In Pickleball, What is the Kitchen?

The kitchen is a non-volley zone that can be recognized from being extended seven feet from both sides of the net and sidelines, generally, this zone will be marked with a horizontal line that is near the net, so you can't just get it wrong, but in fact, with the high adrenaline and haste during the set, you may get a wrong movement and end being inside the kitchen, so what could you do in this scenario? Let's discover it.

If you are a constant player in pickleball then you may have heard the term "Kitchen" and while that sounds incredibly family-friendly, in reality, is something that you need to be aware of due to multiple rules being inserted in that part of the game. Staying off the kitchen will reduce the heat or if you can handle the heat, stay away from the kitchen are phrases that old pickleball or related sports players have said multiple times during games, so, maybe it's time to discover what does exactly mean and understand the term as well as knowing some important facts about it, stay tuned.

In simple words, the kitchen is a specific part of the pickleball court that counts with some interesting rules that tell players what they should do and what they shouldn't even think of doing in that zone during the game. The reason why the previous two popular phrases are so important is mainly because newcomers can't just understand some general rules about pickleball, and adding the "secret" rules of the kitchen will only add more challenges to them, but don't worry, in most courts, you can clearly see the separation of the playable zone and the hazardous zone.

Important Rules Of The Kitchen That Every Pickleball Player Should Know

The first thing to remember is that you can’t pass to the kitchen while it's your turn to volley the ball or if the ball is already on your zone, if you don't follow this rule then if any inch of your body enters the kitchen, the opposite side will receive a point due to a clear misunderstanding of the rules, and this can be a game-changer especially while playing with beginners, so be easy on them.

However, you are technically allowed to hit the ball while it's in the air if you are behind the kitchen's line, but you need to be extremely careful since a bad movement will make you reach a very dangerous contact with the hazard zone, and that is when another rule appears in the battle, nothing related to you can touch the ground of the kitchen, otherwise, that will be another point given to the opposite side. Basically, you can't let any sunglasses, hats, equipment, balls, wallet, keys, or even a piece of a snack fall or say goodbye to a valuable point.

Finally, your partner can be inside of the kitchen while you are focusing on volleying, however, if the ball or any part of your body/equipment reaches your partner, then it will be a clear violation of the rules and points will be given once again. In conclusion, it's important to control your momentum after every shot, watch your steps, and play with the extremely required equipment, even your small keys could disqualify your nicely controlled game! So be careful and try to adapt to these rules to avoid losing games due to external factors, good luck!

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