Shot Types

Strategy Terms

Player Position Terms

Spin Terms

Common Errors

Common Paddle Terms

Slang Terms

Rating & Competitive Terms

Basic Court Terms

Baseline
The line at the back of the court.

Sideline
The outer boundary lines running the length of the court.

Centerline
The line dividing the service courts.

Service Court
The area where serves must land.

Kitchen
The common name for the Non-Volley Zone (NVZ).

Non-Volley Zone (NVZ)
The 7-foot area on both sides of the net where volleys are not allowed.

Transition Zone
The area between the baseline and kitchen.

No Man's Land
The area between the baseline and kitchen.

Net Cord
The top band of the net.

Post
The supports holding up the net.

Scoring Terms

Side Out
When the serving team loses the serve.

First Server
The player who serves first for a team.

Second Server
The partner who serves after the first server loses a rally.

Server Number
The "1" or "2" announced before the score.

Rally Scoring
A scoring system where a point is awarded on every rally.

Traditional Scoring
Only the serving team can score points.

Win by Two
A team must lead by at least two points to win.

Game Point
One point away from winning.

Match Point
One point away from winning the match.

Serving Terms

Serve
The shot that starts a rally.

Legal Serve
A serve meeting all rule requirements.

Drop Serve
A serve where the ball is dropped before being struck.

Volley Serve
A serve struck before the ball bounces.

Deep Serve
A serve that lands near the baseline.

Short Serve
A serve landing close to the kitchen line.

Power Serve
A serve hit with maximum pace.

Spin Serve
A serve using topspin, sidespin, or both.

Ace
A serve that is not returned.

Service Fault
An illegal serve.

Let Serve
A serve that touches the net and lands legally. (Under current rules, play continues.)

Shot Types

Dink
A soft shot that lands in the opponent's kitchen.

Crosscourt Dink
A dink hit diagonally.

Straight-On Dink
A dink hit directly ahead.

Dead Dink
A dink with little bounce.

Push Dink
A more aggressive dink hit with pace.

Attack Dink
A dink intended to create an attack opportunity.

Drive
A hard, fast groundstroke.

Third Shot Drive
An aggressive drive hit after the return.

Drop Shot
A soft shot intended to land in the kitchen.

Third Shot Drop
A drop shot hit by the serving team after the return.

Reset Shot
A soft shot used to neutralize an attack.

Lob
A high shot hit over opponents.

Offensive Lob
A lob intended to win the point.

Defensive Lob
A lob used to recover from pressure.

Volley
Hitting the ball before it bounces.

Punch Volley
A compact volley hit with pace.

Block Volley
A defensive volley used to absorb pace.

Roll Volley
A volley hit with topspin.

Swing Volley
A full-swing volley attack.

Half Volley
A shot struck immediately after a bounce.

Overhead Smash
A powerful overhead attack.

Put Away
An easy winner hit after creating an advantage.

Speed-Up
A sudden attack from a dink exchange.

Counterattack
An aggressive response to an opponent's attack.

Erne
A volley struck from outside or beyond the kitchen.

Bert
An Erne performed by crossing behind your partner.

ATP (Around The Post)
A shot hit around the net post without crossing over the net.

Strategy Terms

Third Shot
The serving team's first shot after the return.

Fifth Shot
The serving team's second shot after the return.

Stacking
A positioning strategy used to keep players on preferred sides.

Switching
Partners exchanging court positions during a rally.

Pinching the Middle
Both players guarding the center.

Poaching
Crossing over to hit your partner's ball.

Crash the Net
Moving aggressively toward the kitchen after a shot.

Transitioning
Moving from the baseline toward the kitchen.

Resetting
Neutralizing a hard rally with soft shots.

Pressure Dinking
Using dinks to force errors.

Building a Point
Patiently creating an attack opportunity.

Playing Percentage Pickleball
Choosing high-probability shots.

Baiting
Intentionally leaving an opening to encourage a predictable shot.

Player Position Terms

Kitchen Line
The NVZ line where most advanced players position themselves.

Backcourt Player
A player near the baseline.

Frontcourt Player
A player at the kitchen line.

