. Once you play a few games of pickleball you start to see why the rule is there by understanding how different the game would be played if the Double Bounce Rule was not in place.
What is the Purpose of the Pickleball Double Bounce Rule?
The USA Pickleball rules committee has put this rule in place with the intent to extend rallies and make the game more playable and enjoyable.
One of the joys of playing pickleball are the long rallies where players can use strategy and skill to win points on their opponent. If pickleball rallies were only 2 – 3 shots long then the game certainly wouldn’t be as much fun.
Imagine how easy and different the game would be if the serve return could be hit out of the air at any time and put away for a winner? That wouldn’t be fun for most players and the game of pickleball would be a totally different game for most.
10 Key Pickleball Rules Every Player Should Know
The Two-Bounce Rule Definition
The USA Pickleball rules committee has addressed the start of a pickleball game in the USA Pickleball Rules Book with a short but clear definition. The rule reads:
Two-Bounce Rule: after the ball is served, each side must make one groundstroke prior to volleying the ball.
The rule is also addressed in one other area of the rulebook:
7.A: (A fault will be declared) if the serve or service return does not bounce before the ball is struck.
Who Benefits from the Double Bounce Rule?
All players benefit from this rule because the intent is to place the serving team and the return team on equal footing for the start of a doubles pickleball game.
But one could make an argument that because pickleball games are largely won at the kitchen line, the return team has a slight advantage because they can return the serve deep and immediately make their way to the kitchen line, creating a slight advantage for their side.
There is also an advantage to this rule for experienced pickleball players over beginning pickleball players. When I first started playing pickleball and I was serving, it was my natural instinct to take a few steps in to the court following a serve. Experienced players noticed that and would hit the ball back to me deep in the court and at my feet to where I had difficulty making the return or couldn’t make it at all.
It didn’t take long for me to learn this part of pickleball strategy and stay back until the serve came back from the return team. I see beginning pickleball players make this mistake all the time and I was often guilty of this myself when I started playing.
Is There any Difference Between the Double Bounce Rule and the Two Bounce Rule?
You will hear this rule referred to by two different names, either the double bounce rule or the two-bounce rule.
In the early version of the USA Pickleball rulebook, this rule was referred to as the double bounce rule. But in approximately 2018, the rules committee changed the name of the rule to the two-bounce rule which is how it continues to be referred to today.
I believe the change was made to this term in the rulebook because of an update that was added for a rule that references a ball that bounces twice. Let’s cover that next.
Can the Ball Bounce Twice on your Side?
There is a rule in the pickleball rulebook that addresses this topic, and the rule reads as follows:
3.A.7: Double Bounce: when the ball bounces twice on one side before it is returned.
This is considered to be a fault according to the pickleball rulebook as it should and is also addressed here:
7.E: (A fault will be declared for) Failure of a standing player to return the ball before it bounces twice on the receiving player’s side of the net
There is an exception to this rule, for Wheelchair players, these players using wheelchairs may allow the ball to bounce twice before returning the ball. The second bounce can be anywhere on the playing surface, which includes the area surrounding the court.
Does the Double Bounce Rule Apply in Singles Pickleball?
Most of the basic and foundational rules put in to place by the USA Pickleball rules committee apply to both singles and doubles. That way, players can seamlessly play either singles or doubles and not have to learn and adjust to a new set of rules based on which game they are playing.
In the case of the double bounce rule, aka known as the two-bounce rule, this rule does apply to both singles and doubles pickleball games.
As we discussed earlier in this article, the rules as written in the rulebook apply to both singles and doubles games unless specifically written to the contrary.
And this rule:
7.A: (A fault will be declared) if the serve or service return does not bounce before the ball is struck.
makes it clear that the first two shots of a game, the serve and the return of serve, must bounce before being hit. Once that happens, any shot after the first two can be volleyed out of the air.
Final Thoughts
When I first started playing pickleball I didn’t know what to make of the two-bounce rule. As a tennis player, it goes against every instinct I’ve learned about always hitting a playable ball out of the air whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Now that I have played my share of pickleball games, I understand this rule better and I have come to appreciate why the rules committee put it in place.
There are certainly many long-time tennis fans that have fond memories of watching matches played by legendary serve and volley tennis players like John McEnroe and Pete Sampras who both mastered the serve and volley technique on their way to both winning multiple tennis grand slams.
But pickleball is a different game played on a smaller court so a rule like the two-bounce rule definitely has a place in the game and I am happy that it is there.
I hope our article was helpful to you and that our knowledge will make you a better pickleball player. Keep playing pickleball, make new friends, and have lots of fun on the court.