01 / Guided introduction
Pickleball 101 lesson.
Never played before? Start with a coached group introduction. No experience is required and all equipment is provided.
View lesson times ↗03 / First time?
New to pickleball
in Sydney?
Choose a beginner lesson, group play or your own court at Pro Pickle Waterloo. The basics follow when you’re ready.
02 / Group play
Social play.
Casual group play: rotate partners, meet people and learn as you go.
Find the social-play pathway →03 / Your own court
Court hire.
Arrange your own court through the court-hire booking pathway.
Find the court-hire pathway →What to bring and wear
Come ready
to move.
Sports clothes, non-marking court shoes and water are the essentials.
- Paddle
- Bring a paddle or hire one for $5 per paddle.
- When you arrive
- Check in with staff at the front desk on arrival.
Pickleball 101 / Supporting basics
A little confidence
before you play.
Watch the quick video and use the four basics below to get started.
- 01
Score the game
Games are played to 11, win by 2. Only the serving team scores points. The displayed score gives the serving-team score, receiving-team score and server number. For example, 5-2-2 means 5 for the serving team, 2 for the receiving team and 2 for the server number.
- 02
Start with the serve
Serve underhand from behind the baseline, cross-court and beyond the kitchen.
- 03
Let it bounce twice
The two-bounce rule: after the serve, the return and the next shot each bounce before volleys begin.
- 04
Know the kitchen
The kitchen is the non-volley zone. You may play a bounced ball while standing there. You cannot start a volley while touching the kitchen or its boundary, and volley momentum must not carry you into or touch the kitchen.
Key terms / Quick reference
Speak the basics.
- Kitchen
- The non-volley zone next to the net. You may enter it, but you cannot volley while standing in it.
- Dink
- A soft shot designed to land in the opponent’s kitchen.
- Volley
- A shot hit before the ball bounces.
- Groundstroke
- A shot hit after the ball bounces, often from deeper in the court.
- Third-shot drop
- A soft third shot intended to land in the kitchen and help the serving team move forward.