How to Play Pickle

Co-authored by Jessie Davidson and Eric McClure

Pickle is a fun recess game where 2 players try to tag runners as they sprint between bases. Pickle can also refer to Pickleball, which is a game played by 2 teams on a court with a net, similar to tennis. To play either game, you’ll need the right equipment and some friends to play with!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Playing Recess Pickle

1
Set up two bases 20–30 feet (6.1–9.1 m) apart. In an open area with plenty of space, set up bases for each thrower. You can use actual baseball bases if you have them, or you can lay down any object that won’t float away and is easily visible, like a traffic cone or small bin.^{[1]
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2
Select 2 players to be the designated throwers at each base. 2 players will serve as the designated throwers, and will stay at their specific base permanently until they switch with a runner. They can throw the ball back and forth to one another, but they aren’t allowed to leave their assigned base unless they have to pick the ball up off of the ground in the event of an inaccurate throw.^{[2]
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- You can use a soft dodgeball, tennis ball, or football to play pickle.
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3
Start the game with 2 throws back and forth while the runners wait. The rest of the players are runners, and start the game by standing in between the 2 throwers. The throwing players initiate the start of the game by taking 2 practice throws back and forth.^{[3]
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- Pickle is a good game if you have a large group. You can easily fit up to 15 players between the bases.
4
Play by running between the bases while the thrower tries to catch you. After the third throw, runners can sprint in either direction to reach one of the bases. The throwers lob the ball back and forth to one another while trying to tag runners before they reach a base. To tag a player, all you have to do is touch them with the ball while you’re still holding it. A player is only safe if they are standing on or behind a base.^{[4]
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- Runners count how many times they can run back and forth between bases. The runner with the most runs back and forth is the winner after everyone has been tagged out.
5
Switch with the thrower after you’ve been tagged 3 times. If you’re a runner and you’ve been tagged 3 times, switch places with the last thrower to tag you. That thrower then becomes a runner, and you become the thrower until you’ve tagged a different runner 3 times.^{[5]
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Tip: You can play a sudden-death version of the game where you’re out of the game completely after you’ve been tagged 3 times.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Playing Pickleball

1
Get the right equipment and find 3 friends to play with. While you can play with only 2 players, pickleball is almost always played by 2 teams, with 2 players on each team. You’ll also need a ball and paddles. A pickleball looks like a whiffle ball with slightly smaller holes. It is also a little harder. Pickle paddles look like ping pong paddles, except they’re more rectangular and 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) larger on each side. ^{[6]
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- You can purchase a pickleball ball and paddles online or in a sporting goods store.
2
Find a pickleball court or make your own. There may be pickleball courts at a nearby beach or park. You can play there, or draw your own court with chalk and a collapsible net. A pickleball court is 44 by 22 feet (13.4 m × 6.7 m) and divided in half by a net. Each side is divided into three zones, with the left and right serving boxes flush against the base line on each side.^{[7]
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- The area in between the net and the serving boxes is called the kitchen.
Tip: If you don’t have a pickleball court nearby and you don’t own a collapsible net, you can use chalk and a measuring tape to draw out the dimensions on a tennis court.
3
Serve underhand from behind the base line near your serving box. Every serve in pickleball must be made underhand. To serve, stand behind the base line of your serving box. Lob the ball in front of you with your nondominant hand, and firmly strike the bottom of the ball with your paddle. Your serve must bounce in the serving box on the opposite corner from where you’re serving.^{[8]
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- If a serve bounces in the kitchen, it is a fault and the next serving player serves.
- A fault is a mistake, and means that the serving team has failed to score by serving incorrectly, sending the ball out of bounds, or letting the pickleball ball bounce. The serve moves to the player on the left after every fault.
4
Let the ball bounce once before returning a serve. You are not allowed to hit a ball in the air before letting it bounce during the first return. The pickleball ball must bounce at least once on each side before either team is allowed to hit the ball mid-air. If the returning team doesn’t let the ball bounce once, the opposing team scores a point and continues to serve. ^{[9]
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- If the serving team doesn’t let the ball bounce, it is a fault and play stops. Moving clockwise, the next player serves.
Tip: The player on the right side of the court is always player 1, and the player on the left is always player 2. The same is true on the opposite side, so player 1 always serves at the other player 1 and vice versa.
5
Alternate servers after every fault. Each time a serving team fails to score, move the serve clockwise. So if a team fails to score when the player on the right is serving, the serve moves to the player on the left of the same team. If the serving team fails to score again, the serve moves to the left again and the player on the right serving box of the opposite side gets to serve.^{[10]
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- A side out is a term in pickleball that means the serve is going to the opposing team after a team has failed to score twice.
6
Move up to the kitchen after the ball has bounced on each side. After the ball has bounced once on each side of the court after the serve, each player can hit the ball mid-air. This means that each player should move up towards the kitchen so that they can return the ball quickly and prevent the pickleball ball from bouncing twice or bouncing out of bounds.^{[11]
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- You are not allowed to hit the ball while standing in the kitchen, so stand on the edge of your serving box, closest to the net.
7
Understand the rotation by tracking scores and faults. In pickleball, only the serving team can score and the serve only moves after a fault. This means that every round in pickleball results in a score or a fault. If a serving team scores, the same player continues to serve until a fault has occurred.^{[12]
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- A game is usually over when a team has won 2 sets. A set is won by scoring 11 points.^{[13]
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8
Award points to the serving team for scoring. There are a few ways for the serving team to score in pickleball. A point is awarded if the ball bounces more than once on the opposing team’s side of the court, the ball bounces once on the opposing team’s side and isn’t returned, or if the opposing team knocks the ball out of bounds without hitting the serving team’s side. A point is also awarded if the opposing team hits the net.^{[14]
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- If the serving team knocks the ball out of bounds, lets it bounce twice on their side, or hits the net, it is a fault and the serve rotates to the left.
9
Announce the score and serving player number prior to each serve. Each player announces three numbers before serving. The first number you’ll announce is your team’s score, followed directly by the opposing team’s score. The last number that you shout is the serving player’s number, with player 1 on the right and player 2 on the left.^{[15]
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- A sample score announcement might be “4-5-2.” This means that the serving team has 4 points, the opposing team has 5 points, and the player on the left is serving.
- If you are babysitting, you can play this game with the kids. It will be exciting and fun for them.
- A proactive babysitter should have fun activities and interesting things to keep the children engaged.
- Parents prefer babysitters who come prepared with age-appropriate activities.
Tip: An easy way to remember what the numbers mean is to think “me-you-who.” The first number is your score, the second number is the other team’s score, and the third number is the assigned server.

Community Q&A

Question

Why is Pickle ball a sport and what is the point?

Community Answer

The point is that it is a little slower paced than tennis so anyone can play. It is also simple, so you might not know how to play, but then you can be having fun within the hour. It also has a smaller court which people like because it is easier to socialize.
Question

Can I use a wiffle ball?

Brandon Safiran

Community Answer

A wiffle ball probably would not make the distance, depending on what your distance is. A tennis ball, or a soft squishy ball would be best for this game.