200+ Pickleball Terms To Blend In With the Pros

Pickleball has its own unique language. From the various shot types to the jargon used during play, understanding basic pickleball terminology will help new players fit in quickly. Here's our comprehensive list of pickleball terms you should know.

Our list contains over 200 terms related to pickleball, covering various aspects of the game, including gameplay and strategy, equipment, court layout, game types, serving, shot types, rule violations, on-court communication, player types, and slang.

Gameplay and Strategy

• Ad Court: The left half of your court.
• All-court Game: Mixing different playing styles, including all court areas.
• Angle: Trajectory of the ball after being hit.
• Anticipation: Predicting the next shot’s location.
• Apex: Highest point of the ball’s path.
• Around the Post (ATP): Shot returned from beyond the net post without crossing over the net.
• Backswing: Swinging the paddle back before hitting the ball.
• Ball-in-court: Play interruption due to an external ball.
• Block: Defensive shot with little backswing.
• Brush Up: Light brush of the ball imparting topspin.
• Bye: Advancement in a tournament without playing.
• Call: Declaration that a ball is out of play.
• Carry: Ball rolls on the paddle, a fault if intentional.
• Challenge: Disagreement with an out-of-bounds call.
• Challenge Court: System where players challenge match winners.
• Changing ends: Players switch sides at certain points in a match.
• Chicken wing: Return shot from behind the body.
• Chip and Charge: Hitting a slice while moving towards the net.
• Closed Stance: Hitting with the body parallel to the baseline.
• Compact Swing: Short swing with little backswing.
• Covering: Taking shots in a designated court portion.
• Cross-court: Court area diagonally opposite your side.
• Deep Shot: Shots hit to the backcourt, near the baseline.
• Dig: Defensive return to an offensive shot.
• Dink War: Exchange of dinks at the kitchen line.
• Down the Line: Straight shot parallel to the sideline.
• Drive Volley: Volley hit with a full swing or topspin.
• Drop Serve: Server hits the ball after it bounces.
• Drop Volley: Volley to slow the ball, near the net.
• Eastern Forehand Grip: “Handshake” grip on the paddle.
• ERNE: Shot from the air near the kitchen or outside of it.
• Error: Loss of a point due to a misplaced shot.
• Even Side of Court: Right side where the server starts with an even score.
• Extend the Point: Making easier shots for longer rallies.
• Fault: Occurs when rules are violated, stopping play.
• Feed: Ball hit to a player for a specific return during practice.
• Flicker: Attacking dink with topspin.
• Follow Through: Continuing the swing after hitting the ball.
• Forced error: Causing the opponent to miss the return.
• French Fries: Score of 1-1-1.
• Game Point: Potential last point of the game.
• Good Hands: Keeping difficult shots in play.
• Great Feel: Controlling the ball’s spin for placement.
• Grip Pressure: Hand pressure around the paddle handle.
• Grip and Rip: Hard-hitting play style.
• Half Stack: Stacking strategy used only when serving.
• Height: How high the ball is after crossing the net.
• Hinder: Anything affecting play.
• Hitting Zone: Ideal area on the paddle for hitting the ball.
• Inside-out: Crosscourt shot taken with a preferred forehand.
• Jam: Shot restricting opponent’s return at the kitchen line.
• Let: Serve landing in the service box but hitting the net.
• Looper: Groundstroke hit with topspin into the opponent’s kitchen.
• Losers Bracket: Continuation in a double-elimination tournament after a loss.
• Match: Multiple games to determine a winner.
• Matrix Move: Dodging a directly hit ball.
• Midcourt: Area between the kitchen and baseline.
• Mid-point: Middle of the intersection between centerline and baseline.
• Mis-direct: Directing the ball at a different angle than received.
• Mis-hit: Hitting the ball from other than the “sweet spot”.
• Mixed Doubles: Male/female teams facing off.
