Your Guide to Pickleball Terms & Definitions

A:

Ace – A serve that lands in and is untouched by the player returning the serve.

Approach Shot – A shot hit from the backcourt or midcourt used in transition to the NVZ (kitchen).

ATP – “Around the Post” shots occur when a player hits the ball from behind the kitchen line but outside of the court sideline. The ATP is aimed around the outside of the net post (usually flying lower than the height of the net) and lands on the opponent’s side of the court.

B:

Backhand – Opposite of the forehand, the backhand is a shot hit from the non-dominant side of the body, using the dominant arm for a one-handed backhand or both arms in the case of a two-handed backhand.

Backspin – Also referred to as slice, backspin describes a reverse rotation applied to the ball, which is generated with a high-to-low forward swing path through contact of the ball.

Backswing – The backswing describes the early preparation aspect of the swing path or positioning the paddle back before swinging forward to contact of the ball.

Banger – A term used to describe a somewhat one-dimensional player who relies on power rather than variety.

Baseline –The baseline is the line at the back of the court and measures 20 feet from one corner to the other. The area around the baseline is also known as the backcourt.

Bert – You could call the Bert a poached Erne (defined below). Like the Erne, hitting a Bert allows the player to hit the shot closer to the net by either leaping over the kitchen before hitting the ball or already positioned outside the court prior to ball contact. A Bert, though, has you hitting the shot on your teammate’s side of the court.

Blast-Off – When the score is 3-2-1, “blast-off” is a clever term used after calling that particular score and just before letting a serve rip.

Body Bag or Body Tag – When a shot is hits an opponent, it is referred to as a “body bag” shot.

Bounce It! – When one player calls a teammate off a shot, the term “bounce it” is often used and is not considered a hindrance to play and/or the other team.

C:

Carry – When a player attempts to hit a shot and ends up holding the ball on the paddle face for most of the follow through of the swing path. Not always, but this is usually by accident.

Centerline – The middle line that divides the two services areas of both sides of the court. It is 15 feet long and extends from the baseline to the NVZ.

Closed Face – When the side of the paddle face that will make contact with the ball is slightly or entirely pointed down toward the court.

Champion Shot – A winning shot that bounces twice in the NVZ.

Chop – Usually refers to a short high-to-low swing path that creates a backspin or slice rotation on the ball.

Continental Grip – A way to hold a paddle that works for most every shot. You can establish a continental grip by just shaking hands with the paddle. The result is the “V” between the index finger and thumb straddles the 12 o’clock bevel when the paddle face is vertical.

Crangle (crazy-angle) – A cross-court shot (volley or groundstroke) that usually lands short and is hit at such an extreme angle the player retrieving is entirely off the court.

Cross Court – A ball or shot hit diagonally instead of being aimed parallel to the sideline.

D:

Dead Ball – After the conclusion of a point or rally, the ball is considered to be dead.

Dig (see half volley/reset) – Similar to the dig in volleyball, the dig in pickleball is a defensive shot that occurs when a player is absorbing the pace of an offensive shot, usually in a low crouched and/or stretched out position.

Dillball – An inbound shot that bounces once is a dill or “live” ball.

Dingles – An incredibly fun game for four players that starts with two cross-court rallies occurring at the same and continues until one of the two rallies is lost. The remaining live rally ball is then eligible for full court play and hit by all four players.

Dink – A softer, control-oriented shot made near the NVZ line designed to drop just into the kitchen close to your opponent’s feet. Get some tips on how to master this important shot in our article on the dink.

Dinner – A point-winning dink.

Dirty Winner – As opposed to a clean winner, a “dirty winner” is when the ball clips the net and then sneaks through the radar of the opposing team without any paddle contact.

Double Bounce Rule – A part of the essence of pickleball, the Double Bounce Rule requires both the serve and the return of serve to bounce on their respective sides of the court before a player or team can hit an airborne shot.

Double Elimination (or loser’s bracket) – It is a tournament format that does not put a player or team out of contention after losing one match, essentially giving them a second chance.

Doubles Pickleball – Currently the most popular and common way to play and view the sport is with two teams (four players total).

Double Hit – Usually hit by accident, a double hit indicates that the pickleball bounces twice on the same paddle before the opposing or player has the chance to hit the next shot. This is a legal shot so long as the swing is one continuous motion.

Down the Line (or DTL) – These shots are hit parallel to the sideline, usually struck close to the sideline as opposed to the center of the court.

