Picture this: you’ve got legendary chef Gordon Ramsay as your pickleball partner. Things are flowing smoothly, you’re slicing and dicing your opponent, until one fateful moment: you find yourself hitting a volley while casually stationed in the kitchen. Oops! Enter a barrage of Ramsay-style expletives: “Why don’t you just sit in there? How could you not know the pickleball kitchen size?!”
Yes, we feel the beads of sweat forming at the mere thought.
If you thought his Hell’s Kitchen rants were intense, the pickleball-version of Ramsay would be an absolute court tyrant. It’ll make you want to only play singles matches.
But don’t fear: we’re here to rescue you from the clutches of Ramsay-esque pickleball fury.
In pickleball, you want to stay out of the kitchen unless the ball bounces, and in order to stay out of the kitchen, you have to know the length and width of the kitchen area.
This is very different from most other paddle sport and racquet sports.
In this post, we are your kitchen coaches and court-side advisors. And we will dig into the most important details of the pickleball kitchen.
We will break down several key points:
- Pickleball Kitchen Size and Dimensions
- Dimensions of a Pickleball Court
- Pickleball Court Terms
- Why is the Size of the Kitchen Important?
Now, let’s get down to the gory details.
Pickleball Kitchen Size: The Dimensions of the Non-Volley Zone
The pickleball kitchen size spreads 7 feet deep from the net on both sides of the court and stretches 20 feet across the entire court, from sideline to sideline.
In total, the kitchen (also known as the non-volley zone) makes up 140 square feet on each side of the court.
If you were to stand back and look at the kitchen, the area forms a rectangular box near the middle of the court on each side of the net, marked off by the kitchen line, which is considered part of the kitchen area.
Pickleball Court Dimensions
While the size of the kitchen is important, you also need to know how it fits into the context of the entire pickleball court.
The official pickleball court size is 44 feet long by 20 feet wide (880 square feet in total), the same dimensions as a doubles badminton court.
For new pickleball players, especially tennis players making the transition, the court can be disorienting because it’s much smaller than the tennis court size.
And the regulation pickleball court is made up of a number of pickleball lines–including left and right service area, the sideline, the baseline, the center line, the NVZ line, and the kitchen.
Let’s break each down.
Pickleball Terms: Defining Court Areas and Lines
Service Box Area
The service box is a rectangular area (15′ x 10′) on both sides of the center line,
On each side of the court, there are left and right service areas.
These are important during the serve because the server must hit the ball underhand into the diagonal service box. For example, if the server is set up on the right side, she should hit into her opponent’s left service area. This is a legal serve in pickleball.
Sideline
The sideline is the outside boundary running the length of the court. It marks off the outer edges of the court area and helps determine if a ball is in or out.
Center Line
The center line runs down the center of the court on each side.
Starting at the kitchen line, this line runs to the baseline of the court, splitting the two serving boxes and showing the server to know which box to aim for.
Service Line or Baseline
The service line is where a rally begins. A server stands behind this line (22 feet from the net) and hits an underhanded serve over the net.
The Net
A pickleball net is slightly lower than a tennis net.
At the edge of the court, the height of the pickleball net is set at 36 inches and then slowly dips to 34 inches at the center of the net.
The NVZ Line
The NVZ line (also know as the kitchen or non-volley zone line) is a 2-inch white stripe that sections off the kitchen.
This line is considered part of the kitchen area.
The Kitchen: What is the kitchen in pickleball?
The kitchen, also known as the non-volley zone, is a 7-foot-area stretching from the front of the net to the kitchen line.
In all, the kitchen zone is 7-feet-long by 20-feet-wide.
And between the two sides, the kitchen takes up 280 feet of a pickleball court–or roughly 32 percent of the court surface.
Kitchen Dimensions: A Breakdown
Pickleball Court Size: 44′ x 20′
Pickleball Kitchen Size (one side): 7′ x 20′
Non-Volley Zone Line: 2″ thick
Kitchen (in square feet): 140 sq. ft. on one side and 280 sq. ft. with both sides added up
Kitchen Size Percentage: 32 percent of the pickleball court
Why is the Size of the Pickleball Kitchen Important in Gameplay?
The size of the pickleball kitchen is essential in maintaining the spirit of the game. By keeping players back 7 feet from the net, the kitchen extends rallies and also evens the playing field.
When I was transitioning from tennis, it felt strange to not be able to hit the ball out of the air at the net. I was used to volleying tennis balls, and now I was hitting a wiffle ball at a slower speed–and I couldn’t even hit it out of the air.
What the heck?!
But if you know the history of pickleball, you know that in the early years, Dick Brown was a killer.
The 6-foot, 4-inch behemoth would stand at the net and smash everything in sight.
This presented a problem: the sport of pickleball was invented to be a game for all ages and skill levels, but it was dominated by a tall player.
So the kitchen area was created to push Brown further back in the court and keep things fair during the pickleball game.
And once they sectioned off the kitchen size, the creators of the game began to design the rules of the kitchen.
And while these have morphed over time as the game has evolved, the pickleball kitchen rules have kept the game fun and competitive for so many.
Pickleball Kitchen Rules
In the modern game, the pickleball kitchen rules are still essential to the game.
And it’s important that you not only understand the kitchen size but also the kitchen rules.
7 Basic Rules of the Kitchen
- Go in anytime (at your own risk): You can enter the kitchen area at any point during the game, but we wouldn’t suggest you stay there long. If you stay in there, you will become a sitting duck, and your opponents will try to hit you with the ball. That would be the quickest and easiest way to lose a point. Instead, get in and get out.
- Don’t hit the ball while it’s in the air: When you are in the kitchen, you cannot volley it (or hit it out of the air). That’s why it’s called the NON VOLLEY ZONE. This is the simplest rule of the kitchen, but also the most important.