• Moonball: Defensive lob to reposition for the next shot.
• Net Cord: Shot hitting the net but landing in the kitchen.
• Nice Touch: Accurate shot placement with finesse.
• Not Up: Hitting a return after the ball has bounced twice.
• Open stance: Modern technique with the body facing between baseline and opponent.
• Opportunity Bracket: Continuation in the “Losers bracket” with a chance to advance.
• Out: Ball landing outside the regulation area.
• Pace: Velocity of the ball over the net.
• Passing shot: Shot traveling by a player at the NVZ line.
• Percentage Pickleball: Playstyle focusing on safe, consecutive shots.
• Pinching the Middle: Tactic to keep the ball away from an aggressive player.
• Play Out the Point: Continuing play in practice until a miss occurs.
• Pop Up: Forcing an opponent to hit a high return ball.
• Positioning: Players’ location and movement according to shot landing.
• Puppet Master: Player with excellent finesse and placement control.
• Rally Score System: Point scored for every rally, regardless of server.
• Rating: System to rank players by skill level.
• Ready Position: Optimal stance to await ball return.
• Receiver: Player receiving the serve.
• Referee: Official enforcing rules and calling violations.
• Reflex Volley: Instinctive shot with no time for planning.
• Replays: Discrepancy resolution by replaying the point.
• Reset the Point: Returning a hard hit volley into the opponent’s kitchen.
• Roller: Groundstroke hit with topspin, landing in the kitchen.
• Round Robin: Tournament format with players competing within groups.
• Rubber Game: Decisive third game when each team has won one game.
• Scorpion: Defensive stance and counter-attack resembling a scorpion’s tail.
• Second Serve: Consecutive serve by the same team after losing the first serve point.
• Seed: Ranked position in a tournament to avoid early ranked player matchups.
• Service Fault: Illegal serve due to various reasons.
• Shake and bake: Strategy involving a hard third shot drive and a partner’s net approach.
• Shank: Unintentional misdirected shot.
• Short hop: Quick return of a ball bouncing immediately in front.
• Shot Selection: Choosing a shot based on its trajectory, speed, angle, and height.
• Shuffle: Lateral foot motion for sideways shot positioning.
• Sick Trx: Skinny singles game variation based on even and odd scores.
• Sitter: High, easy-to-return shot.
• Sitting On A Shot: Anticipating and positioning for the next shot.
• Skill set: Variety of skills, techniques, or abilities available to a player.
• Slide: Sideways movement into position for a shot.
• Slow It Down: Intentional pace reduction with soft shots.
• Soft Hands: Ability to slow the ball and hit finesse shots.
• Speed It Up: Increasing pace by hitting harder or faster return shots.
• Spin: Ball rotation altering its trajectory and bounce.
• Split Step: Movement preparation for ball return.
• Stacking: Doubles strategy for shot area coverage optimization.
• Stance: Player’s body position when hitting or awaiting the ball.
• Staying Home: Covering one’s court side without moving far from the middle.
• Strategy: Plan for shot placement and positioning advantage.
• Strike Zone: Ideal ball striking height.
• Swinging Volley: Ball hit out of the air with a swinging motion.
• Switch: Command for partner side switching during play.
• Tagging: Hitting an opponent to win a point.
• Target Area: Desired ball landing location on the opponent’s court.
• Targeted Player: Focusing the majority of shots on a selected opponent.
• Technical Warning: Official warning for rule violations or unsportsmanlike behavior.
• Trajectory: Ball path over the net.
• Transition Zone: Area between the kitchen line and baseline.
• Trespassing: Overreaching into a partner’s court area.
• Tweener: Trick shot hit between the legs.
• Two-handed: Dual-hand grip on the pickleball paddle.
• Unforced error: Error made without external pressure.
• Western Grip: Grip for enhanced topspin on forehand shots.
• Wrist Hinge: Wrist motion for spin control.
• Winner: Unreturnable shot.