Drop Shot – A minimal pace shot designed to land short and away from the opposing player or team. Drop shots can be hit off a high pace shot or off another drop or dink shot.

Drop Spin – A ball that is sliced or has an excessive level of backspin, which restricts the forward progress of the shot after crossing the net, causing it to drop or even slightly reverse direction after it bounces.

E:

Eastern Grip – It is close to a continental grip, and like the continental style, the eastern grip is effective for most shots in pickleball. For right-handed players, an eastern grip is achieved by rotating the handle from the top 12 o’clock bevel so that the “V” between the thumb and index finger straddles the 11 o’clock position. And for lefties, you rotate the handle from 12 o’clock so the “V” is at the 1 o’clock spot.

Erne – A shot named after Erne Perry that allows a player to hit a ball closer to the net without stepping in the kitchen. The shot is executed by either already being outside the court when the shot is hit or by leaping over the kitchen beyond the sideline.

F:

Fault – A violation of a rule or rules, resulting in the end of a rally of point.

French Fries – The numeral 1 resembles a French fry, and when the score is 1-1-1, in pickleball speak, many players will call it out in plural form: French Fries!

Follow Through – The portion of a swing that occurs after contact of the ball.

Foot Fault – The call made when a player either steps on the baseline or advances over it to hit a serve. It is also a foot fault if the player does the same during a rally at the NVZ line and steps over the kitchen line after hitting a shot.

Forehand – Opposite of the backhand, the forehand is a shot hit from the dominant side of the body using

G:

Golden Pickle - Occurs when a player or team does win any rallies or score any points, from 0-0-2 all the way to 11-0-2.

Groundstroke – This shot is hit off the bounce from either wing and from the backcourt or midcourt, regardless of whether the ball lands deep in the opponent’s court.

H:

Half Volley – A shot that is hit right after the bounce but is still on the rise. This could also be a reset.

Handcuffed – A term often used when a shot is aimed to the body.

Highway 111 – Similar to the term, “French fries.” When the score is 1-1-1 players call out Highway 111 because that reflects the score and is also the main road through Palm Springs that leads to some of the biggest events in the sport of pickleball like the PPA Masters.

Hindrance – Is an audible or physical impediment to a player or player during point play.

I:

Inside Out – This is a shot hit cross court but is hit away from the body instead of across it.

K:

Kamakazi – Players who crash their way to the kitchen line every chance they get, whether there is a rhyme or reason to it.

Kitchen – Generic or slang term for the NVZ. It is a portion of the court that is 7 feet from the net on each side of the court and 20 feet wide from sideline to sideline. This is a restricted play zone, and players cannot enter the kitchen or retrieve shots inside the kitchen unless they are off the bounce.

Kitchen Line – The line that stretches from each sideline and on both sides of the net, which is 7 feet from the net and designates the non-volley zone.

L:

Layout – This occurs when a player sacrifices everything to successfully retrieve a shot by hurling their body horizontally through the air.

Leave – The leave is a shot that you sense is going to fly long and you let it do precisely that.

Let – A let is when a serve clips the net, continues on and lands in the opponent’s court beyond the NVZ line. In pickleball, this serve is valid, and the point will continue.

Line Calls – A determination of whether a shot landed in or out of bounds. Line calls can be made by either player, team or by an official during sanctioned competition.

Lob – The lob is a defensive response hit high over the net in an attempt to neutralize the other team’s offensive shot making. A timely lob maximizes the time between shots and allows the player or team who hit the lob to regain court position.

M:

Midcourt – Sometimes referred to as no-man’s land, the midcourt is the portion of the court that is between the baseline and kitchen line.

N:

Nasty Nelson – A Nasty Nelson occurs when the server targets the non-returning player at net with their serve. Technically this is a legal shot because the non-returning player is never allowed to interfere with serve in any way.

Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) – This is the official term for the kitchen and was derived from badminton. The NVZ measures 7 feet from the net on both sides of the court and stretches from one sideline to the other.

O:

Open Face – When the side of the paddle face that is going to make contact with the ball is aimed slightly or entirely up toward the sky.

Overhead (Slam) – Typically an offensive shot intended to be the last shot of the rally (a put-away), the overhead is hit off of a lob.

P:

Painting the Line – A shot that lands directly on a court line without any part of the ball making contact outside of the line it landed on.

