Pickleball FAQs

Pickleball Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) include: What is the Kitchen, What is a Volley, Kitchen NVZ and Volleys, Kitchen Rule and Momentum, Kitchen Rules Bouncing Balls.

Click on the links above to jump to those spots on the Pickleball FAQs page

What is the Kitchen in Pickleball? The Non-Volley Zone

The Kitchens is the non official term for the Non-Volley Zone. You will not find it mentioned in the USAPA & IFP Official Rulebook. The NVZ (non volley zone) is the 7′ zone on both sides of the net where a player cannot hit the Pickleball without first letting the ball bounce (see the picture below). For More on the NVZ read our post about the non-volley zone

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pickleball court

What does Volley Mean? Volley and Groundstroke Definition.

A volley is any ball hit in the air before it has bounced. To understand if a kitchen (non-volley zone) rule has been violated you need to know the difference between a volley and a groundstroke. A groundstroke is any ball that is hit after it bounces off the ground., “volley,” and the term, “groundstroke.” A volley simply means that a player is striking the ball out of the air before it bounces.

Now that you know the difference between a volley and a groundstroke we can go over some of the FAQs related to the kitchen.

Kitchen (NVZ) Rules and the Volley

Question: Can I hit a volley while standing in the Non-Volley Zone?
Answer: No. Volleying while in the Non-Volley Zone (or standing on the Non-Volley Line) is considered a fault.

Question: Can I hit a volley with just one of my feet touching the Kitchen Line?
Answer: No, if a player touches any part of the Non-Volley Line during the act of volleying, it will be considered a fault.

Question:  What if a player executes the volley, but his cap falls into the Kitchen?
Answer:  This would be considered a fault.  Something the player is wearing cannot touch the Non-Volley Zone or any Non-Volley Line during the volley.

Question: What if — in the act of executing a low volley (or any volley, for that matter) – the paddle touches the Non-Volley Line?
Answer: A fault will be declared if, in the act of volleying the ball, a player or anything the player is wearing or carrying touches the non-volley zone or touches any non-volley line.

Question: When can I enter the Kitchen?
Answer: You can enter the Non-Volley Zone at any time as long as you don’t hit a volley while in there.

Question: Can I stand in the Non-Volley Zone while my partner serves or hits a shot?
Answer: While not recommended from a strategic perspective, you can nevertheless enter and stay in the Non-Volley Zone at any time as long as you don’t hit a volley while in there.

Question: If I am in the Kitchen, when can I once again hit a volley?
Answer: You must establish both feet outside the Non-Volley Zone before you can once again volley the ball.

Kitchen Rules and Momentum

Question: When volleying, can my momentum from the volley take me into the Kitchen?
Answer: No. A fault will be declared if, in the act of volleying the ball, a player or anything the player is wearing or carrying touches the non-volley zone or touches any non-volley line. The act of volleying the ball includes the swing, the follow-through, and the momentum from the action.

Question:  Can the momentum from your volley carry you into the Kitchen after the ball bouncing twice on your opponent’s side?
Answer:  Your momentum cannot carry you into the Non-Volley Zone even after the ball is dead (or in this case, bounced twice). There is no time-limit to the momentum rule.

Question: When volleying, can your partner hold you back so that your momentum from the volley doesn’t take you into the Kitchen?
Answer: Yes. That is permitted. Your partner can, indeed, hold you back so that your momentum doesn’t take you into the Non-Volley Zone as long as your partner is not in the Non-Volley Zone either.

Kitchen Rules and a Bouncing Ball

Question: Can I hit a shot that bounces first while I am standing in the Kitchen?
Answer: Yes, as long as the ball bounces first you can hit a shot while standing in the Non-Volley Zone. You simply cannot volley while in the Non-Volley Zone.

Question: You hit a groundstroke but your momentum from the shot carries you into the non-volley zone. Is this a fault?
Answer: Regardless of where the ball bounces on the court — as long as it bounces first — your momentum from hitting your groundstroke can, indeed, carry you into the Non-Volley Zone without penalty. Click here to see confirmation from our friends at the USAPA. Just don’t hit a volley on your next shot while in the kitchen!