Split Step
A small hop before reacting to a shot.

Ready Position
Athletic stance prepared for any shot.

Forehand Side
The side where a forehand is used.

Backhand Side
The side where a backhand is used.

Inside Foot
The foot closest to the centerline.

Outside Foot
The foot closest to the sideline.

Spin Terms

Topspin
Forward rotation causing the ball to dip.

Backspin (Slice)
Backward rotation causing a lower bounce.

Sidespin
Spin causing sideways movement.

Heavy Spin
A large amount of spin.

Roll
Brushing upward to create topspin.

Cut Shot
A slicing shot with backspin.

Common Errors

Fault
A rule violation that ends the rally.

Foot Fault
An illegal step or positioning violation.

Kitchen Fault
Volleying while touching the NVZ.

Out Ball
A ball landing outside the court.

Unforced Error
A mistake made without significant pressure.

Forced Error
A mistake caused by opponent pressure.

Netted Ball
A shot that hits the net.

Popped Up Ball
A shot hit too high, creating an attack opportunity.

Miss-Hit
Poor paddle contact.

Common Paddle Terms

Balance Point
Where the paddle balances.

Control
The ability to place the ball accurately.

Dwell Time
How long the ball remains on the paddle face.

Launch Angle
The angle the ball leaves the paddle face.

Plow Through
A paddle's ability to continue through contact.

Pop
How much power the paddle produces with minimal swing.

Power
How fast the ball can travel. Velocity, put-away power, and aggressive drives. Tend to have stiffer faces and specialized cores (like Gen 3/Gen 4).

Spin
How effectively a paddle generates spin.

Stability
Resistance to twisting and vibration.

Static Weight
The paddle's total weight. The Average weight of a paddle is around 7.8 - 8.1.

Sweet Spot
The area of the paddle producing the best results.

Swing Weight (SW)
How heavy the paddle feels while swinging. Usually ranges from 90 to 130. Where 90 is the lightest (fastest swing speed) and 130 is the Heaviest (slowest swing speed).

Thickness
Paddle thickness refers to the thickness of the paddle core, usually measured in millimeters (mm). Most modern pickleball paddles range from 10mm to 20mm thick. (14mm and 16mm being the most common).

Twist Weight (TW)
Measures a pickleball paddle's resistance to twisting when the ball strikes away from the center of the paddle face (off-center hits). In pickleball it generally ranges from 5.0 to 8.0. The higher the TW the more resistant it is to twisting on off-center hits.

Slang Terms

Banger
A player who relies heavily on drives and power.

Dinker
A player who prefers soft-game tactics.

Paddle Tap
Touching paddles after a game.

Pickled
Losing a game without scoring a point.

Golden Pickle
Winning a game without losing a single rally while serving.

Body Bag
Hitting an opponent with the ball during a rally.

Chicken Wing
An awkward shot hit near the armpit or dominant-side hip.

Dead Paddle
A paddle with very little pop.

Hot Paddle
A paddle with significant power/pop.

Hands Battle
A fast volley exchange at the kitchen line.

Firefight
Another term for a hands battle.

Shake and Bake
A third-shot drive followed by a partner poach.

Attackable Ball
A ball that can be sped up aggressively.

Speed-Up Window
A ball height or position favorable for attacking.

Pancake
A low volley where the paddle face is held flat under the ball.

Scorpion
A behind-the-body defensive shot.

Tweener
A shot hit between the legs.

Nasty Nelson
A serve intentionally hit at the opposing non-returning player.

Rating & Competitive Terms

DUPR
Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) rating system used worldwide.

UTR-P
UTR Sports Pickleball rating system based on match results.

Open Division
Highest skill division in a tournament.

Skill Division
Tournament grouping by player rating.

Age Division
Tournament grouping by age.

Round Robin
Everyone plays everyone else.

Bracket Play
Single or double-elimination tournament format.

Pool Play
Groups of players competing before bracket rounds.

Sandbagging
Playing below your actual skill level to gain an advantage.

Rec Play
Casual recreational play.

Challenge Court
A court where winners stay on.

King of the Court
Format where winners move up and losers move down.