Passing Shot – This shot is hit from the midcourt or baseline and is designed to sneak past or through the defenses of one or both players positioned near the kitchen.

Pickled – Getting pickled means a player or team remained scoreless for an entire game.

Poach – A poached shot is when a player, often positioned at the net, makes a sudden movement to cover the opposite side of the court and intercepts it before their teammate has the chance to make a play on the ball.

Put-away – It’s a point-ending shot, usually a volley hit from the midcourt or even closer to the kitchen line.

R:

Rally – It is a series of shot exchanges between two players or teams, whether it is official point play or not.

Rally Scoring – In this scoring system, the team or player who wins the rally gets the point and the right to serve.

Rally Tolerance – A player’s ability and/or mentality to “hang in there” and consistently stay in shot exchanges for as long as it takes.

Ready Position – This athletic position is the foundation of your balance, stability and readiness to move in any direction toward a shot. The ready position is accomplished with your feet spread a little wider than the shoulders, a slight bend at the knees, your weight leaning forward toward the ball’s of your feet and chin up facing forward.

Receiver – The player or team member who is on the receiving end of an incoming shot; most often this refers to the person who is returning serve.

Replay - If there is a disagreement or discrepancy over a call during a point, that point can be replayed with no point or sideout change awarded.

Reset – A transitional and defensive shot usually hit from the midcourt. It’s intended to bring play to the kitchen line whether it was hit in the air or off the bounce.

Return (of Serve) - Is second shot of a point, which is hit off of the bounce of the serve and can be aimed to any area of the court. Find out why we think this shot is the most important shot in pickleball.

S:

Scorpion – An offensive overhead shot hit while in a low-squatted position that otherwise would have to be hit defensively if standing up straight.

Serve – The first shot hit in a point in pickleball, which is hit under handed and aimed cross court, with ball contact occurring at or under waist height.

Service Area – Each side of the court, from the baseline to the NVZ, is divided by a center line and split into two 15 feet x 10 feet service areas.

Shot Tolerance – A player’s ability and/or appetite to deal with a variety of different shots.

Sideline – The lateral or side boundary line of the court and runs the entire 44-foot length of the court.

Singles – A format for playing pickleball that pits just two players against each other on opposite sides of the net.

Side-out – This format of scoring points is the most common in pickleball. Sideout scoring only allows the serving team to accrue a point. When the returning team wins a rally, they get the chance to serve the next point but do not actually get the point from the rally they won.

Skinny Singles – A way to play singles pickleball without having to cover the entire court. Typically, points are played on the diagonal, but skinny singles can also be played down the line.

Slice – Refers to the rotational direction of the ball. Slicing the ball is basically anything but topspin. It could be backspin or more of a corkscrew/side rotation.

Smash – An aggressively hit shot intended to end the point, usually when ball contact that is hit above shoulder height. It could also be called an overhead.

Split Step – The split step is part of getting ready to hit a shot. With your feet spread a little wider than the shoulders and while anticipating an incoming shot, the player makes a subtle upward hop with both feet. Upon landing the split step, the player can efficiently move in any direction toward the ball.

Stacking – This is a tactic used in doubles and is meant to create a positional and shot advantage. Both players start on the same side of the centerline, and the server then slides to the other side after the serve and before the return.

Switching – When teammates plan to switch sides in the middle of a point to create a positional or strategic advantage.

T:

Third Shot – Literally refers to the third shot of a point. The significance of the number relates to it being the last shot of a rally that must bounce prior to being struck. Learn more in our third shot drop article.

Topspin – A forward rotation on the ball.

Transition Zone – Also known as the midcourt, the transition zone is located between the baseline and the NVZ.

Tweener – A shot that is hit from between the legs of the player, either from a position facing the net or the baseline.

U:

Unattackable Ball – A shot that lands in the midcourt or closer to the kitchen and bounce height is beneath the net height. If attacked or hit offensively, this scenario presents a high risk of the ball landing in the net or sailing past the baseline.

V:

Volley – Any shot struck in the air (prior to the bounce), which most often occurs in the midcourt of even closer to the NVZ. Learn more in our volley article.

W:

Winner – Any shot that was hit to the opponent’s court without it being touched by the other team. It could be referred to as a “clean winner.” An ace is technically a clean winner off a serve. Also see “Dirty Winner.”

If we have missed some important and/or your favorite clever phrases, feel free to opine via our YouTube channel or email info@pickleballwarehouse.com.