Is hitting yourself with the ball a fault?

Yes. If a live ball strikes a player or anything they are wearing or carrying, other than the paddle hand below the wrist, it is a fault against that player. This applies even if the ball was clearly heading out, which is why letting balls pass is often the right choice.

What happens if the ball hits the net post?

A ball striking the net post is out and the rally ends. This differs from a ball clipping the net cord and landing in, which is live and playable. The post is treated as a permanent obstacle rather than part of the playing surface.

Can you switch hands during a rally?

Yes. Switching the paddle between hands is legal, as is two-handed play. What is not legal is touching the ball with your free hand or body. Ambidextrous play is uncommon but entirely within the rules.

Who calls faults in recreational play?

Players call faults on themselves and on their own side. You do not call kitchen or net faults on opponents in unofficiated play; you may ask, but the player concerned makes the call. This self-calling convention is central to the sport's etiquette.

Rally Blog

What Are the Most Common Pickleball Faults?

Updated June 17, 2026 · 6 min read · The Rally Team

TL;DR. The faults that decide most recreational games are volleying from the non-volley zone, breaking the two-bounce rule by rushing the net after serving, serving into the wrong court, and touching the net. Each is a rule new players break through habit rather than through any decision.

A fault ends the rally and either costs the serving team its serve or awards a point to the servers. Knowing the common ones matters less for winning than for avoiding the arguments that stop play, since most rec-court disputes are about a fault nobody is quite sure occurred.

Which fault happens most often?

Volleying while touching the non-volley zone or its lines, including cases where momentum carries you in after a legal volley. It happens constantly because the natural instinct at the net is to step forward into the ball, which is exactly what the rule prohibits.

The fix is footwork rather than restraint. Stop and split-step before the volley so forward momentum is already absorbed, or take the ball a half step further back. Players who address it as a positioning problem improve faster than those who simply try to be careful.

What are the serving faults?

Serving overhand or with contact above the waist, serving from the wrong side, landing the serve outside the diagonal service court, and landing it in the non-volley zone or on its line. Only one attempt is permitted, so any of these ends the turn.

Wrong-side serving is the one that catches experienced players, usually after a long rally when the score has been forgotten. Calling the score before every serve exists partly to force everyone to check position before the ball is struck.

Rally app tracking a pickleball game where faults change the serve and score — Most rec disputes trace back to a lost score; tracking it prevents the argument.

What counts as touching the net?

Any contact by a player, their clothing, or their paddle with the net, net posts or the opponents’ court while the ball is live is a fault. This includes contact after hitting a winner, since the rally is not over until the ball is dead.

Reaching across the plane of the net to strike a ball before it crosses is also a fault, with one exception: a ball with backspin that bounces on your side and returns over the net may be played on the opponents’ side without touching the net.

Settling score disputes before they start? Rally keeps the score and server on your wrist.

What about the two-bounce rule?

Volleying the return of serve is a fault, because the serve must bounce and the return must bounce before anyone plays a ball out of the air. The serving team breaks this most, by moving forward after serving and instinctively volleying the return.

New players from a tennis background break it almost every game at first, since serve-and-volley is a trained instinct there. The habit that replaces it is staying behind the baseline after serving until you see the return bounce.

Key takeaways

Volleying from the non-volley zone, including on momentum, is the most common fault.
Serving faults include wrong side, wrong court, and landing in the kitchen.
Any contact with the net or opponents’ court while the ball is live is a fault.
Volleying the return of serve breaks the two-bounce rule.
Calling the score before every serve forces a position check and prevents disputes.

Frequently asked questions

Is hitting yourself with the ball a fault?: Yes. If a live ball strikes a player or anything they are wearing or carrying, other than the paddle hand below the wrist, it is a fault against that player. This applies even if the ball was clearly heading out, which is why letting balls pass is often the right choice.
What happens if the ball hits the net post?: A ball striking the net post is out and the rally ends. This differs from a ball clipping the net cord and landing in, which is live and playable. The post is treated as a permanent obstacle rather than part of the playing surface.
Can you switch hands during a rally?: Yes. Switching the paddle between hands is legal, as is two-handed play. What is not legal is touching the ball with your free hand or body. Ambidextrous play is uncommon but entirely within the rules.
Who calls faults in recreational play?: Players call faults on themselves and on their own side. You do not call kitchen or net faults on opponents in unofficiated play; you may ask, but the player concerned makes the call. This self-calling convention is central to the sport’s etiquette.

The Rally Team
Pickleball Rules & Scoring, BigBalli. We track the USA Pickleball rulebook as it is revised each year so scoring guidance stays current.