If I had a dollar for every time I am asked a question for clarity about the KITCHEN, A.K.A. the non-volley zone (NVZ), I’d be buying a home in Monaco. The kitchen rules are mind benders for beginners, and especially for former tennis players. I can tell by the way their eyes glaze over that THIS DOES NOT COMPUTE! My patience for repeating and reconfirming the rules again and again deserves an award for determination. Sometimes, my newbie will try to contest the rules, but I calmly repeat, “No, you cannot rush the net and slam the ball unless it bounces in the NVZ.” My newbie’s face, that a second ago had the look of VICTORY, turns into a sour frown. But, but, but….they respond.
Along with figuring out how to keep score, keeping out of the NVZ ties with -scoring on hard to remember. That 7 feet by 20 feet area is a big hurdle to get over. No, you cannot go in the kitchen unless the ball bounces. Yes, you can hangout in the kitchen all you want but you still can’t hit the ball if it doesn’t first bounce in the kitchen. Oh, that confuses them more than the 2 bounce rule.
So, here are the most questions I answer about the kitchen as a pickleball coach.
Student: So you mean I can’t go into the kitchen?
Me: Yes you can but it’s not a good idea to hangout there because you can’t hit the ball during a volley.
Student: What’s a volley?
Me: It’s when you strike a ball in the air before it bounces.
Student: Can I go into the kitchen after the ball bounces in the kitchen?
Me: Yes, you can enter the kitchen if the ball bounces but it is a good idea to get right back out or you will be a target for the next shot.
Student: Why do you call if the non-volley zone sometimes?
Me: Because kitchen is another name for the non-volley zone or NVZ. A volley is striking the ball before it bounces.
Student: Yeah, but why “kitchen.”
Me: Because pickleball is several sports put together and KITCHEN comes from shuffle board. You are penalized for being in the kitchen in shuffleboard.
Student: Can I go into the kitchen before the ball bounces?
Me: Yes you can.
Student: Do I have to go out of the kitchen and back in to hit a ball?
Me: If the ball bounces in the kitchen again you don’t have to go out and back into the kitchen.
Student: What if I hit it in the air?
Me: Then you do have to be out of the kitchen and both feet have to be on the ground to hit a volley ball right after you hit a ball that bounces in the kitchen.
Student: So, you’re saying I can’t rush the net?
Me: You can if the ball bounces in the kitchen.
Student: Can the ball go into the kitchen during a serve?
Me: No, that’s a fault.
Student: Can I return a ball into the kitchen after it is served to me?
Me: Yes.
Student: Can I go into the kitchen after I hit a volley outside of the kitchen?
Me: No, your momentum cannot take you into the kitchen.
Student: If my toe is on the NVZ line is that considered being in the kitchen?
Me: Yes.
Student: If the ball bounces outside of the kitchen in the court and I hit it then run into the kitchen is that okay.
Me: Yes.
Student: Can the ball strike the NVZ line on the serve?
Me: No. It’s a fault.
Student: If being in the kitchen is so dangerous, why are you always telling me to RUN UP TO THE KITCHEN?
Me: Because being at the kitchen line gives you the advantage of cutting your opponents reaction time and putting the ball away winning the point.
Some other things I point out.
You cannot drop anything in the kitchen during a volley like a hat, a ball that drops out of your pocket, a tissue, etc. It’s a fault.
Your partner cannot pull you out of the kitchen during a volley so you can hit the ball if he/she is standing in the kitchen. It’s a fault.
You cannot hit a dink then strike the net. That’s a fault. A dink is a light hit of the pickleball that drops it just over the net into the kitchen area.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email me at dinkpickleball.com.
Thanks for reading!
Pickleball Terry
Terry Ryan
dinkpickleball@gmail.com
941-400-0978
SarasotaPickleball.com – owner/Gearbox Dealer
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