Equipment

• Pickleball: Plastic ball used in pickleball, with variations for indoor and outdoor play.
• Indoor ball: Lighter ball with larger holes for indoor play.
• Outdoor ball: Heavier ball with smaller holes for outdoor play.
• Pickleball Paddle: Instrument used to hit the ball.
• Rack: Slang for pickleball paddle.
• Paddy: Another slang term for paddle.
• Grip: How a player holds the paddle, with variations like continental, eastern, and western grips.

Court Layout

• Non-Volley Zone (NVZ): Area near the net where volleys are not allowed.
• Non-Volley Line: Line marking the start of the NVZ.
• Backcourt: Back area of the court within boundaries.
• Centerline: Line dividing the court into two halves.
• Sideline: Outer lines on each side of the court.
• Baseline: Line furthest from the net, behind which serves must be made.
• Kitchen line: Line separating the NVZ from the midcourt.
• Midcourt: Middle area between the baseline and NVZ line.
• Permanent Object: Objects near the court that could interfere with play.
• Net height: Regulated height of the net at its center and posts.

Game Types

• Doubles: Game with two teams of two players each.
• Singles: One-on-one game.
• Skinny Singles: Singles played on half the court.
• Double Elimination: Tournament format allowing two losses before elimination.

Serving

• Serve: Underhand shot that starts a rally.
• Service outside scoring: Points only scored by the serving team.
• Server number: Indicates the serving order in doubles.
• Ace: Unreturned serve that lands in the service box.
• Side out: Loss of serve to the opposing team.
• Return of serve: Shot by the receiving team after the serve.
• Screwball serve: unique serve that uses spin and placement to force errors on the return
• Nasty Nelson: Serve intentionally hit at an improperly positioned opponent.

Shot Types

• Volley shot: Ball hit without letting it bounce.
• Put away: Shot that the opponent can’t return.
• Drive: Forceful, low shot parallel to the ground.
• Smash: Overhand hit aimed at the opponent’s feet or body.
• Overhead shot: Similar to a tennis serve, hit overhand.
• Approach shot: Shot made while moving toward the net.
• Slice: Downward chopping motion to impart underspin.
• Backhand: Shot with the back of the hand facing the net.
• Forehand: Shot with the front of the hand parallel to the net.
• Backspin: Ball hit with a low-to-high motion for reverse spin.
• Groundstroke: Shot hit after the ball bounces.
• Double hit: Illegal hit where the ball is struck twice.
• Half-volley: Ball hit before reaching maximum height after a bounce.
• Punch volley: Quick shot with minimal backswing.
• Block volley: Quick return of a fast volley, using no backswing.
• Top Spin: Shot causing the ball to spin forward.
• Dink: Soft shot placed in the opponent’s kitchen.
• Drop Shot: Similar to a dink but hit closer to the baseline.
• Cross-court Dink: Soft shot landing in the opponent’s NVZ from the backcourt.
• Lob: High shot intended to go over the opponent’s head.
• Slammers: Forceful, repeated hard hits.
• Poach: Taking shots intended for a partner.
• Bert: Shot over the NVZ to the opposite court while partner is at the net.
• Body Bag: Forceful shot hit directly at an opponent.
• Third shot drop: Soft shot into the NVZ after the serve.
• ERNE: Poaching shot hit close to the sideline, stepping over the NVZ.

Rule Violations

• Line Call: Determination of a ball being in or out of bounds.
• Foot Fault: Illegal serve or volley due to foot placement.
• Rule violation: Breach of pickleball rules.
• Technical foul: Penalty for rule violations or unsportsmanlike conduct.

On-Court Communication

• OPA!: Cheer signaling the start of open rallying.
• Nice setup: Compliment for maneuvering an opponent.
• Bounce it: Call to let a ball bounce out of bounds.
• Nice get: Compliment for a difficult return.
• Dead ball: Announcement that the point is over.
• Nice rally: Compliment for a long or continuous play.

Player Types

• Banger: Player who frequently drives the ball forcefully.
• Junior: Younger player or category in tournaments.

Tournaments, Associations, Rating Systems

• APA: The Amateur Pickleball Association.
• APP: Association of Pickleball Players.
• DUPR: Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating.
• MLP: Major League Pickleball.
• PPA: Professional Pickleball Association.
• UPA: United Pickleball Association.
• UTR-P: UTR Pickleball Rating.
• USAPA: USA Pickleball.

Slang

• Falafel: Weak shot without enough power.
• Flapjack: Shot that needs to bounce before return.
• Kitchen: Slang for the non-volley zone.
• Pickle!: Serve announcement.
• Pickled (or Bagel): Scoring no points in a game.
• Pickledome: Location of the championship match in a tournament.
• Pickler: Pickleball enthusiast.
• Volley llama: Illegal hit into the kitchen.
• No Man’s Land: Area between the NVZ and baseline.
• Retirement: Conceding a point.
• Beer Bracket: Early tournament elimination.
• Golden Pickle: Game won entirely by the first server without losing a point.

Putting These Terms To Good Use

Pickleball truly has its own language and now you have a comprehensive list of terms to use during your next pickleball conversation!

If you’re ready to dive further into pickleball culture, check out some of the most common phrases, puns, and captions you may hear on and off the court.