- Hit the ball off the bounce: If you are standing in the kitchen, you can only hit the ball if it bounces first.
- Don’t Fall In: Following a volley, the volleying player must keep their balance and stay outside the kitchen area. If their momentum carries them into the non-volley zone after a volley, it is a dead ball and they lose the point.
- Stay off the line: The kitchen line is part of the kitchen. If you are on the line and hit a volley, it is a fault. Instead, you should set your feet just outside the line.
- Reestablish Your Feet: If you go into the kitchen, you will need to reestablish your entire body in the playing court–outside the kitchen–before you can volley the next shot.
- Your paddle can’t fall in (or your hat): When you volley, nothing can fall off your body into the kitchen. If you lose a hat, paddle, watch–anything at all–off your body and it falls in the kitchen, you can be called for a fault.
This is a short list of rules.
If you want to dive deeper into the rules of the kitchen, check out our comprehensive guide on the Pickleball Kitchen Rules.
Other Important Rules
Also, remember, the kitchen is not the only time you need to let the ball bounce, according to the rules of pickleball. You will want to follow the double bounce rule as well.
Double Bounce Rule: When a rally starts, the server serves the ball to the opposing team. The receiving team must allow the ball to bounce once in the service courts before returning it. This is the first bounce of the rally. Then, the serving team must also stay back and allow the return to bounce once before hitting it. Two bounces at the beginning of the rally–this is the double bounce rule in pickleball.
If you want additional information on the pickleball rules, check our guide to Printable Pickleball Rules and take them with you to court.
Setting Up Your Own Pickleball Court with Kitchen Dimensions: The Basics
In many areas, you can find an outdoor court at your local park or an indoor pickleball court at your local YMCA or community center.
But, if you’re looking to set up your own pickleball court, you can build a permanent standard pickleball court or set up a temporary one using a portable pickleball net.
Both are great options for a DIY pickleball court.
You can transform basketball courts, a tennis court, or badminton courts into outdoor pickleball courts using some tape for temporary court lines on the surface of the court.
Whether you choose to do a new build or to set up a popup court, you will want to follow some simple, but important, steps to get your court right.
- Mark Off A Playing Space: The court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long. But USA Pickleball recommends that the overall playing space of a pickleball court be, at minimum, 30 feet wide by 60 feet long in order to give a spacious out of bounds area. You can mark off the outer lines with tape–if you are preparing a hard court–or you can use field chalk if you are trying to play pickleball on grass.
- Mark the Court Dimensions: Next, you will want to mark off all of the court dimensions, such as the center line, serving line, NVZ line, and more. Make sure your tape is a different color than your court surface so it stands out.
- Set Up a Net: Lastly, place a permanent net or a portable net in the middle of the court.
How Do You Measure and Mark the Kitchen Size
When you go to measure and prepare the kitchen, you will want to keep in mind the specific measurements that we detailed earlier.
The kitchen will stretch 7-feet from the net, and it spans the entire width of the court–20 feet in total.
Use a measuring tape to mark off these dimensions and then place court tape down to mark the lines on both sides of the net.
Pickleball Kitchen Size: FAQs
How large is the kitchen for pickleball? What is the kitchen court size in pickleball?
The regulation size of the kitchen is 7 feet long (from the net) by 20 feet wide (sideline to sideline).
There is a kitchen on each side of the net.
How many feet from the net is the kitchen in pickleball?
The kitchen begins right at the net and stretches 7 feet deep into the court, ending at the kitchen line.
It makes up the middle area of the pickleball court.
Can you step foot in the kitchen in pickleball?
Yes, you can go into the kitchen at any time during a game of pickleball.
But if you are in there, you must hit the ball off the bounce.
If you hit it out the air, you will be called for a fault.
Can you lean over the kitchen in pickleball?
It is perfectly legal to lean over the kitchen and volley the pickleball.
The pickleball non-volley zone is strictly the playing surface in the kitchen area.
It does not include the space above the kitchen.
So you can swing above the kitchen to your heart’s desire–as long as your feet don’t go on the surface area.
Is height an advantage in pickleball?
Height is an advantage in pickleball.
While the 7-foot non-volley zone does negate some of the height advantage that taller players would have, it can’t eliminate everything.
A tall player often has long limbs and a long reach, allowing them to get to high balls over their head and also reach shots far to their side.
It sometimes pays to be tall.
But shorter players also have a distinct advantage around the non-volley line.
Around the net, many rallies will be played off the bounce, from inside the kitchen, and shorter players can dip low and cover the area with ease.
I guess it pays to be short, too.
Can the ball bounce twice in the kitchen in pickleball?
The ball cannot legally bounce twice in the kitchen.
If it does, the rally is over.
In this way, the kitchen is no different than the rest of the court under the pickleball rules.
Pickleball Kitchen Size: How To Use It To Win
It’s not enough to merely understand the kitchen size and the different rules.
We want to win (and have fun doing it).
And the best way to win at the net is to learn to dink. A dink is a soft shot near the net.
When I first started playing pickleball, I wanted to smash every shot near the net. Unfortunately, that’s a recipe for losing, and I lost A LOT!
But as I grew as a player, I learned some of the skills of an advanced player–like alternating between drop shots, smashes, and, most importantly, dinks.
And honestly, your dink game–and its consistency–will take your game to a new level.
It’s a great way to negate aggressive players and force them into errors at the net.
So if you’re ready to up your dink game, check out our guide to What is a Dink in Pickleball? where we cover the basics of a dink but also how to use to win more points.
And for new players, we have a step-by-step guide to getting started. Check out the Ultimate Guide to Pickleball for Beginners.